Molecular & Structural Biology

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Repetitive Tasks Crystallize Memory Pathways in the Brain

According to a recent study conducted by UCLA Health, repeated practice not only helps to improve skills but also causes significant alterations in the memory pathways in the brain.

16 May 2024

Genetic Analysis Sheds Light on the Role of Ribosomal DNA Copy Number in Inflammation and Disease

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is present in hundreds of copies in the genome, but has not previously been part of genetic analyses.

16 May 2024

Machine Learning Program Offers Insights Into Promoter Sequences and Transcription

A team led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center developed deep learning models to identify a simple set of rules that govern the activity of promoters – regions of DNA that initiate the process by which genes produce proteins.

15 May 2024

Bristle Biogenesis of Platynereis dumerilii: Microvilli as Nature's 3D Printers

A new interdisciplinary study led by molecular biologist Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna provides exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii.

14 May 2024

New Insights Into Centromere Structure: Two Subdomains Revealed

Researchers from the Kops group in collaboration with researchers from the University of Edinburgh, made a surprising new discovery in the structure of the centromere, a structure that is involved in ensuring that chromosomes are segregated properly when a cell divides.

14 May 2024

Single-Molecule Study Reveals Unexpected Role of Protein Stiffness in Nuclear Transport

The degree of softness or rigidity in specific regions of proteins can affect how quickly or slowly those proteins enter the nucleus, according to research from the Francis Crick Institute and King's College London.

14 May 2024

Synthetic Anti-Clotting Agent Derived from Bloodsucking Organisms Saliva

Ticks, mosquitoes, and leeches are endowed by nature with a rapid method of preventing blood clotting while they feed on their host.

14 May 2024

Engineering Blood Vessels to Image Bioluminescence Deep Within the Brain

Researchers frequently tag cells with fluorescent proteins, which enable them to monitor tumor growth or quantify alterations in gene expression that transpire during cell differentiation.

13 May 2024

Tiny, Laser-Activated Droplets Could Be Used to Detect Biomarkers for Diseases

A team of researchers led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has created tiny droplets that, when activated by laser light, can detect viral protein biomarkers indicating the presence of certain diseases.

11 May 2024

AI Deciphers the Complex Wiring of the Human Brain

Though it may not seem like much, one cubic mm of brain tissue exists. That small square, however, holds 230 mm of blood vessels, 150 million synapses, and 57,000 cells, totaling 1,400 terabytes of data. That is why researchers from Google and Harvard have just achieved something truly amazing.

10 May 2024

Researchers Identify Natural Compounds for Parasitic Worm Treatment

An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has found a family of natural compounds with potential as new and more effective treatments for parasitic worms.

9 May 2024

Molecular Pixelation Maps Hundreds of Proteins in Single Cells

According to a recent study published in Nature Methods, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Pixelgen Technologies have created and implemented a method that enables protein mapping in individual cells in a new way.

9 May 2024

New Insights Into PARP1 Biology Could Open Avenues to Improve Cancer Treatments

A new study led by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center researchers shows that an enzyme called PARP1 is involved in repair of telomeres, the lengths of DNA that protect the tips of chromosomes, and that impairing this process can lead to telomere shortening and genomic instability that can cause cancer.

8 May 2024

Harnessing Gut Microbiome Compounds to Reduce Inflammation

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found naturally occurring compounds in the gut that can be harnessed to reduce inflammation and other symptoms of digestive issues.

6 May 2024

Targeting RNA Modifications: A Novel Approach for Neuroblastoma Treatment

Neuroblastoma is a common pediatric cancer that originates in developing nerve cells outside the brain.

6 May 2024

Protein Complex Movement May Regulate Cell Division, Impacting Disease Research

Scientists at Umeå University in Sweden have found that the movement of a unique protein complex known as the Mediator along DNA genes may affect the process of cell division.

6 May 2024

Unlocking Brown Fat's Potential: Study Reveals Key Protein in Obesity Regulation

Brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), is a type of fat in our bodies that's different from the white fat around our belly and thighs that we are more familiar with.

30 Apr 2024

Mapping Small Molecule-Protein Interactions for Drug Development

For most human proteins, there are no small molecules known to bind them chemically (so called "ligands"). Ligands frequently represent important starting points for drug development but this knowledge gap critically hampers the development of novel medicines.

30 Apr 2024

New Technique Reveals Plant's Defense Mechanism

Researchers at the Danforth Plant Science Center and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, working with Tessa Burch-Smith, PhD, are breaking new ground in their investigation of how viruses, essential molecules, and information are transferred between cells in plants.

30 Apr 2024

Study Reveals Molecular Assembly of One of the Most Common Anti-Phage Systems

One of the many secrets to bacteria's success is their ability to defend themselves from viruses, called phages, that infect bacteria and use their cellular machinery to make copies of themselves.

29 Apr 2024