Cell Membrane News and Research

RSS

AI-Driven Design of Soluble Protein Analogs for Drug Discovery and Antibody Development

Many drug and antibody discovery pathways focus on intricately folded cell membrane proteins: when molecules of a drug candidate bind to these proteins, like a key going into a lock, they trigger chemical cascades that alter cellular behavior.

24 Jun 2024

Johns Hopkins Scientists Engineer Synthetic Cells to Mimic Symmetry Breaking

In a feat aimed at understanding how cells move and creating new ways to shuttle drugs through the body, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have built a minimal synthetic cell that follows an external chemical cue and demonstrates a governing principle of biology called "symmetry breaking."

14 Jun 2024

Virus-Like Nanoparticles Facilitate DNA Release and Host Reproduction in Streptomyces

Viruses are ubiquitous in the environment, and organisms have developed various mechanisms to counter their threat.

12 Jun 2024

Water-Soluble Bacterial Enzyme Could Enable Rapid Screening of Potential Antibiotics

A bacterial enzyme called histidine kinase is a promising target for new classes of antibiotics. However, it has been difficult to develop drugs that target this enzyme, because it is a "hydrophobic" protein that loses its structure once removed from its normal location in the cell membrane.

11 Jun 2024

Study Finds Essential Role of Orco Protein in Ant Olfactory Neuron Survival and Social Interaction

While smell plays a considerable role in the social interactions of humans-;for instance, signaling fear or generating closeness-;for ants, it is vitally important.

10 Jun 2024

Novel Lipopeptide from Serratia marcescens Shows Promise Against Staphylococcus aureus Infections

A novel antibacterial lipopeptide produced by the bacterium Serratia marcescens has been shown to be highly effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus – one of the most important pathogens occurring in humans.

7 Jun 2024

Azoles Trigger Two Self-Destruction Pathways in Fungi

Scientists have shown that the most common class of antifungals used worldwide induces microorganisms to self-destruct.

4 Jun 2024

Stem Cell Factor Levels Show Promise in Predicting Successful IVF for Endometriosis

The ability of serum levels of stem cell factor to indicate the quality of oocyte and blastocyst development.

4 Jun 2024

Study Uncovers Fungal Self-Destruct Mechanism

Scientists have discovered that the most widely-used class of antifungals in the world cause pathogens to self-destruct.

3 Jun 2024

New Light-Sensitive Proteins Unlock Brain Cell Control for Neurological Research

Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School have found that a new class of light-sensitive proteins are capable of turning off brain cells with light, offering scientists an unprecedentedly effective tool to investigate brain function.

27 May 2024

Cryo-EM Reveals Structural Insights Into ADAM17/iRhom2 Complex

Efficient communication between cells is vital for many biological processes, such as recruiting immune cells to combat disease.

24 May 2024

Study Reveals Dual Contractility Modes in Cancer Cell Invasion

Understanding how cancerous cells spread from a primary tumor is important for any number of reasons, including determining the aggressiveness of the disease itself.

8 May 2024

New Insights into E. coli's UTI Survival Strategy

Due to anatomical peculiarities, women are particularly vulnerable to UTIs; nearly 50% of them will experience one at some point in their lives.

6 May 2024

Novel Lantibiotic Unveiled Against Skin Microbiome Rivals

Many bacteria produce substances to gain an advantage over competitors in their highly competitive natural environment.

30 Apr 2024

Enhancing Drug Discovery Through Automated Protein Labeling

Exact protein observation in cells is crucial for many scientific fields, but it has proven to be a difficult technical task, particularly in living cells where each protein needs to have its fluorescent label applied separately.

22 Apr 2024

New Method Reveals Dynamic Protein Structures in Real Time

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a powerful, new technique to generate "movies" of changing protein structures and speeds of up to 50 frames per second.

17 Apr 2024

Cell's Garbage Disposal May Also Send Sensory Signals Beyond Recycling

The proteasome, the cell's garbage disposal mechanism, usually breaks down proteins into smaller pieces and recycles some of the pieces.

15 Apr 2024

Scientists Design Proteins to Reach Hidden Cellular Targets

Drug developers have long faced challenges in reaching targets embedded within the cell membrane because of the membrane's complex biochemical properties. Chemists at Scripps Research have now shown that novel, specially made proteins are capable of effectively reaching these “intramembrane” targets.

14 Mar 2024

Investigating the Antibacterial Effects of T1-Spanin on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

...

13 Mar 2024

The Hidden Link Between Cell Membrane Damage and Cellular Senescence Revealed

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) along with the researchers from University of Tokyo, Nagoya University, and Nagoya City University, found that disruption to the cell membrane accelerates cellular senescence or cell aging.

23 Feb 2024