Irina Bezsonova Gallery

MUSTACHE

October 1

Mr. Potato The head's "stache" is made of Androgen Receptor that binds testosterone and helps maintain his male phenotype

WEAVE

October 2

N-terminal domain of a Fibrion - a building block of silk fiber produced by silkworms.

CROWN

October 3

Coronavirus spike protein. The crown sits on one of its three receptor-binding domains - a key element for successful infection.

MURKY

October 4

Domain with unidentified function 1842 from pathogenic bacteria. There are many proteins with known structures, but their function remains murky.

DEER

October 5

Two molecules of a deer prion protein decorate its head. Misfolded prions can make other prions to misfold causing neurodegenerative diseases in mammals.

PIERCE

October 6

Structure of a bacteriophage DT57C that carries a special piercing tip to attack bacteria.

STARFISH

October 7

Starfish rely on sensory information. This is Piezo 2 - a mechanically activated ion channel responsible for the sense of touch.

RECKLESS

October 8

A reckless surge. Two molecules of fentanyl engulfed by its computationally designed binder Fen49*

HEAVY

October 9

Heavy metal therapy. Platinum-based cancer drug cisplatin damages DNA, but DNA polymerase eta manages to copy it past the lesion.

SWEEP

October 10

Proteasome: the cleanup machine. It breaks down damaged or unneeded proteins, keeping the cell neat and efficient.

STING

October 11

Scorpion venom protein Urotoxin.

SHREDDED

October 12

β-Endorphin. The protein precursor POMC is shredded by proteases into multiple peptide hormones, including β-endorphin.

DRINK

October 13

A pair of mitochondrial outer membrane β-barrel SAM complexes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast used to make beer. Cheers!

TRUNK

October 14

Lectin. This old tree house is made of a lectin protein found in the bark of a black locust tree, Robinia pseudoacacia.

RAGGED

October 15

A rugged nuclease D212 from a virus that preys on archaea in the scalding waters of hot springs.

BLUNDER

October 16

DNA mismatch blunder being fixed by mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ.

ORNATE

October 17

Tribute to Escher. An ornate molecular cage made entirely of RNA.

DEAL

October 18

A handshaking dimer of a tRNA deacylase strikes a deal to keep translation faithful.

ARCTIC

October 19

An antifreeze, ice-binding protein LeIBP from Arctic yeast.

RIVALS

October 20

Two rival histone modifications on a nucleosome. Ubiquitination of H2BK120 activates genes while H2AK119 represses them.

BLAST

October 21

An oxidoreductase enzyme, PETN, from the bacterium Enterobacter cloacae can bind and degrade high explosives such as TNT.

BUTTON

October 22

Like tiny buttons, cell adhesion proteins such as this Cadherin-8 hold cells together to form tissues.

FIREFLY

October 23

Luciferase: firefly enzyme catalyzes a light-producing reaction that makes fireflies glow.

DREAM

October 1

Human melatonin receptor MT2. Melatonin promotes sleep and contributes to our vivid dreams.

SPIDERS

October 2

Spider dragline silk protein Spidroin 1. Some dragline spider silk can be as strong or even stronger than steel.

PATH

October 3

A path of protein folding FF domain of pre-mRNA-processing factor 40 folds into its native conformation through a transient intermediate that can be captured by fancy NMR.

DODGE

October 4

SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF8 dodges the immune system by rapidly evolving and interfering with immune responses.

MAP

October 5

A molecule of MAP kinase - an important enzyme at the crossroads of many cellular signaling pathways.

GOLDEN

October 6

A part of the inner capsid particle and dsRNA of the Golden Shiner Reovirus.

DRIP

October 7

Coagulation Factor VIII prevents excessive bleeding by promoting blood clotting. Its deficiency causes hemophilia.

TOAD

October 8

Toad liver fatty acid binding protein.

BOUNCE

October 9

A fragment of Myosin. Myosins are best known for their role in muscle contraction and trafficking cargo in the cell.

FORTUNE

October 10

Insulin. This little protein molecule saves the lives of diabetics every day. As a type 1 diabetic, I’m fortunate to benefit from it.

WANDER

October 11

Yellow Fluorescent Protein. It lights up and lets us see how proteins wander through the cell.

SPICY

October 12

Capsaicin receptor TRPV1.This beautiful tetramer lets us feel the heat of spicy chili peppers and warns us of other potentially dangerous things.

RISE

October 13

The active site of yeast enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase breaks pyruvate into acetaldehyde and CO2, which makes the yeast dough rise.

CASTLE

October 14

Tetramerization domain of tumor suppressor protein p53 - “the guardian of the genome”.

DAGGER

October 15

A spike of the Type 6 Secretion System does not just look like a dagger, it is used to piece cells.

ANGEL

October 16

AZUL domain of ubiquitin ligase UBE3A. Its deficiency causes Angelman syndrome - a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system.

DEMON

October 17

Molecules of Keratin 1 and Keratin 10. Keratins make up hair, nails, horns, and hooves in vertebrates.

SADDLE

October 18

TATA-binding protein resembles a saddle. This transcription factor straddles DNA and interacts with regulatory proteins.

PLUMP

October 19

Botulinum neurotoxin - the secret ingredient of Botox. It’s used in beauty treatments but also to manage pain and movement disorders.

FROST

October 20

Bacterial ice-nucleation protein forms a lattice that structures water to induce ice formation Bacteria in the clouds use it to catch a ride back to Earth.

CHAINS

October 21

Antibody against Ebola virus. Antibodies consist of light and heavy chains. They block viruses from entering the cell.

SCRATCHY

October 22

A molecule of major cat allergen Fel d1.

CELESTIAL

October 23

Endonuclease Eco RI. One of the proteins crystallized at the International Space Station.

SHALLOW

October 24

A pore-forming toxin from strawberry anemone (Actinia fragacea) that thrives in shallow waters.

DANGER

October 25

Adrenergic receptor beta-2. It binds to adrenaline and causes our “fight-or-flight” response to danger.

REMOVE

October 26

The catalytic domain of USP-family enzymes resembles the right hand. Here USP7 protease removes a ubiquitin tag from a ubiquitinated protein.

BEAST

October 27

Telomerase TERT in action. Telomerase extends telomere sequences at chromosomal ends to protect genomic DNA.

SPARKLE

October 28

Carbonic anhydrase. It contributes to the sparkling feeling we get when drinking carbonated beverages.

MASSIVE

October 29

Titin - the largest human protein. It’s 34,350 residues long and contains 244 domains. It’s key for muscle elasticity.

RUSH

October 30

Caffeine blocks adenosine A2A receptor and provides a little rush that helps us wake up.

FIRE

October 31

Inflammasome

CRYSTAL

October 1

Human GammaD Crystallin makes our eye lenses crystal clear

SUIT

October 2

Nucleosome + linker histone keeps DNA neatly packaged and accessible at the same time

VESSEL

October 3

Major cherry allergen Pru av 1

KNOT

October 4

Hypothetical structure of MJ0366: One of a few curious proteins that fold into a knot. How they do it is still a mystery

RAVEN

October 5

Sea raven protein SRAFP serves as an antifreeze and protects fish from freezing in icy water

SPIRIT

October 6

Alcohol dehydrogenase ADH1A that detoxifies alcohol we drink and helps up enjoy our spirits

FAN

October 7

Keap1 forms a perfect 6-blade propeller

WATCH

October 8

PAS-A domain of circadian clock protein CLOCK, a part of our time-keeping system

PRESSURE

October 9

The SH3 domain from Fyn protein has been pressurized to learn about its folding pathway

PICK

October 10

I picked some PDB flowers for my mother’s birthday

SOUR

October 11

Curculin has an intriguing property of modifying sour taste into sweet taste

STUCK

October 12

Sometimes proteins get stuck to each other and form highly regular amyloid structures instead of folding into their native shape. Here are amyloids from pancreatic islets that may cause Type 2 diabetes.

ROOF

October 13

HU protein (Histone like protein-DNA binding) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

TICK

October 14

Ixolaris is a protein from tick saliva that prevents blood coagulation after the bite

HELMET

October 15

The 11S subunit of P. falciparum proteasome caps the proteasome and makes sure only the right proteins are allowed inside for degradation. It also looks just like a helmet of a Spartan warrior

COMPASS

October 16

A pigeon’s compass is a light-dependent magnetosensor CRY4. CRY molecules help migratory birds navigate using the Earths magnetic field.

COLLIDE

October 17

Barnase (an enzyme) and Barstar (= its inhibitor) bind together very strongly

MOON

October 18

There are no proteins on the Moon but here is a moon jelly (Aurelia aurita) and its protein aurelin that has antimicrobial properties.

LOOP

October 19

NMR structure of the outer membrane enzyme PagP

SPROUT

October 20

Auxin-binding protein 1 recognizes the plant hormone Auxin and regulates plant growth

FUZZY

October 21

Some proteins need to remain disordered to function. This is the fuzzy structural ensemble of the gamma subunit of cGMP phosphodiesterase

OPEN

October 22

Pseudokinase MLKL (Mixed lineage kinase domain-like component) mediates necroptosis

LEAK

October 23

Aquaporins create a channel for water molecules to cross through cell membranes

EXTINCT

October 24

Wooly mammoth hemoglobin

SPLAT

October 25

SEA domain of mucin 1. Mucins provide the framework of the mucus fluid, which protects all mucosal epithelial surfaces. Not hard to imagine something pretty slimy that lands with a splat!

CONNECT

October 26

Ubiquitin connects to its targets, it connects to itself, it connects molecules that otherwise would not find each other…

SPARK

October 27

Organisms from fireflies to bacteria use luciferase to emit light

CRISPY

October 28

Cascade and CRISPR help bacteria remember how to fight viral infection. Here, the Cas9 protein (hand) is bound to CRISPR RNA and a target viral DNA

PATCH

October 29

Very-short-patch DNA repair endonuclease bound to its reaction product site

SLITHER

October 30

Snake venom neurotoxin from Laticauda semifasciata