Singapore Science News API

{
    "totalArticles": 15598,
    "articles": [
        {
            "id": "e211ff0bc293c3d14c6ebaab6d33d21e",
            "title": "Convergent MurJ flippase inhibition by phage lysis proteins",
            "description": "Antimicrobial drug resistance poses a global health challenge that necessitates the identification of new druggable targets1–3. The essential lipid II flippase MurJ is a promising yet underexplored antimicrobial target in bacterial cell wall biosynthesis4–7. The only known inhibitors of Gram-negative (diderm) MurJ are the single-gene lysis proteins (Sgls) from the lytic single-strand RNA phages M (SglM) and PP7 (SglPP7)8,9. SglM and SglPP7 have distinct evolutionary origins and share no sequence similarity. Here we describe a common mechanism of MurJ inhibition by these phage-encoded Sgls. We determined the structures of MurJ-bound SglM and SglPP7 and discovered a third distinct MurJ-targeting Sgl from the predicted phage Changjiang3 (SglCJ3) that we also characterized structurally. Our findings demonstrate that all three Sgls evolved convergently to trap MurJ in a periplasm-open conformation through a common MurJ interface, revealing a pathway for drug design. A common mechanism of inhibition of the essential lipid II flippase MurJ by three distinct phage-encoded single-gene lysis proteins provides insights into potential new targets for antimicrobial development.",
            "content": "Murray, C. J. L. et al. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. Lancet 399, 629–655 (2022).\nNaghavi, M. et al. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021: a systematic analysis with forec... [7539 chars]",
            "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10163-w?error=cookies_not_supported&code=5ab63409-1972-427b-a20f-e2450c70c2f9",
            "image": "https://media.springernature.com/m685/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41586-026-10163-w/MediaObjects/41586_2026_10163_Fig1_HTML.png",
            "publishedAt": "2026-02-25T22:35:43Z",
            "lang": "en",
            "source": {
                "id": "7abf0df285fbe93cdccffcc7c4088737",
                "name": "Nature",
                "url": "https://www.nature.com"
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "11503562e82810cfd4c79251f1a17528",
            "title": "New photo of the Milky Way 'window to understand how stars are formed'",
            "description": "The European Southern Observatory has published a spectacular photo of the central molecular zone of the Milky Way.",
            "content": "While looking like purple and pink clouds caught in a current, this photo actually shows the gas responsible for star formation at the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way.\nThe photo was published on Wednesday (25 February) by the European Southern Obs... [757 chars]",
            "url": "https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/02/25/new-photo-of-the-milky-way-window-to-understand-how-stars-are-formed",
            "image": "https://images.euronews.com/articles/stories/09/66/58/21/1200x675_cmsv2_d718c933-61e8-5b0a-baac-5a8ea475072a-9665821.jpg",
            "publishedAt": "2026-02-25T19:31:22Z",
            "lang": "en",
            "source": {
                "id": "fe7887ab38dfaf6c0f8af3a124d38295",
                "name": "Euronews.com",
                "url": "https://www.euronews.com"
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "dd46a26d4c16c297c9ffaa5949b3e161",
            "title": "NASA astronaut who required evacuation from ISS ‘doing very well’",
            "description": "Colonel Mike Fincke experienced a “medical event” aboard the International Space Station. Read more at straitstimes.com.",
            "content": "NEW YORK - The astronaut who faced a health issue prompting the first-ever medical evacuation in International Space Station history is “doing very well,” he said in a statement issued by NASA on Feb 25.\nColonel Mike Fincke, 58, said he’s “doing very... [988 chars]",
            "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/nasa-astronaut-who-required-evacuation-from-iss-doing-very-well",
            "image": "https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/straitstimes/1e04806bf4852f1ffe5baa1e6088a0bd240a298e2666472b0c7674c31b872d0d",
            "publishedAt": "2026-02-25T17:01:41Z",
            "lang": "en",
            "source": {
                "id": "739b615c65becd670ee152cab7f8c439",
                "name": "The Straits Times",
                "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com"
            }
        }
    ]
}