Protein News and Research

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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

Novel protein facilitates a critical event in mammalian fertilization

Fertilization is a fundamental process in sexual reproduction when the combination of male and female gametes blends genetic material to create a new unique individual. Now, researchers from Japan have identified a new factor that may help orchestrate this vitally complex life event.

From Osaka University 17 Apr 2020

Newly-discovered mitochondrial small protein is essential for energy production

A newly-discovered small protein in mitochondria is essential for energy production, report Duke-NUS researchers and their colleagues in the journal Nature Communications.

17 Apr 2020

Study clears potential obstacle to using gene drive strategy to control mosquitoes

New research from entomologists at UC Davis clears a potential obstacle to using CRISPR-Cas9 "gene drive" technology to control mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and Zika.

From The University of California, Davis 17 Apr 2020

Mitochondrial protein contributes to degenerative diseases

Scientists and their collaborators from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke NUS) have recently identified a novel small protein in mitochondria, which is essential for energy production.

17 Apr 2020

Synapses of the human nervous system

The glutamate receptors do not actually adhere to “distance keeping.” Now, high-resolution microscopic studies have revealed that the receptors often appear in small groups at the synapses and remain in contact with other proteins.

17 Apr 2020

Gene Variant Staves Off Alzheimer's In Some People

People with a gene that puts them at risk for Alzheimer's disease are protected from its debilitating effects if they also carry a variant of a different gene.

17 Apr 2020

Deadliest Malaria Strain Protects Itself From The Immune System

The parasite causing the most severe form of human malaria uses proteins to make red blood cells sticky, making it harder for the immune system to destroy it.

17 Apr 2020

Molecular network underlies the structures of critical cellular compartments

Networks are at the heart of everything from communications systems to pandemics. Now researchers have found that a unique type of network also underlies the structures of critical cellular compartments known as membraneless organelles.

16 Apr 2020

UTSW researchers solve structure of key protein involved in muscle contraction

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction.

16 Apr 2020

3D simulations will show how coronavirus spike protein binds to human cell receptors

Computational chemist Mahmoud Moradi will develop enhanced, 3D simulations of the molecular dynamics of coronavirus spike glycoproteins to gain better understanding of how the virus binds to human cells.

16 Apr 2020

New study on transposable elements could help advance understanding of genetic evolution

There has been very little knowledge of ways in which transposable elements play a role in gene regulation. Transposable elements are small DNA pieces with the ability to replicate and scatter themselves in the genome.

16 Apr 2020

A More Plant-Based Diet Without Stomach Troubles

A plant-based diet is a good choice for both climate and health. This article looks at stomach problems and plant-based diets.

16 Apr 2020

Identifying Potential Drugs Earlier In Discovery

Scientists have developed a technique that could significantly reduce the time of discovering potential new antibody-based drugs to treat disease.

16 Apr 2020

New method images proteins in 3D with nanoscale resolution

A research team, which also included scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), has reported a novel method for imaging proteins in three dimensions (3D) with nanoscale resolution.

16 Apr 2020

New method can improve access to sophisticated microscopy data

Researchers from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute (LSI) have created a novel data-processing method that offers a simpler yet faster way to data produced by cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) instruments, thus making it possible to adopt this robust method at a wider scale.

16 Apr 2020

New algorithm predicts the evolution of genetic mutations in species

David McCandlish and Juannan Zhou, both quantitative biologists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, have designed a new algorithm that has predictive power, providing researchers the ability to observe the way particular genetic mutations combine to make crucial proteins change over the duration of a species’ evolution.

16 Apr 2020

Novel high-speed microscope successfully records neural activities

Our brain contains tens of billions of nerve cells (neurons) which constantly communicate with each other by sending chemical and electrical flashes, each lasting a short one millisecond (0.001 sec). In every millisecond, these billions of swift-flying flashes altogether traveling in a giant star-map in the brain that lights up a tortuous glittering pattern.

15 Apr 2020

Scientists determine first 3D structure of COVID-19 main protease

A team of Chinese scientists has reported the high-resolution crystal structure of the main protease (Mpro) of the COVID-19 virus and has identified drugs that may hold promise in combating the virus.

15 Apr 2020

Research provides new insights into building blocks of gum disease

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major bacterial pathogen which leads to periodontitis also known as gum disease. In Japan, 80% of adults aged 35 and over suffer from this disease. What's more, P. gingivalis has also been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, pancreatic cancer, and even Alzheimer's disease.

15 Apr 2020

Clock protein moves in sync with temperature to coordinate rhythms in shoots, roots

Five years ago, researchers from the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics led by the CSIC Research Professor Paloma Mas made the breakthrough discovery that the circadian clocks in the growing tip of the plant shoot function in a similar way to the clocks in the mammalian brain, which in both cases are able to synchronize the daily rhythms of the cells in distal organs.

14 Apr 2020