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Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy offers first molecular view inside cells

Medical scientists from UNSW Sydney have successfully detected the interactions that occur between individual molecules located inside intact cells, thus achieving unparalleled resolution capabilities in single-molecule microscopy.

From The University of New South Wales (UNSW) 21 Apr 2020

Sensitive technique makes it possible to study the delivery of RNA drugs

In recent years, RNA molecules, with the ability to affect or turn off pathogenic genes, have become promising drug candidates in several areas.

17 Apr 2020

Proving the existence of metabolons

For over four decades, researchers have proposed the presence of enzyme clusters, also called metabolons, which help facilitate several processes within cells.

17 Apr 2020

Super-Charging Drug Development For COVID-19

Researchers are ramping up production of a promising drug that has proven effective in obliterating SARS-CoV in cellular cultures.

17 Apr 2020

Diagnostics, Meet CRISPR

The simplicity of urine sampling has been combined with the excellent sensing abilities of CRISPR to improve diagnostic testing for kidney transplant patients.

17 Apr 2020

UTSW researchers solve structure of key protein involved in muscle contraction

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction.

16 Apr 2020

Study shows how vulnerable cells armor themselves against infection

Cells in some of the body's most vulnerable entry routes to bacterial infection buffer themselves when the immune system detects danger by reorganizing the cholesterol on their surfaces, a new study led by UTSW scientists suggests.

16 Apr 2020

Why do artificial sweeteners fail to satisfy sugar cravings?

A small quantity of extra sugar would be enough to make people crave for almost everything, from coffee covered in whipped cream to condiments and cookies.

16 Apr 2020

New method images proteins in 3D with nanoscale resolution

A research team, which also included scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), has reported a novel method for imaging proteins in three dimensions (3D) with nanoscale resolution.

16 Apr 2020

New method can improve access to sophisticated microscopy data

Researchers from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute (LSI) have created a novel data-processing method that offers a simpler yet faster way to data produced by cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) instruments, thus making it possible to adopt this robust method at a wider scale.

16 Apr 2020

Scientists determine first 3D structure of COVID-19 main protease

A team of Chinese scientists has reported the high-resolution crystal structure of the main protease (Mpro) of the COVID-19 virus and has identified drugs that may hold promise in combating the virus.

15 Apr 2020

Clock protein moves in sync with temperature to coordinate rhythms in shoots, roots

Five years ago, researchers from the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics led by the CSIC Research Professor Paloma Mas made the breakthrough discovery that the circadian clocks in the growing tip of the plant shoot function in a similar way to the clocks in the mammalian brain, which in both cases are able to synchronize the daily rhythms of the cells in distal organs.

14 Apr 2020

Role of VRAC ion channel in fight against virus infections

VRAC/LRRC8 chloride channels play a crucial role in the transport of neurotransmitters, amino acids, and cytostatics.

14 Apr 2020

Novel isomer separation technique has major implications in biological processes

Proteins are composed of long chains of amino acids, and a majority of these proteins have one or more methionine—a sulfur-containing amino acid.

From University of California Santa Cruz 13 Apr 2020

New study on proteins advances basic understanding of human life

A minute chemical modification on one of the most copious and vital proteins in cells—actin—has been a mystery as its function is not fully known.

9 Apr 2020

New microscopy technique reveals movements of cell muscles in unprecedented detail

For the first time, researchers from the University of Warwick have observed the movements of cell muscles in the form of minute filaments of proteins at unparalleled detail.

From The University of Warwick 8 Apr 2020

Researchers gain insight into synthesis and functions of lipids found in tears

New understandings of how lipids function within tears could lead to better drugs for treating dry eye disease.

7 Apr 2020

Phytochrome foci in plants exhibit different behaviors at different temperatures and light

Phytochrome B activates plant growth and regulates the flowering time, but the mechanism by which it performs these functions is not fully understood.

7 Apr 2020

Study shows promise for treating different types of cancer

This story looks into the potential to treat various types of cancers using cells and the process of apoptosis.

7 Apr 2020

Force can activate genes without intermediates, enzymes, or signaling molecules

A new study reports that cells tend to increase gene expression as a response to physical forces alone. According to the team, the initial step in the production of proteins—gene activation—begins within 1 ms once a cell gets stretched, which is hundreds of times faster than chemical signals can travel.

2 Apr 2020