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nutrition

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15 November 2023 Illustration showing a doorknob with a lock and many protein-marked keys floating towards it.

The secret of molecular promiscuity

EMBLetc Promiscuity is critical for nourishment. How? This question lies at the focus of research by the Löw Group at EMBL Hamburg. Using structural biology methods, they explore how specialised molecules located in the cell membrane allow cells absorb nutrients from their environment.

2023

3 November 2021

In the left, a sketch of the human digestive tract, with pills in the stomach. On the right, a magnifying glass shows a model of the peptide transporter 1 in the cell membrane in the intestine wall. The pills from the left part of the image form a path made of smaller particles, and individual molecules represented by structural formulas. The path connects the intestine on the left to the opening of PepT1 and continues on the other side of the intestine wall. Individual drug molecules enter PepT1 and are transported to the other side of the cell membrane.

Structure of a promiscuous protein will help scientists design better drugs

Science & Technology Scientists at EMBL Hamburg determined the molecular structure of Peptide Transporters 1 and 2. The findings will enable developing drugs that more efficiently pass from the gut to target tissues.

2021

sciencescience-technology

19 April 2018