NDP sugars and derivatives — Glycoscience Research, Education and Training — democratizing glycoscience by increasing accessibility to research, education and training

The source data underlying results and figures in our manuscripts can be critical for assessing the rigour of our studies and for reproducibility. Ensuring the quality and provenance of these data dur...

text/html; charset=UTF-8

text/html; charset=UTF-8

Glycans impact every aspect of physiology. Despite the rapid increase in relevance and translational potential, there remains a lack of tools for studying glycosylation in vivo. Here, we present FlyMO...

Thogotoviruses and quaranjaviruses are arthropod-borne orthomyxoviruses that circulate widely in wildlife and domestic animals and include several zoonotic members. Despite their close phylogenetic re...

Laser flash melting of a cryo-EM sample that is prepared by soft-landing mass spectrometry and subsequent deposition of amorphous ice restores some particles to near-native shape, pointing towards more reliable cryo-EM sample preparation.

Click on the article title to read more.

text/html; charset=UTF-8

Case studies from threat actors disrupted between December 2025 and August 2026 across seven areas of harm, from cyber operations to biological misuse.

ABSTRACT Rationale High-resolution mass spectrometry is routinely used for the analysis of complex samples in pharmaceutical, environmental, and omics related studies. Such applications demand instrumentation to be capable of combining sub-ppm mass accuracy, high resolving power, rapid full m/z range acquisition over a wide dynamic range. Methods Achieving the above requirements places constraints on analyzer design and performance. Multi-reflecting time-of-flight (MRT) based analyzers have previously been reported as a means of significantly extending the effective flight path in compact TOF designs. Here, further instrument and functionality advances in a compact MRT mass spectrometer design are described. Results The impact of these enhancements was assessed for targeted and non-targeted omics applications, examining the impact of acquisition speed on resolving power, dynamic range including limits of quantitation, and quantitative precision. Conclusion The results obtained characterize the performance of the enhanced design features of a compact MRT mass spectrometer. Operation at elevated acquisition rates up to 200 Hz was observed without loss in resolving power, isotopic ratio accuracy or quantitative precision.

We introduce a novel chemical derivatisation strategy for the UV-activated detection of elusive metabolites. Incorporation of a tocopherol-active chromophore allows for the detection of tagged analytes as photoionised radical cations, selectively induced by a 266 nm laser. Furthermore, high spatially resolved imaging of metabolites has been demonstrated across multiple tissue types. ABSTRACT Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) has been widely adopted for the spatially resolved mapping of chemical composition within biological tissues. However, inherent limitations in ionisation efficiencies limit the scope of analyte detection. Currently, methods to enhance molecular coverage have focused on chemical derivatisation of target analyte classes or post-ionisation techniques, namely, laser post-ionisation (MALDI-2). Previously, we observed that under reduced laser fluence conditions, MALDI-2 can be utilised to selectively enhance photoionisation of aromatic analytes. Leveraging these observations, we have conducted a proof-of-concept study to establish a conceptually novel class of derivatisation reagents, employing a tocopherol active chromophore O-linked succinimide (TAC/OS) for the selective derivatisation of primary amines. Using TAC/OS, amino metabolites were selectively detected as the derivatised radical cations in the presence of MALDI-2. Across three tissue types, over 30 metabolites were detected and localised, including 20 amino acids alongside neurotransmitters such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and dopamine. Imaging at 10 µm pixel size revealed minimal delocalisation, allowing for MSI at near single-cell resolution. Furthermore, we demonstrated the ability of the developed protocol on late-stage pancreatic cancer xenografts.

YouTube video by Opentrons Labworks

Join researchers, scientists and bioinformaticians to discuss genomics research in Australia More information

How safe is the lab when you're pregnant? Join our conversation on 9 September

Cellulose is a common component of bacterial biofilms where it interacts with other biopolymers to form a 3-dimensional matrix enclosing the bacteria. Synthesized and secreted by the synthase-dependent biosynthesis pathway common to many bacterial exopolysaccharides, its surface exposure depends on the presence of the periplasmic cellulase BcsZ. During export across the periplasm, E. coli and other Enterobacteriaceae modify cellulose with lipid-derived phosphoethanolamine (pEtN). How BcsZ hydrolyzes pEtN-cellulose in the periplasm is unknown and so is the native distribution pattern of pEtN on cellulose. Here, we used carbohydrate synthesis, X-ray crystallography, native mass spectrometry, and super-resolution MINFLUX nanoscopy to delineate the role of BcsZ during cellulose biosynthesis. Crystal structures of BcsZ bound to chemically synthesized pEtN cello-oligosaccharides identify how the enzyme recognizes pEtN-modified glucosyl units. Comparing mono and double substituted cellohexaoses, we identify varying binding poses that are determined by two pEtN coordination sites within the BcsZ catalytic pocket. Combined, our structural analyses reveal an ideal BcsZ cellohexaose ligand containing two pEtN modified units separated by an unmodified cellotriosyl unit. The enzyme binds and hydrolyzes this compound with substantially increased affinity and efficiency. Further, BcsZ digestion of native pEtN cellulose combined with native mass spectrometry analyses reveals the stochastic distribution of pEtN on biofilm cellulose. Additionally, MINFLUX co-localization of BcsZ with other components of the biosynthetic complex demonstrates the random distribution of BcsZ across the periplasm. Our data suggest BcsZ functions independently of the biosynthetic complex to clear mislocalized pEtN cellulose from the periplasm.

ALT: Can't Read Sign Meme

The country music star broke into song before she was inoculated, and urged her fans to “get out there and get your shot.”

She challenged the conventional view that most head and neck cancers resulted from cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

YouTube video by GlyCosmosChannel