Abstract
The fight against human disease requires a multidisciplinary scientific approach. Applying tools from seemingly unrelated areas, such as materials science and molecular biology, researchers can overcome long-standing challenges to improve knowledge of molecular pathologies. Here, custom-designed substrates composed of silicon nitride (SiN) are used to study the 3D attributes of tumor suppressor proteins that function in DNA repair events. New on-chip preparation strategies enable the isolation of native protein complexes from human cancer cells. Combined techniques of cryo-electron microscopy (EM) and molecular modeling reveal a new modified form of the p53 tumor suppressor present in aggressive glioblastoma multiforme cancer cells. Taken together, the findings provide a radical new design for cryo-EM substrates to evaluate the structures of disease-related macromolecules.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 1900918 |
Journal | Small |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 21 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 24 2019 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Biotechnology
- Biomaterials
- General Chemistry
- General Materials Science