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Francisco J Asturias

TitleAssociate Professor
InstitutionUniversity of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus
DepartmentSOM-BioChem&Molecular Genetics

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    R01AI157802     (KVARATSKHELIA, MAMUKA)Sep 21, 2020 - Aug 31, 2025
    NIH
    Ultra-potent HIV capsid inhibitors
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
    R01GM067167     (ASTURIAS, FRANCISCO J)Sep 1, 2003 - Aug 31, 2022
    NIH
    Structural studies of eukaryotic transcription
    Role: Principal Investigator
    R01GM060607     (ASTURIAS, FRANCISCO J)Feb 1, 2000 - Jan 31, 2006
    NIH
    STRUCTURAL STUDY OF EUKARYOTIC TRANSCRIPTION REGULATION
    Role: Principal Investigator

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
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    1. Zhao H, Young N, Kalchschmidt J, Lieberman J, El Khattabi L, Casellas R, Asturias FJ. Structure of mammalian Mediator complex reveals Tail module architecture and interaction with a conserved core. Nat Commun. 2021 03 01; 12(1):1355. PMID: 33649303.
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    2. Bester SM, Wei G, Zhao H, Adu-Ampratwum D, Iqbal N, Courouble VV, Francis AC, Annamalai AS, Singh PK, Shkriabai N, Van Blerkom P, Morrison J, Poeschla EM, Engelman AN, Melikyan GB, Griffin PR, Fuchs JR, Asturias FJ, Kvaratskhelia M. Structural and mechanistic bases for a potent HIV-1 capsid inhibitor. Science. 2020 10 16; 370(6514):360-364. PMID: 33060363.
      View in: PubMed
    3. El Khattabi L, Zhao H, Kalchschmidt J, Young N, Jung S, Van Blerkom P, Kieffer-Kwon P, Kieffer-Kwon KR, Park S, Wang X, Krebs J, Tripathi S, Sakabe N, Sobreira DR, Huang SC, Rao SSP, Pruett N, Chauss D, Sadler E, Lopez A, Nóbrega MA, Aiden EL, Asturias FJ, Casellas R. A Pliable Mediator Acts as a Functional Rather Than an Architectural Bridge between Promoters and Enhancers. Cell. 2019 08 22; 178(5):1145-1158.e20. PMID: 31402173.
      View in: PubMed
    4. Jishage M, Yu X, Shi Y, Ganesan SJ, Chen WY, Sali A, Chait BT, Asturias FJ, Roeder RG. Architecture of Pol II(G) and molecular mechanism of transcription regulation by Gdown1. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2018 09; 25(9):859-867. PMID: 30190596.
      View in: PubMed
    5. Brignole EJ, Tsai KL, Chittuluru J, Li H, Aye Y, Penczek PA, Stubbe J, Drennan CL, Asturias F. 3.3-Å resolution cryo-EM structure of human ribonucleotide reductase with substrate and allosteric regulators bound. Elife. 2018 02 20; 7. PMID: 29460780.
      View in: PubMed
    6. Wagner C, Reddy V, Asturias F, Khoshouei M, Johnson JE, Manrique P, Munson-McGee J, Baumeister W, Lawrence CM, Young MJ. Isolation and Characterization of Metallosphaera Turreted Icosahedral Virus, a Founding Member of a New Family of Archaeal Viruses. J Virol. 2017 Oct 15; 91(20). PMID: 28768871.
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    7. Yu X, Veesler D, Campbell MG, Barry ME, Asturias FJ, Barry MA, Reddy VS. Cryo-EM structure of human adenovirus D26 reveals the conservation of structural organization among human adenoviruses. Sci Adv. 2017 May; 3(5):e1602670. PMID: 28508067.
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    8. Tsai KL, Yu X, Gopalan S, Chao TC, Zhang Y, Florens L, Washburn MP, Murakami K, Conaway RC, Conaway JW, Asturias FJ. Mediator structure and rearrangements required for holoenzyme formation. Nature. 2017 04 13; 544(7649):196-201. PMID: 28241144.
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    9. Sato S, Tomomori-Sato C, Tsai KL, Yu X, Sardiu M, Saraf A, Washburn MP, Florens L, Asturias FJ, Conaway RC, Conaway JW. Role for the MED21-MED7 Hinge in Assembly of the Mediator-RNA Polymerase II Holoenzyme. J Biol Chem. 2016 Dec 23; 291(52):26886-26898. PMID: 27821593.
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    10. Ando N, Li H, Brignole EJ, Thompson S, McLaughlin MI, Page JE, Asturias FJ, Stubbe J, Drennan CL. Allosteric Inhibition of Human Ribonucleotide Reductase by dATP Entails the Stabilization of a Hexamer. Biochemistry. 2016 Jan 19; 55(2):373-81. PMID: 26727048.
      View in: PubMed
    11. Murakami K, Tsai KL, Kalisman N, Bushnell DA, Asturias FJ, Kornberg RD. Structure of an RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Nov 03; 112(44):13543-8. PMID: 26483468.
      View in: PubMed
    12. Lai YT, Reading E, Hura GL, Tsai KL, Laganowsky A, Asturias FJ, Tainer JA, Robinson CV, Yeates TO. Structure of a designed protein cage that self-assembles into a highly porous cube. Nat Chem. 2014 Dec; 6(12):1065-71. PMID: 25411884.
      View in: PubMed
    13. Tsai KL, Tomomori-Sato C, Sato S, Conaway RC, Conaway JW, Asturias FJ. Subunit Architecture and Functional Modular Rearrangements of the Transcriptional Mediator Complex. Cell. 2014 Jul 17; 158(2):463. PMID: 28915369.
      View in: PubMed
    14. Tsai KL, Tomomori-Sato C, Sato S, Conaway RC, Conaway JW, Asturias FJ. Subunit architecture and functional modular rearrangements of the transcriptional mediator complex. Cell. 2014 Jun 05; 157(6):1430-1444. PMID: 24882805.
      View in: PubMed
    15. Lai YT, Tsai KL, Sawaya MR, Asturias FJ, Yeates TO. Structure and flexibility of nanoscale protein cages designed by symmetric self-assembly. J Am Chem Soc. 2013 May 22; 135(20):7738-43. PMID: 23621606.
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    16. Tsai KL, Sato S, Tomomori-Sato C, Conaway RC, Conaway JW, Asturias FJ. A conserved Mediator-CDK8 kinase module association regulates Mediator-RNA polymerase II interaction. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2013 May; 20(5):611-9. PMID: 23563140.
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    17. Minnihan EC, Ando N, Brignole EJ, Olshansky L, Chittuluru J, Asturias FJ, Drennan CL, Nocera DG, Stubbe J. Generation of a stable, aminotyrosyl radical-induced a2ß2 complex of Escherichia coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Mar 05; 110(10):3835-40. PMID: 23431160.
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    18. Aye Y, Brignole EJ, Long MJ, Chittuluru J, Drennan CL, Asturias FJ, Stubbe J. Clofarabine targets the large subunit (a) of human ribonucleotide reductase in live cells by assembly into persistent hexamers. Chem Biol. 2012 Jul 27; 19(7):799-805. PMID: 22840768.
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    19. Zimanyi CM, Ando N, Brignole EJ, Asturias FJ, Stubbe J, Drennan CL. Tangled up in knots: structures of inactivated forms of E. coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase. Structure. 2012 Aug 08; 20(8):1374-83. PMID: 22727814.
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    20. Cai G, Chaban YL, Imasaki T, Kovacs JA, Calero G, Penczek PA, Takagi Y, Asturias FJ. Interaction of the mediator head module with RNA polymerase II. Structure. 2012 May 09; 20(5):899-910. PMID: 22579255.
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    21. Yang Z, Fang J, Chittuluru J, Asturias FJ, Penczek PA. Iterative stable alignment and clustering of 2D transmission electron microscope images. Structure. 2012 Feb 08; 20(2):237-47. PMID: 22325773.
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    22. Gibbons BJ, Brignole EJ, Azubel M, Murakami K, Voss NR, Bushnell DA, Asturias FJ, Kornberg RD. Subunit architecture of general transcription factor TFIIH. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Feb 07; 109(6):1949-54. PMID: 22308316.
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    23. Ando N, Brignole EJ, Zimanyi CM, Funk MA, Yokoyama K, Asturias FJ, Stubbe J, Drennan CL. Structural interconversions modulate activity of Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Dec 27; 108(52):21046-51. PMID: 22160671.
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    24. Wang W, Perovic I, Chittuluru J, Kaganovich A, Nguyen LT, Liao J, Auclair JR, Johnson D, Landeru A, Simorellis AK, Ju S, Cookson MR, Asturias FJ, Agar JN, Webb BN, Kang C, Ringe D, Petsko GA, Pochapsky TC, Hoang QQ. A soluble a-synuclein construct forms a dynamic tetramer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Oct 25; 108(43):17797-802. PMID: 22006323.
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    25. Chittuluru JR, Chaban Y, Monnet-Saksouk J, Carrozza MJ, Sapountzi V, Selleck W, Huang J, Utley RT, Cramet M, Allard S, Cai G, Workman JL, Fried MG, Tan S, Côté J, Asturias FJ. Structure and nucleosome interaction of the yeast NuA4 and Piccolo-NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complexes. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2011 Oct 09; 18(11):1196-203. PMID: 21984211.
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    26. Imasaki T, Calero G, Cai G, Tsai KL, Yamada K, Cardelli F, Erdjument-Bromage H, Tempst P, Berger I, Kornberg GL, Asturias FJ, Kornberg RD, Takagi Y. Architecture of the Mediator head module. Nature. 2011 Jul 03; 475(7355):240-3. PMID: 21725323.
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    27. Lee JH, Cai G, Panigrahi AK, Dunham-Ems S, Nguyen TN, Radolf JD, Asturias FJ, Günzl A. A TFIIH-associated mediator head is a basal factor of small nuclear spliced leader RNA gene transcription in early-diverged trypanosomes. Mol Cell Biol. 2010 Dec; 30(23):5502-13. PMID: 20876299.
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    28. Opalka N, Brown J, Lane WJ, Twist KA, Landick R, Asturias FJ, Darst SA. Complete structural model of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase from a hybrid approach. PLoS Biol. 2010 Sep 14; 8(9). PMID: 20856905.
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    29. Cai G, Imasaki T, Yamada K, Cardelli F, Takagi Y, Asturias FJ. Mediator head module structure and functional interactions. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2010 Mar; 17(3):273-9. PMID: 20154708.
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    30. Brignole EJ, Asturias F. Single-particle electron microscopy of animal fatty acid synthase describing macromolecular rearrangements that enable catalysis. Methods Enzymol. 2010; 483:179-202. PMID: 20888475.
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    31. Asturias FJ. TFIID: a closer look highlights its complexity. Structure. 2009 Nov 11; 17(11):1423-4. PMID: 19913474.
      View in: PubMed
    32. Cai G, Imasaki T, Takagi Y, Asturias FJ. Mediator structural conservation and implications for the regulation mechanism. Structure. 2009 Apr 15; 17(4):559-67. PMID: 19368889.
      View in: PubMed
    33. Brignole EJ, Smith S, Asturias FJ. Conformational flexibility of metazoan fatty acid synthase enables catalysis. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2009 Feb; 16(2):190-7. PMID: 19151726.
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    34. Fuxreiter M, Tompa P, Simon I, Uversky VN, Hansen JC, Asturias FJ. Malleable machines take shape in eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. Nat Chem Biol. 2008 Dec; 4(12):728-37. PMID: 19008886.
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    35. Chaban Y, Ezeokonkwo C, Chung WH, Zhang F, Kornberg RD, Maier-Davis B, Lorch Y, Asturias FJ. Structure of a RSC-nucleosome complex and insights into chromatin remodeling. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2008 Dec; 15(12):1272-7. PMID: 19029894.
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    36. Shaikh TR, Gao H, Baxter WT, Asturias FJ, Boisset N, Leith A, Frank J. SPIDER image processing for single-particle reconstruction of biological macromolecules from electron micrographs. Nat Protoc. 2008; 3(12):1941-74. PMID: 19180078.
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    37. Takagi Y, Calero G, Komori H, Brown JA, Ehrensberger AH, Hudmon A, Asturias F, Kornberg RD. Head module control of mediator interactions. Mol Cell. 2006 Aug 04; 23(3):355-64. PMID: 16885025.
      View in: PubMed
    38. Yang C, Penczek PA, Leith A, Asturias FJ, Ng EG, Glaeser RM, Frank J. The parallelization of SPIDER on distributed-memory computers using MPI. J Struct Biol. 2007 Jan; 157(1):240-9. PMID: 16859923.
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    39. Asturias FJ. Mammalian fatty acid synthase: X-ray structure of a molecular assembly line. ACS Chem Biol. 2006 Apr 25; 1(3):135-8. PMID: 17163658.
      View in: PubMed
    40. Asturias FJ, Cheung IK, Sabouri N, Chilkova O, Wepplo D, Johansson E. Structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase epsilon by cryo-electron microscopy. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2006 Jan; 13(1):35-43. PMID: 16369485.
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    41. Takagi Y, Chadick JZ, Davis JA, Asturias FJ. Preponderance of free mediator in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Biol Chem. 2005 Sep 02; 280(35):31200-7. PMID: 16002404.
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    42. Chadick JZ, Asturias FJ. Structure of eukaryotic Mediator complexes. Trends Biochem Sci. 2005 May; 30(5):264-71. PMID: 15896745.
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    43. Asturias FJ, Chadick JZ, Cheung IK, Stark H, Witkowski A, Joshi AK, Smith S. Structure and molecular organization of mammalian fatty acid synthase. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2005 Mar; 12(3):225-32. PMID: 15711565.
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    44. Witkowski A, Ghosal A, Joshi AK, Witkowska HE, Asturias FJ, Smith S. Head-to-head coiled arrangement of the subunits of the animal fatty acid synthase. Chem Biol. 2004 Dec; 11(12):1667-76. PMID: 15610851.
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    45. Asturias FJ. Another piece in the transcription initiation puzzle. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2004 Nov; 11(11):1031-3. PMID: 15523475.
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    46. Bourbon HM, Aguilera A, Ansari AZ, Asturias FJ, Berk AJ, Bjorklund S, Blackwell TK, Borggrefe T, Carey M, Carlson M, Conaway JW, Conaway RC, Emmons SW, Fondell JD, Freedman LP, Fukasawa T, Gustafsson CM, Han M, He X, Herman PK, Hinnebusch AG, Holmberg S, Holstege FC, Jaehning JA, Kim YJ, Kuras L, Leutz A, Lis JT, Meisterernest M, Naar AM, Nasmyth K, Parvin JD, Ptashne M, Reinberg D, Ronne H, Sadowski I, Sakurai H, Sipiczki M, Sternberg PW, Stillman DJ, Strich R, Struhl K, Svejstrup JQ, Tuck S, Winston F, Roeder RG, Kornberg RD. A unified nomenclature for protein subunits of mediator complexes linking transcriptional regulators to RNA polymerase II. Mol Cell. 2004 Jun 04; 14(5):553-7. PMID: 15175151.
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    47. Asturias FJ. RNA polymerase II structure, and organization of the preinitiation complex. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2004 Apr; 14(2):121-9. PMID: 15093825.
      View in: PubMed
    48. Asturias FJ, Ezeokonkwo C, Kornberg RD, Lorch Y. Electron microscopic analysis of the RSC chromatin remodeling complex. Methods Enzymol. 2004; 376:48-62. PMID: 14975298.
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    49. Chung WH, Craighead JL, Chang WH, Ezeokonkwo C, Bareket-Samish A, Kornberg RD, Asturias FJ. RNA polymerase II/TFIIF structure and conserved organization of the initiation complex. Mol Cell. 2003 Oct; 12(4):1003-13. PMID: 14580350.
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    50. Asturias FJ, Craighead JL. RNA polymerase II at initiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Jun 10; 100(12):6893-5. PMID: 12782794.
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    51. Asturias FJ, Chung WH, Kornberg RD, Lorch Y. Structural analysis of the RSC chromatin-remodeling complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 15; 99(21):13477-80. PMID: 12368485.
      View in: PubMed
    52. Craighead JL, Chang WH, Asturias FJ. Structure of yeast RNA polymerase II in solution: implications for enzyme regulation and interaction with promoter DNA. Structure. 2002 Aug; 10(8):1117-25. PMID: 12176389.
      View in: PubMed
    53. Dotson MR, Yuan CX, Roeder RG, Myers LC, Gustafsson CM, Jiang YW, Li Y, Kornberg RD, Asturias FJ. Structural organization of yeast and mammalian mediator complexes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Dec 19; 97(26):14307-10. PMID: 11114191.
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    54. Asturias FJ, Kornberg RD. Protein crystallization on lipid layers and structure determination of the RNA polymerase II transcription initiation complex. J Biol Chem. 1999 Mar 12; 274(11):6813-6. PMID: 10066729.
      View in: PubMed
    55. Asturias FJ, Jiang YW, Myers LC, Gustafsson CM, Kornberg RD. Conserved structures of mediator and RNA polymerase II holoenzyme. Science. 1999 Feb 12; 283(5404):985-7. PMID: 9974391.
      View in: PubMed
    56. Asturias FJ, Chang W, Li Y, Kornberg RD. Electron crystallography of yeast RNA polymerase II preserved in vitreous ice. Ultramicroscopy. 1998 Jan; 70(3):133-43. PMID: 9499590.
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    57. Asturias FJ, Meredith GD, Poglitsch CL, Kornberg RD. Two conformations of RNA polymerase II revealed by electron crystallography. J Mol Biol. 1997 Oct 03; 272(4):536-40. PMID: 9325110.
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    58. Edwards AM, Darst SA, Hemming SA, Asturias FJ, David PR, Kornberg RD. [11] Two-dimensional protein crystals in aid of three-dimensional protein crystal growth. Methods Enzymol. 1997; 276:166-171. PMID: 27799092.
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    59. Asturias FJ, Kornberg RD. A novel method for transfer of two-dimensional crystals from the air/water interface to specimen grids. EM sample preparation/lipid-layer crystallization. J Struct Biol. 1995 Jan-Feb; 114(1):60-6. PMID: 7772418.
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    60. Asturias FJ, Fischetti RF, Blasie JK. Changes in the profile structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane induced by phosphorylation of the Ca2+ ATPase enzyme in the presence of terbium: a time-resolved x-ray diffraction study. Biophys J. 1994 May; 66(5):1653-64. PMID: 8061214.
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    61. Asturias FJ, Fischetti RF, Blasie JK. Changes in the relative occupancy of metal-binding sites in the profile structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane induced by phosphorylation of the Ca2+ATPase enzyme in the presence of terbium: a time-resolved, resonance x-ray diffraction study. Biophys J. 1994 May; 66(5):1665-77. PMID: 8061215.
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    62. Blasie JK, Asturias FJ, DeLong LJ. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction studies on the mechanism of active Ca2+ transport by the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992 Nov 30; 671:11-8. PMID: 1288319.
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    63. Asturias FJ, Blasie JK. Location of high-affinity metal binding sites in the profile structure of the Ca+2-ATPase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum by resonance x-ray diffraction. Biophys J. 1991 Feb; 59(2):488-502. PMID: 1826221.
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    64. Blasie JK, Pascolini D, Asturias F, Herbette LG, Pierce D, Scarpa A. Large-scale structural changes in the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase appear essential for calcium transport. Biophys J. 1990 Sep; 58(3):687-93. PMID: 2145042.
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    65. Asturias FJ, Pascolini D, Blasie JK. Evidence that lipid lateral phase separation induces functionally significant structural changes in the Ca+2ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Biophys J. 1990 Jul; 58(1):205-17. PMID: 2143423.
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    66. Asturias FJ, Blasie JK. Effect of Mg2+ concentration on Ca2+ uptake kinetics and structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. Biophys J. 1989 Apr; 55(4):739-53. PMID: 2524225.
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    67. Pascolini D, Herbette LG, Skita V, Asturias F, Scarpa A, Blasie JK. Changes in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane profile induced by enzyme phosphorylation to E1 approximately P at 16 A resolution via time-resolved x-ray diffraction. Biophys J. 1988 Oct; 54(4):679-87. PMID: 2975956.
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