Michael P. Williamson
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View article: Competitive binding of actin and SH3 domains at proline-rich regions of Las17/WASP regulates actin polymerisation
Competitive binding of actin and SH3 domains at proline-rich regions of Las17/WASP regulates actin polymerisation Open
Eukaryotic actin filaments bind factors that regulate their assembly and disassembly creating a self-organising system, the actin cytoskeleton. Despite extensive knowledge of signals that modulate actin organisation, significant gaps remai…
View article: Engineering the Hierarchical Porosity of Granular Hydrogel Scaffolds Using Porous Microgels to Improve Cell Recruitment and Tissue Integration
Engineering the Hierarchical Porosity of Granular Hydrogel Scaffolds Using Porous Microgels to Improve Cell Recruitment and Tissue Integration Open
Granular hydrogel scaffolds (GHS), composed of jammed hydrogel microparticles (microgels), have emerged to overcome the structural limitations of nonporous (bulk) hydrogels. Microscale void spaces among jammed microgels in GHS promote cell…
View article: The Enterococcal Polysaccharide Antigen: from structure to biosynthesis and function
The Enterococcal Polysaccharide Antigen: from structure to biosynthesis and function Open
L-Rhamnose-containing polysaccharides are produced by Streptococci and Enterococci. They define Lancefield serotypes and represent promising candidates for the design of glycoconjugate vaccines. The Enterococcal Polysaccharide Antigen prod…
View article: Autocatalytic Selection as a Driver for the Origin of Life
Autocatalytic Selection as a Driver for the Origin of Life Open
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was revolutionary because it provided a mechanism by which variation could be selected. This mechanism can only operate on living systems and thus cannot be applied to the origin of life. H…
View article: Interactions between the protein barnase and co-solutes studied by NMR
Interactions between the protein barnase and co-solutes studied by NMR Open
Protein solubility and stability depend on the co-solutes present. There is little theoretical basis for selection of suitable co-solutes. Some guidance is provided by the Hofmeister series, an empirical ordering of anions according to the…
View article: Open Educational Resource Learning Impact on Students from Poverty
Open Educational Resource Learning Impact on Students from Poverty Open
Teaching with open educational resources can greatly reduce the cost of education to students. Textbooks commonly cost between $125 and $175 with some specialized course textbooks costing even more. This study highlights the open education…
View article: Clostridioides difficile canonical L,D-transpeptidases catalyze a novel type of peptidoglycan cross-links and are not required for beta-lactam resistance
Clostridioides difficile canonical L,D-transpeptidases catalyze a novel type of peptidoglycan cross-links and are not required for beta-lactam resistance Open
Clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea worldwide with significant morbidity and mortality. This organism is naturally resistant to several beta-lactam antibiotics that inhibit the polymerization of …
View article: Interactions between the protein barnase and co-solutes studied by NMR
Interactions between the protein barnase and co-solutes studied by NMR Open
The solubility, stability and function of proteins is critically dependent on the co-solutes (also described as excipients) present. There are many “rules of thumb” that have been used to select suitable co-solutes for different proteins t…
View article: <scp>DUF916</scp> and <scp>DUF3324</scp> in the <scp>WxL</scp> protein cluster bind to <scp>WxL</scp> and link bacterial and host surfaces
<span>DUF916</span> and <span>DUF3324</span> in the <span>WxL</span> protein cluster bind to <span>WxL</span> and link bacterial and host surfaces Open
Bacterial WxL proteins contain peptidoglycan‐binding WxL domains, which have a dual Trp‐x‐Leu motif and are involved in virulence. It was recently shown that WxL proteins occur in gene clusters, containing typically a small WxL protein (wh…
View article: Improved methodology for protein NMR structure calculation using hydrogen bond restraints and ANSURR validation: The SH2 domain of SH2B1
Improved methodology for protein NMR structure calculation using hydrogen bond restraints and ANSURR validation: The SH2 domain of SH2B1 Open
Protein structures calculated using NMR data are less accurate and less well-defined than they could be. Here we use the program ANSURR to show that this deficiency is at least in part due to a lack of hydrogen bond restraints. We describe…
View article: Protein Binding: A Fuzzy Concept
Protein Binding: A Fuzzy Concept Open
Our understanding of protein binding interactions has matured significantly over the last few years, largely as a result of trying to make sense of the binding interactions of intrinsically disordered proteins. Here, we bring together some…
View article: Remote neuronal activity drives glioma infiltration via Sema4f
Remote neuronal activity drives glioma infiltration via Sema4f Open
The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an essential role in malignancy and neurons have emerged as a key component of the TME that promotes tumorigenesis across a host of cancers. Recent studies on glioblastoma (GBM) highlight bi-direction…
View article: Validation of a digit symbol substitution test for use in supervised and unsupervised assessment in mild Alzheimer’s disease
Validation of a digit symbol substitution test for use in supervised and unsupervised assessment in mild Alzheimer’s disease Open
The DSST-Meds showed good construct and criterion validity when used in both supervised and unsupervised contexts and provided a strong foundation to investigate the utility of the DSST in groups with low familiarity to neuropsychological …
View article: Development of directed randomization for discussing a minimal security architecture
Development of directed randomization for discussing a minimal security architecture Open
Strategies for mitigating the impacts of cyberattacks on control systems using a control-oriented perspective have become of greater interest in recent years. Our group has contributed to this trend by developing several methods for detect…
View article: Quantitation of phosphohistidine in proteins in a mammalian cell line by 31P NMR
Quantitation of phosphohistidine in proteins in a mammalian cell line by 31P NMR Open
There is growing evidence to suggest that phosphohistidines are present at significant levels in mammalian cells and play a part in regulating cellular activity, in particular signaling pathways related to cancer. Because of the chemical i…
View article: Improved methodology for protein NMR structure calculation using hydrogen bond restraints and ANSURR validation: the SH2 domain of SH2B1
Improved methodology for protein NMR structure calculation using hydrogen bond restraints and ANSURR validation: the SH2 domain of SH2B1 Open
Protein structures calculated using NMR data are less accurate and less well defined than they could be. Here we use the program ANSURR to show that this deficiency is at least in part due to a lack of hydrogen bond restraints. We then des…
View article: The measurement of binding affinities by NMR chemical shift perturbation
The measurement of binding affinities by NMR chemical shift perturbation Open
We have carried out chemical shift perturbation titrations on three contrasting proteins. The resulting chemical shifts have been analysed to determine the best way to fit the data, and it is concluded that a simultaneous fitting of all ra…
View article: Crash Modification Factors for Contrast Pavement Markings on Light-Colored Pavement
Crash Modification Factors for Contrast Pavement Markings on Light-Colored Pavement Open
Roadway departure crashes are a leading cause of fatal and severe injury crashes on high-speed roadways. The objective of this project was to evaluate the safety benefits of contrast pavement markings and to develop a benefit-cost analysis…
View article: CORM-3 induces DNA damage through Ru(II) binding to DNA
CORM-3 induces DNA damage through Ru(II) binding to DNA Open
When the ‘CO-releasing molecule-3’, CORM-3 (Ru(CO)3Cl(glycinate)), is dissolved in water it forms a range of ruthenium complexes. These are taken up by cells and bind to intracellular ligands, notably thiols such as cysteine and glutathion…
View article: 1H, 13C, and 15N resonance assignments of a conserved putative cell wall binding domain from Enterococcus faecalis
1H, 13C, and 15N resonance assignments of a conserved putative cell wall binding domain from Enterococcus faecalis Open
Enterococcus faecalis is a major causative agent of hospital acquired infections. The ability of E. faecalis to evade the host immune system is essential during pathogenesis, which has been shown to be dependent on the complete separation …
View article: Utilization and accumulation of compatible solutes in Halomonas pacifica: a species of moderately halophilic bacteria isolated from a saline lake in South Libya
Utilization and accumulation of compatible solutes in Halomonas pacifica: a species of moderately halophilic bacteria isolated from a saline lake in South Libya Open
When grown in high salt concentrations, halophilic bacteria often accumulate compatible solutes, which have major applications in biotechnology because they stabilize cells and proteins. Four Gram-negative bacterial strains, belonging to t…
View article: The accuracy of protein structures in solution determined by AlphaFold and NMR
The accuracy of protein structures in solution determined by AlphaFold and NMR Open
In the recent Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) competition, AlphaFold2 performed outstandingly. Its worst predictions were for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structures, which has two alternative explanations: either th…
View article: The accuracy of protein structures in solution determined by AlphaFold and NMR
The accuracy of protein structures in solution determined by AlphaFold and NMR Open
In the recent CASP (Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction) competition, AlphaFold2 performed outstandingly. Its worst predictions were for NMR structures, which has two alternative explanations: either the NMR structures were poor, i…