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The Exclusome, A New Mammalian "Container"

We speak to Dr. Ruth Kroschewski about new research that details the existence of an 'exclusome', a cytoplasmic container that appears to explain where extra-chromosomal DNA goes once it is in a cell.

24 Oct 2023

MIT Chemists Discover Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Ion Channel in Open State

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.

16 Oct 2023

New Synthetic Biology Approach Offers Promise for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases

Researchers at the University of Cologne's CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences have found a promising synthetic plant biology approach for the development of a therapy to treat human neurodegenerative diseases, especially Huntington's disease.

3 Oct 2023

Kanazawa University Research: Researchers Define a Protocol for Narrow Cantilever Fabrication and High-Resolution Imaging of Living Cells Using AFM

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in STAR Protocols procedural details and tips for nanoendoscopy-AFM, for capturing images of nanoscale structures inside living cells.

12 Sep 2023

NSL Complex Regulates Intraciliary Transport Genes in Multiple Cell Types

The non-specific lethal (NSL) complex is a chromatin-associated factor that has been shown in both fruit flies and mammals to regulate the expression of thousands of genes. Abrogation of the NSL genes causes the organism to die, which gives rise to the complex’s unusual name.

28 Aug 2023

Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Muscular Dystrophy Patients

Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital reveal how damage to the cell’s energy factory causes muscle wasting. Closing a pore in the mitochondrial membrane in gene-edited mice prevents disease progression.

28 Aug 2023

Scaffolding Protein Helps in the Creation of Biomolecular Condensate

Biomolecular condensates are loosely organized assemblies that carry out a variety of vital tasks inside all live cells. However, the mechanism by which proteins and other biomolecules combine to create these assemblies within cells is not fully known.

16 Aug 2023

Mouse Model Lacking TMCO3 Gene Has Shortened Bones

Through next-generation sequencing, investigators have identified a mutation in the TMCO3 gene in two sisters with short stature.

10 Aug 2023

Researchers Elucidate STING Protein's New Role in Immune Defense

A signaling protein known as STING is a critical player in the human immune system, detecting signs of danger within cells and then activating a variety of defense mechanisms.

7 Aug 2023

The Role of the Golgi Apparatus in the Development of Postnatal Neurons

Neurons are the cells that constitute brain circuits and employ chemicals and electricity to receive and transmit information that allows the body to perform anything from thinking to sensing to movement.

31 Jul 2023

5-ALA Opens New Avenues for Treating Mitochondrial Disorders

At the Tokyo Metropolitan University, researchers have shown that 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) aids bypass deficiencies in Complex I (CI), the first in a series of protein complexes that transport electrons and assist in powering the mitochondria.

17 Jul 2023

Extrusion-Mediated Self-Renewal: A New Way for Kidney Cells to Stay Healthy

University of Texas at Dallas scientists have discovered a previously unknown "housekeeping" process in kidney cells that ejects unwanted content, resulting in cells that rejuvenate themselves and remain functioning and healthy.

14 Jul 2023

Understanding How Malaria Parasite Modulates Apicoplast Gene Expression

A recent study supported by Tokyo Tech’s World Research Hub Initiative discovered that gene expression within the apicoplast, an organelle in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is controlled by melatonin (the circadian signaling hormone) in host blood and intrinsic parasite cues via a factor called ApSigma.

5 Jul 2023