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Researchers discover hydrogen-producing enzyme group that resists oxygen attack

Hydrogen-producing enzymes are beacons of hope in biohydrogen research. However, they are so vulnerable to oxygen in the air that it has not been possible to exploit their potential on a larger scale.

3 Feb 2021

Hyperactive RANK protein could trigger autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases, in which the body's own immune system attacks healthy tissue, can be life-threatening and can impact all organs.

3 Feb 2021

Researchers gain a deep insight into the evolutionary history of bitter receptors

To evaluate the chemical composition of food from a physiological point of view, it is important to know the functions of the receptors that interact with food ingredients. These include receptors for bitter compounds, which first evolved during evolution in bony fishes such as the coelacanth.

3 Feb 2021

Researchers study the formation of reinforced, patterned cell walls during proto-xylem development

Trees are by far the tallest organisms on Earth. Height growth is made possible by a specialized vascular system that conducts water from the roots to the leaves with high efficiency, while simultaneously providing stability.

3 Feb 2021

Breast cancer-on-a-chip for rapid screening of immunotherapeutic drugs

There are many mechanisms by which the body responds to foreign invaders. One of these involves the T-cells of the immune system, which have a number of different proteins on their surface called "checkpoint proteins."

3 Feb 2021

Synthetic biomolecule resembles dual stimuli-responsive channel

For the first time, researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and the University of Tokyo in Japan have produced a new artificial transmembrane ion channel—based on a naturally found transmembrane channel that plays a role in neuron signaling—that reacts to both electrical and chemical stimuli.

2 Feb 2021

Toxin-antitoxin systems negatively control plasmid replication

According to Thomas Wood, Biotechnology Endowed Chair and Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Penn State College of Engineering., toxin-antitoxin (TA) structures are currently known to adversely regulate the replication of plasmids.

From Penn State University 2 Feb 2021

Genome architectural changes linked to B cell-related blood cancers

Flaws in the way chromosomes are packed into antibody-producing B-cells seem to play a key role in the development of B-cell-related blood cancers.

2 Feb 2021

Study compiles scientific literature to identify trends in marine litter

That is the question that Prof. Alan Deidun, resident academic within the Department of Geosciences of the Faculty of Science, along with a cohort of high-profile co-authors, posed within a study recently published in the Microplastics and Nanoplastics journal.

2 Feb 2021

Noncoding RNA plays key role in sepsis, regulates inflammatory gene expression

Sepsis can result when the body’s immune response to a specific infection gets out of control.

From University of California Santa Cruz 2 Feb 2021

Severe genetic immunodeficiency reversed by a rare DNA change

Researchers have revealed how a rare DNA change rebalanced the immune system of patients with a life-threatening genetic immunodeficiency.

2 Feb 2021

Study describes dynamic link between protein folding and misfolding

Correct, or native, protein folding is essential for correct protein function. Protein misfolding can lead to the formation of amyloid fibrils, and amyloidosis, which is implicated in various human neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases.

From Osaka University 2 Feb 2021

Study discovers new anti-inflammatory role for well-known blood clot protein

Flinders University researchers have discovered a new anti-inflammatory role for well-known blood clot protein fibrinogen, which could support targeted new treatments for kidney, heart and other common diseases.

2 Feb 2021

Researchers study persister cells that go dormant and tolerant to antibiotics

Mehmet Orman, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.

2 Feb 2021

Intensive BP lowering effective in reducing cardiovascular risk in patients exposed to air pollution

Evidence suggests particulate matter is the air pollutant which poses the greatest threat to global health. Studies have shown that exposure to particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns is associated with acute and chronic elevations in blood pressure (BP) as well as hypertension.

2 Feb 2021

Yale scientists discover novel metabolic gatekeeper mechanism for leukemia

In a new study led by Yale Cancer Center, researchers have discovered a novel metabolic gatekeeper mechanism for leukemia. This mechanism depends on a molecule called PON2, which could lead to a new treatment for the disease. The findings were published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

2 Feb 2021

Unknown root trait allows some cereal plants to grow deeper roots

A previously unknown root trait allows some cereal plants to grow deeper roots capable of punching through dry, hard, compacted soils, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest that harnessing the inherited characteristic could lead to crops better able to deal with a changing climate.

2 Feb 2021

Study on Arctic shrubs lends new understanding to an enduring ecological puzzle

A 15-year experiment on Arctic shrubs in Greenland lends new understanding to an enduring ecological puzzle: How do species with similar needs and life histories occur together at large scales while excluding each other at small scales? The answer to this question has important implications for how climate change might shift species' distributions across the globe.

From The University of California, Davis 2 Feb 2021

Computer modeling system can accurately predict the impact of ozone on soybean production

The impact of ozone on soybean production can be predicted more accurately thanks to improvements to a computer modeling system.

From University of Exeter 2 Feb 2021

Some bacteria change their shape to become more adaptive to antibiotics

New research led by Carnegie Mellon University Assistant Professor of Physics Shiladitya Banerjee demonstrates how certain types of bacteria can adapt to long-term exposure to antibiotics by changing their shape.

1 Feb 2021