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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.

RNA Interference Drugs Offer Faster, More Effective Alternative to Traditional Drug Discovery

Alnylam's RNA interference platform accelerates drug discovery by targeting RNA transcripts, addressing complex diseases with innovative therapeutic strategies.

28 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

CDCA7's Role in DNA Methylation Maintenance Revealed in Recent Study

DNA methylation is a process in which a methyl group is attached to the cytosine base of the DNA molecule, and a major way that DNA is epigenetically marked. Epigenetic modifications can act as on-off switches to regulate gene expression and help generate diverse cell types without changing the underlying DNA sequence. It is how the body ensures that brain-related genes don't get turned on in heart cells, for example.

28 Aug 2024

EMBL Researchers Develop Novel Photoacoustic Probes to Monitor Brain Activity

To understand the brain better, we need new methods to observe its activity.

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

NIR Spectroscopy Offers a New Frontier in Crop Analysis

In the agricultural and food industry, determining the chemical composition of raw materials is important for production efficiency, application, and price. Traditional laboratory testing is time-consuming, complicated, and expensive. New research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrates that near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and machine learning can provide quick, accurate, and cost-effective product analysis.

28 Aug 2024

Rare CCDC201 Genotype Significantly Affects Menopause Onset in Women

Scientists at deCODE genetics and collaborators, have identified a sequence variant in the CCDC201 gene that when inherited from both parents homozygous causes menopause on average nine years earlier.

27 Aug 2024

Insights into Hmmr's Role in Cognitive Decline and Lifespan

The authors investigate the physiological functions of Terc-53 by creating transgenic mice that overexpress this noncoding RNA. They observe that Terc-53 overexpression affects normal aging in mammals, contributing to cognitive decline and shortened lifespan.

27 Aug 2024

Computational Modeling and Experimental Findings on Nucleosome Constraining in Mitosis

Individual cells divide through a process called mitosis, during which the cell's copied DNA is separated between two resulting daughter cells. Despite recent advances in cell biology, the mechanism by which DNA condenses during mitosis is still poorly understood. Researchers recently tracked small stretches of DNA wound around histone proteins, called nucleosomes, to better characterize nucleosome behavior during cell division.

27 Aug 2024

Clinical Trials Supported by Genetics Show Higher Success Rates

Analyzing 28,561 discontinued trials, the study reveals safety and efficacy concerns as major discontinuation factors, with genetics playing a crucial role.

23 Aug 2024

New Research Reveals Infrared Radiation as a Mosquito Host-Seeking Trigger

While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Indeed, their capacity to transmit disease has earned mosquitoes the title of deadliest animal.

23 Aug 2024

The Complex Link Between DNA Modification and ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease which remains incurable. The disease is characterized by the selective degeneration of upper motor neurons in the motor cortex as well as the lower motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord. The cause of ALS remains unknown in 90 percent of cases, which are referred to as sporadic ALS because there is no family history for the disease. Cumulative evidence suggests that sporadic ALS may result from complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and aging.

23 Aug 2024

Scientists Discover How AML Cells Use P-Bodies to Sustain Growth

An international team of scientists has uncovered a mechanism by which acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells sustain their growth.

22 Aug 2024

Ancient Microbes Shaped Modern Immune Systems

When you get infected with a virus, some of the first weapons your body deploys to fight it were passed down to us from our microbial ancestors billions of years ago.

22 Aug 2024

Enzyme Therapy Shows Promise for Parkinson's Disease

A preclinical investigation conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers has shown an unexpectedly important role for an enzyme called PGK1 in the synthesis of chemical energy in brain cells.

22 Aug 2024

UChicago Team Secures $7.4 Million Grant to Study Cellular Adaptation

Cells use a variety of processes to adapt to changes and stressors in their environment, like increased temperature.

21 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

Novel Drug Targets in Gardnerella Vaginalis: A Bioinformatics Approach to Combat Bacterial Vaginosis

A computational approach to identify proteins in G. vaginalis that could be potential drug targets.

20 Aug 2024

New AI Tool Predicts Protein Behavior in Cellular Context

A fish on land can still wave its fins, but the outcomes are very different when the creature is in water. The comparison, attributed to prominent computer scientist Alan Kay, is used to demonstrate the importance of context in clarifying research issues.

19 Aug 2024