Electron Microscopy News and Research

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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

Understanding the Molecular Basis of Avian Influenza Host Shift

A recent study by the Cusack group clarifies how a crucial enzyme of the avian influenza virus can change, enabling the virus to spread to mammals.

20 Aug 2024

Mast Cells Recruit Neutrophils in Immune Response

Mast cells are well-known for their part in allergic reactions, but the immune system relies heavily on them. They release chemicals in response to allergens, which cause common allergy symptoms like tissue swelling and inflammation.

5 Aug 2024

Innovative Nanosensing Method Promises Safer Gene Therapy with Improved AAV Vector Quality

Over the past few decades, there has been remarkable progress in genetic manipulation technologies, bringing us closer to the point where genes can be modified in vivo.

2 Aug 2024

Cryo-EM Reveals Structural Differences in Fetal and Adult Muscle Receptors

The connections between the nervous system and muscles develop differently across the kingdom of life. It takes newborn humans roughly a year to develop the proper muscular systems that support the ability to walk, while cows can walk mere minutes after birth and run not long after.

1 Aug 2024

Harvard Researchers Crack the Code on Western Equine Encephalitis Decline

The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans.

29 Jul 2024

Probing Plasma Membrane Dynamics with Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Cell membranes play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and functionality of cells. However, the mechanisms by which they perform these roles are not yet fully understood.

25 Jul 2024

High Performance SEM Helps Drive NZ Towards a Smart, Green Future

The existing electron microscopy capabilities have been improved with the installation of a TESCAN CLARA Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

24 Jul 2024

Flu Virus Exploits Immune System Weakness to Infect Cells

The majority of influenza viruses enter animal or human cells through particular surface-based pathways. It has recently been found by researchers at the University of Zurich that some influenza viruses, both human and avian, can also enter cells through a second entry point that involves an immune system protein complex.

18 Jul 2024

Real-Time Snapshots of RNA Polymerase Illuminate Transcription Bubble Dynamics

Every living cell transcribes DNA into RNA. This process begins when an enzyme called RNA polymerase (RNAP) clamps onto DNA.

10 Jul 2024

Bridge RNA: The Revolutionary Tool in Genetic Recombination

In a leap forward for genetic engineering, a team of researchers from the Arc Institute have discovered the bridge recombinase mechanism, a precise and powerful tool to recombine and rearrange DNA in a programmable way.

27 Jun 2024

Fruit Fly Motor Circuitry Revealed Through Advanced Mapping Techniques

Work is underway on a wiring diagram of the motor circuits in the central nervous system that control muscles in fruit flies.

27 Jun 2024

Breakthrough in Understanding Connexin-Drug Interactions

Researchers have gained new knowledge of how drugs bind to connexin molecules. These molecules form channels that allow neighboring cells to send direct messages to one another.

27 Jun 2024

New Insights into How Cells Fine-Tune Protein Assembly

Imagine the body as a bustling factory constantly assembling proteins, the building blocks that keep everything running smoothly.

26 Jun 2024

Breakthrough Imaging Reveals the Dynamics of the Brain's Fast-Acting Kainate Receptor

New groundbreaking images of one of the brain's fastest-acting proteins are providing critical clues that may lead to the development of targeted therapies to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders.

18 Jun 2024

Super-Cooled Brain Cell Molecules Shed Light on Epilepsy Drug Action

By super cooling a molecule on the surface of brain cells down to about minus 180 degrees Celsius -; nearly twice as cold as the coldest places in Antarctica -; scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have determined how a widely-used epilepsy drug works to dampen the excitability of brain cells and help to control, although not cure, seizures.

11 Jun 2024

Structural Insights into a Novel Gene-Editing Tool

Yutaro Shuto, Ryoya Nakagawa, and Osamu Nureki of the University of Tokyo conducted collaborative research to ascertain the spatial organization of different processes within a unique gene-editing instrument known as “prime editor.”

30 May 2024

LoCoHD: A Novel Method for Comparative Protein Structure Analysis

In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, the HUN-REN-ELTE Protein Modeling Research Group (Institute of Chemistry) has laid the foundations for a mathematical method, allowing the computer-assisted comparison of the three-dimensional structures of proteins.

30 May 2024

Unmasking XPD’s Mechanism in DNA Damage Detection and Repair

The way the protein XPD recognizes severe DNA damage and regulates its repair was uncovered by researchers at the University of Würzburg, under the direction of Caroline Kisker and Claudia Höbartner.

29 May 2024