329 papers
Biophysics sits at the fascinating intersection where the laws of physics meet the complexity of living systems. This field uses tools like light, electricity, and mechanical forces to decode how cells move, how proteins fold, and how our senses translate the world around us. Rather than just observing biology, biophysicists measure and model life to understand the fundamental machinery that powers every organism.
On Gist.Science, we make these discoveries accessible by curating the latest preprints directly from bioRxiv. Our team processes every new submission in this category, providing both clear, plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries so readers of all backgrounds can grasp the cutting-edge science. Below are the most recent biophysics papers from bioRxiv, ready for you to explore.
By integrating cryo-EM and solid-state NMR, this study elucidates the structural basis and dynamic gating mechanisms of the *E. coli* MscL channel, revealing how lipid-protein interactions and conformational heterogeneity drive the transition from closed to open states.
This manuscript has been withdrawn by the authors due to a duplicate posting and should not be cited, as the correct version of the work is available under a different DOI.
This study elucidates the structural and dynamic mechanism by which Bcl-xL indirectly inhibits apoptosis, revealing that the Bcl-xL/tBid heterodimer is anchored to the mitochondrial membrane with the tBid BH3 domain wedged between Bcl-xL's hydrophobic groove and membrane headgroups while its C-terminal helices remain dynamically engaged with the bilayer.
This paper introduces Space-Time Light-Sheet Microscopy (ST-LSM), a novel single-objective imaging technique that leverages space-time correlations to generate wavelength-thin light-sheets over millimeter distances, thereby eliminating dual-objective constraints and expanding the imaging field of view by 10x while maintaining high resolution across biological scales ranging from whole embryos to sub-cellular structures.
This study introduces a label-free, non-invasive third-harmonic generation (THG) microscopy technique at 1300 nm to visualize and quantify depth-dependent mucociliary transport dynamics and epithelial structures in human airway models, offering a physiologically relevant tool for respiratory disease research and drug development.
Using cryogenic electron microscopy, this study reveals that rapidly twisting 40-residue amyloid-β fibrils exhibit three distinct polymorphic structures with similar cross-over distances but differing in twist handedness, symmetry, and molecular conformations, some of which resemble previously characterized brain-derived fibrils despite having shorter ordered segments.
This study employs off-axis holographic imaging to reveal that single-component biomolecular condensates exhibit dynamic heterogeneity, forming distinct populations with sharp or broad interfaces driven by interaction motif variations rather than chemical differences.
This study demonstrates that engineering asymmetric arrangements of polar sidechains within hydrophobic pores extends hydrogen-bonding networks and modulates sidechain dynamics to significantly enhance proton conductivity, establishing that such asymmetry is a critical design principle for creating efficient proton-selective channels.
This study reveals that mechanical shearing between densely packed, wall-deficient L-form bacteria enables collective proliferation in protocell colonies under spatial confinement, overcoming the division failure and membrane rupture observed in isolated cells.
This study demonstrates that reducing the magnetic field to 19 nT significantly extends the lag phase of *Escherichia coli* K12 by approximately 50% without affecting its log-phase growth rate, revealing a high sensitivity to hypomagnetic conditions.