Electron Microscopy News and Research

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3D Structure of Artificial Photosynthetic Antenna Protein Complex Revealed

Humans can do plenty, but plants have an ability we don't: they make energy straight from sunlight, a superpower called photosynthesis. Yet new research shows that scientists are closing that gap.

29 Oct 2024

Novel Mechanism for GRB2-SOS1-Mediated Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered new details about how the proteins GRB2 and SOS1 in cells transmit signals from membrane receptors to nuclei.

28 Oct 2024

Cryo-EM Technology Paves the Way for Major Biological Discovery

Ben Orlando's research talk at MSU's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2019 laid the groundwork for a team effort that had been developing for decades.

25 Oct 2024

Structural Insights into Bacteriophages Open Doors for New Therapeutics

The viruses that infect bacteria are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. For example, a recent simple study of 92 showerheads and 36 toothbrushes from American bathrooms found more than 600 types of bacterial viruses, commonly called bacteriophages or phages.

23 Oct 2024

Phages Form Unique 3D Shapes, Boosting Disease Detection

While preparing slides to be examined under a powerful microscope, a team of McMaster researchers who frequently work with bacteriophage viruses that consume bacteria had a pleasant and potentially very significant surprise.

22 Oct 2024

Filamentous Bacteria Use Grappling Hooks and Cannons to Hunt

Countless bacteria call the vastness of the oceans home, and they all face the same problem: the nutrients they need to grow and multiply are scarce and unevenly distributed in the waters around them.

18 Oct 2024

Yeast's Survival Strategy Provides Clues for Targeting Cancer Cells

The discovery of a surprising way yeast used to brew beer can survive starvation could open the door to new treatments for cancer.

17 Oct 2024

A Novel Mechanism for Apoptotic Cell Removal in Epithelial Tissues

In a recent discovery, a study team from Kyushu University in Japan has shed light on how the systems defend against illness and injury by identifying a calcium-based mechanism that is essential to the removal of dead cells.

10 Oct 2024

The Role of Yeast Ribosomes in Cellular Survival During Starvation

Researchers from EMBL Heidelberg and the University of Virginia School of Medicine have uncovered a fascinating mechanism by which cells respond to nutrient deprivation. This discovery holds intriguing implications for understanding cancer development.

10 Oct 2024

Living Microbes Unearthed in 2-Billion-Year-Old Rock

Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is the oldest example of living microbes being found within ancient rock so far discovered.

4 Oct 2024

Mapping the Complex Structure and Function of CRISPR-Cas Protein Scissors

CRISPR-Cas systems help to protect bacteria from viruses. Several different types of CRISPR-Cas defense systems are found in bacteria, which differ in their composition and functions.

3 Oct 2024

Scientists Successfully Map the Entire Fruit Fly Brain

A team of scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s The BRAIN Initiative, including Davi Bock, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences at UVM's Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, recently made a substantial advancement in neurobiological research by successfully mapping the entire brain of Drosophila melanogaster, more commonly known as the fruit fly.

3 Oct 2024

Structural Discovery of Fanzor Proteins Offers New Directions in Genome Engineering

A revolution in biomedicine is currently underway, driven by the application of genome engineering tools such as the prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas9.

3 Oct 2024

Breakthrough Discovery on How TGF-Beta Communicates in Cells

Scientists discover how TGF-Beta, a crucial protein in development and cancer, sends its message even while tethered to the cell membrane.

17 Sep 2024

New Insights into Python Cardiac Biology Could Inform Human Heart Disease Research

Study of python cardiac responses to feeding uncovers structural and epigenetic changes, enhancing understanding of heart disease and therapeutic applications.

2 Sep 2024

Bacterial Protein Utilizes DNA for Target Recognition and Plasmid Elimination

Scientists who have described in a new study the step-by-step details of a bacterial defense strategy see the mechanism as a promising platform for development of a new genome-editing method.

30 Aug 2024

High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy Reveals Cofilin Binding Patterns in Actin Filaments

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in eLife on deciphering the actin structure-dependent preferential cooperative binding of cofilin.

29 Aug 2024

Cryo-EM Study Sheds Light on HSV Drug Resistance Mechanisms Through Protein Movement

All organisms -; from fungi to mammals -; have the capacity to evolve and adapt to their environments. But viruses are master shapeshifters with an ability to mutate greater than any other organism. As a result, they can evade treatments or acquire resistance to once-effective antiviral medications.

28 Aug 2024

High-Resolution Structures Illuminate the Chloroplast Protein Import Machinery in Plants

Two groundbreaking studies published in the journal Cell shed light on the assembly, function and evolutionary diversity of the chloroplast protein import system.

28 Aug 2024

Cryo-EM Reveals CDCA7's Hemimethylation Sensing in Nucleosome Core Particles

DNA methylation, a process by which methyl groups are added to DNA molecules, is essential for the maintenance of DNA and the overall health of an organism. Disruptions in the standard DNA methylation patterns can lead to immunodeficiency and diseases such as cancer.

27 Aug 2024