The Department of Biochemistry is seeking (2) faculty positions at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. We seek candidates who will develop a research program in understanding the molecular bas...

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis, are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations, contributing to an escalating health and economic burden. Biofilms are an important reservoir that protects bacteria from immune clearance and antimicrobial agents. However, current strategies to effectively target MRSA biofilms are limited. This research describes a therapeutic approach that can disrupt biofilms in both MRSA and S. epidermidis, thereby enhancing bacterial clearance.

ATP synthase powers cells by converting proton translocation into energy. Here, authors reveal distinct structural features of the P. aeruginosa ATP synthase that regulate activity and may serve as ta...

A panel of US vaccine advisers voted to rescind a recommendation that all newborns should receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

As faithful readers of this blog know, I found the statement that Harvard Chemistry and Chemical Biology was cutting its Fall 2026 entering ...

Prokaryotic two-component signal transduction systems (TCSs) are widely utilized by bacteria to respond to their environment and are typically compose…

Bacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters can be utilized and engineered to transport non-canonical amino acids into Escherichia coli for highly efficient synthesis of proteins with novel func...

Federal researchers confront growing uncertainty about future

The U.S. Department of Education recently sent MIT and eight other institutions a proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," along with a letter asking that MIT review the document.

We have studied the copper sites in three cryogenic electron-microscopy structures of particulate methane monooxygenase with quantum refinement. We show that the CuA, CuC and CuD sites are correctly modelled and that the CuB site is mononuclear in all structures, whereas we find no support for copper in the suggested trinuclear active site or two sites in the so-called copper sponge in PDB entry 7ev9.

The acquisition of iron is critical for the survival and the virulence of numerous infectious pathogens, and most bacteria acquire ferrous iron (Fe2+) by utilizing the ferrous iron transport (Feo) sys...