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A cryptic molecule can awaken killer viruses from their slumber

Some gut bacteria have a spooky superpower: they can reanimate dormant viruses lurking within other microbes.

24 Feb 2022

New proteomics method identifies proteins responsible for regulating R-loop levels in human cells

There are many different ways in which the genetic material DNA can be damaged, resulting in the development of diseases such as cancer. Certain forms of DNA damage are associated with so-called R-loops.

8 Feb 2022

Researchers gain detailed insight into the mechanism of a light-driven chloride pump

Many bacteria and unicellular algae have light-driven pumps in their cell membranes: proteins that change shape when exposed to photons such that they can transport charged atoms in or out of the cell.

4 Feb 2022

Researchers construct organized structures of hydrogel blocks using “sticky” DNA

Scientists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University employed minuscule DNA strands to direct the building of viewable gel blocks.

2 Feb 2022

Study findings greatly expand the ability to engineer long-range genome edits

Researchers discovered the potential of CRISPR, a tool used by bacteria to defend themselves against viral intruders, nearly a decade ago.

24 Jan 2022

Experts determine the assembly of proteins with specialized protein needles

Protein assembly is considered to be an essential factor for the development of ordered biological structures, but how about engineering one.

10 Jan 2022

Scientists test the accuracy of enzymes that copy DNA under weightlessness

Researchers at Queen’s University boarded a modified Falcon 20 aircraft at Ottawa airport on May 22nd, 2019 as part of a scheduled “vomit comet” flight. In this mode of flight, the plane repeatedly climbs in a steep parabola to 8 km, alternating with a freefall descent.

2 Dec 2021

Improving our Understanding of Bacterial Membranes

We speak to Professor Bart Hoogenboom and Georgina Benn about current research using technology to create the sharpest images of living bacteria ever recorded.

From University College London 12 Nov 2021

Simultaneously Measuring 7,000 Proteins: Groundbreaking Proteomics from SomaLogic

In this interview, we speak to Roy Smythe, CEO of SomaLogic, about their groundbreaking proteomics technology that can simultaneously measure 7,000 proteins.

From SomaLogic 4 Nov 2021

Scientists use DNA to create what may be the world's tiniest ruler for measuring proteins

As scientists have probed the mysteries of life down to smaller and smaller scales, they have invented tools to help them understand what they observe.

22 Oct 2021

Study pinpoints the mutational hotspots in DNA

Recent research at the University of Bath reveals that tangles in unwound DNA can develop mutational hotspots in the genomes of bacteria.

From University of Bath 21 Oct 2021

Researchers use cryo-electron microscopy to resolve 3D structure of protein nanoparticle

Nanoparticles and nanocages are attractive materials that may be applied in color agents, catalysts, and drug delivery.

6 Oct 2021

Supercoiling and looping can transmit mechanical stress along the DNA backbone, shows study

When people think of DNA, they visualize a string-like double helix structure. In reality, the DNA double helix in cells is supercoiled and constrained into loops. This supercoiling and looping are known to influence every aspect of DNA activity, but how this happens has not been clear.

28 Sep 2021

Structural parameters of phosphatidylglycerol-DNA complex revealed

An interaction of DNA with lipids is of great interest because of their functions. As fatty acids and lipids can specifically bind to nucleic acids forming a code sequence of the genomic DNA, it is important to study the interaction of the oligonucleotide DNA (dA)20-(dT)20 with phosphatidylglycerol by the molecular dynamics method.

24 Sep 2021

Programmable DNA-based microfluidic chip for performing complex mathematical calculations

The term 'DNA' immediately calls to mind the double-stranded helix that contains all our genetic information. But the individual units of its two strands are pairs of molecules bonded with each other in a selective, complementary fashion.

15 Sep 2021

Study unravels the DNA repair mechanism by enzymes

A new study by researchers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea has revealed the mechanism of DNA repair by enzymes exonuclease III and polymerase I by utilizing single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET)-enabled dynamic observation.

14 Sep 2021

Study uncovers mechanism where two transcription factors stabilize each other’s binding to DNA

Researchers have discovered an exclusive mechanism through which two transcription factors stabilize each other’s binding to DNA in fission yeast.

14 Sep 2021

Researchers identify new technique to measure DNA torsional stiffness

Cornell researchers have identified a new way to measure DNA torsional stiffness – how much resistance the helix offers when twisted – information that can potentially shed light on how cells work.

16 Aug 2021

Researchers develop DNA-based switching circuits

The myriad processes occurring in biological cells may seem unbelievably complex at first glance. And yet, in principle, they are merely a logical succession of events, and could even be used to form digital circuits.

4 Jun 2021

“Topologically tunable” DNA-based material has potential applications in drug delivery, tissue regeneration

DNA is usually idealized as the “molecule of life,” but it is also a highly advanced polymer that can be used for cutting-edge materials. Apart from storing information, other interesting aspects of DNA are its topological and geometrical properties, like super-coiling and knotting.

31 May 2021