Using bioinformatics, biochemistry, NMR, as well as the newly characterized enzyme ArmA from methanogenic archaea, we revised the existing knowledge on archaeal peptidoglycan structure. At the same ti...

From pursuing an impossible dream to uncovering one of the cell’s best-kept secrets and advancing the design of improved antibiotics

Using in situ cryo-electron tomography, researchers found a unique ‘arm’ domain on the small subunit of Chlamydomonas chlororibosomes. This discovery suggests that chlororibosome structure is more evo...

The structure of the Hdr–Vhu–Fwd super-assembly reveals a lineage-specific and modular 8 MDa complex with the ability to adapt to diverse anaerobic niches.

The structure of the Hdr–Vhu–Fwd super-assembly reveals a lineage-specific and modular 8 MDa complex with the ability to adapt to diverse anaerobic niches.

Transcription in chloroplasts depends on the Plastid-Encoded RNA polymerase (PEP), a bacterial-derived enzyme whose catalytic core remains encoded by the highly reduced genome inherited from the cyano...

The respiratory Complex I is a highly intricate redox-driven proton pump that powers oxidative phosphorylation across all domains of life. Yet, despite major efforts, its long-range energy transductio...

Medieninformation 06-05-2026 / Nr. 035

Microorganisms have historically been classified as obligate aerobes or anaerobes, facultative anaerobes, or microaerophiles, reflecting differences in respiratory strategies dictated by the use of oxygen and alternative electron acceptors. Recent discoveries provide evidence that a deviant strategy, the concurrent reduction of oxygen and other electron acceptors, is more widespread than previously thought. Such co-respiring bacteria employ hybrid metabolic strategies that extend models of electron acceptor use. In this review, we investigate mechanisms of co-respiration, summarize the biochemical components enabling parallel electron flow, and discuss the regulation of aerobic and anaerobic pathways under changing redox conditions. We also examine the evolutionary context of these strategies during the rise of oxygen on early Earth and outline experimental approaches needed to resolve co-respiration in individual cells.

The mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system powering most aerobic organisms is typically depicted as two spatially segregated machineries(1): electron transport chain complexes I-IV (ETC CI-CIV

Award honors outstanding dissertation on CO₂ fixation and energy conservation in microorganisms

Heute ernannte Rektorin Prof. Dr. Anja Steinbeck den Biotechnologen Dr. Johannes Rebelein zum W3-Professor für Nachhaltige Biotechnologie. Rebelein wird damit auch Direktor des Instituts für Molekular...

Methylthio-alkane reductases are recently discovered enzymes that can produce methanethiol and small hydrocarbons from methylated sulfur compounds. Now the cryo-EM structure of a methylthio-alkane red...

The discovery of chlorophyll f-containing photosystems, with their long-wavelength photochemistry, represented a distinct, low-energy paradigm for oxygenic photosynthesis. Structural studies on chloro...