Protein News and Research

RSS

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.

Glowing COVID-19 Diagnostic Test Prototype Produces Results in One Minute

Cold, flu and COVID-19 season brings that now-familiar ritual: swab, wait, look at the result. But what if, instead of taking 15 minutes or more, a test could quickly determine whether you have COVID-19 with a glowing chemical?

19 Jan 2024

Golgi Organelle's Crucial Role in Stress Responses

For more than a century, scientists have been aware of a certain organelle found in plant cells. That organelle's crucial function in aging, however, has only recently been uncovered by UC Riverside scientists.

18 Jan 2024

Study Uncovers Chromatin Modifier-Centered Pathway for Grain Size Regulation in Rice

Chromatin is the complex of DNA and proteins that makes up the genetic material in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.

18 Jan 2024

USC Scientists Discover Protein Key to 3D Genome Control and Gene Silencing

Each cell’s nucleus contains DNA, which is the blueprint for human life.

17 Jan 2024

Investigating the Functional Mechanisms of RNA Replicase

It has long been a mystery how the complex molecular machinery of life sprang from modest beginnings.

17 Jan 2024

The Role of Diffusion Barriers in Cellular Functions

According to a recent paper published in the “Journal of Cell Biology” by the Barral group (IBC), diffusion barriers are established by mitochondria independently of physical separation.

16 Jan 2024

Genome-Wide Study Identifies Gene Pair Crucial for Regulating Blood Vessel Disease in the Lungs

University of Pittsburgh Schools of Medicine researchers uncovered a fundamental mechanism that controls the body's response to limited oxygen and regulates blood vessel disease of the lung.

16 Jan 2024

Algal Blooms May Pose More Health Risks Than Previously Thought

Florida's 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) borders five different counties and has five inlets that connect the lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean.

16 Jan 2024

Messenger RNA Therapy Could be Used to Correct Rare Liver Genetic Disease

By exploiting the technology used in Covid-19 vaccines, a team led by UCL, King's College London and Moderna scientists has created an effective therapy for a rare disease, in a study in mice, demonstrating the technology's potential therapeutic use in people.

16 Jan 2024

Live-Cell Imaging Reveals How STING Activates Innate Immunity

When pathogens attack the body, the innate immune system goes to work protecting against the invading disease.

12 Jan 2024

Simple Blood Test Uncovers Gene Expression Secrets

The brain is the most protected organ in the body, sheathed in a complex and nearly impenetrable barrier of specialized blood vessels.

12 Jan 2024

Unlocking Precise DNA Modifications With Cas12a Innovations

Caixia Gao’s group at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology has created a number of new prime editors based on the Cas12a protein, broadening the applications and targeting range of precision genome editing, as reported in a study published in Nature Biotechnology.

12 Jan 2024

Tracking Genes in the Brain Via Non-Invasive Methods

With its intricate network of specialized blood arteries forming a nearly impenetrable barrier, the brain is the most protected organ in the body.

11 Jan 2024

Unmasking the "Fingerprint" of a Single Protein with Light

Singular protein infrared vibrational spectrum is seen by use of sophisticated measurement methods based on near-field optical microscopy.

10 Jan 2024

Uncovering How Tomatoes Fight Off Notorious Blight

Recently, The Plant Journal’s cover highlighted an innovative study that has garnered attention in the interesting field of plant biology.

10 Jan 2024

Exploring the Dual Role of Phosphorylated α-Synuclein in Healthy Neural Function

It has been found by researchers that phosphorylated α-synuclein, a protein linked to a number of neurodegenerative illnesses, including Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, is also engaged in the regular processes of neuronal communication in a healthy brain.

10 Jan 2024

Bacterial "Freight Elevator" Transports Camouflage Molecule for Immune Evasion

Some bacterial membrane transporters work almost like freight elevators to transport substances through the cell membrane into the interior of the cell. The transporter itself spans the bacterial membrane.

9 Jan 2024

Bacterial “Barcode” Deciphers the Fate of Proteins, Impacting Pathogen Behavior

Researchers at McMaster University have found a molecular “barcode” system that pathogenic bacteria use to identify harmful from beneficial molecules.

9 Jan 2024

Computational Creation of Complex Protein All-α Structures

Based on their amino acid sequences, proteins fold into distinct three-dimensional structures that determine their function. While de novo protein design has advanced significantly, complex all-αproteins, in which α-helices are not stacked in a parallel fashion within three-dimensional structures, have not been as easily designed.

8 Jan 2024

Novel Peptides from South American Bushmaster and Pit Viper

The venom of the South American bushmaster, a resident of tropical rainforests, and the pit viper Cotiara, which lives in southern Brazil, both contain fragments of hemorrhagic toxins that may be used to treat high blood pressure.

8 Jan 2024