Metabolism News and Research

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Metabolism is the means by which the body derives energy and synthesizes the other molecules it needs from the fats, carbohydrates and proteins we eat as food, by enzymatic reactions helped by minerals and vitamins.

Study Reveals Early Development of Circadian Rhythms in Infant Gut Microbiomes

Infant gut microbiomes oscillate with a circadian rhythm, even when they are cultivated outside of the body.

3 Apr 2024

Acidic Fortress of Tumors Could Rebuff Immune Cells

Cancer cells release a significantly more concentrated level of acid than previously known, forming an "acid wall" that could deter immune cells from attacking tumors, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists show in a new study.

2 Apr 2024

Study Investigates Links Between Gene Expression and Primate Brain Evolution

An interdisciplinary team of researchers led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published the results of a first-of-its-kind study investigating the links between gene expression and brain evolution across 18 primate species.

1 Apr 2024

Autofluorescence Reveals Clues to Stem Cell Dormancy

With the help of a tool created at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, researchers can better study the various states of stem cells in the nervous system by utilizing the light naturally emitted by biological specimens.

28 Mar 2024

New Theory Links Gene Length to Cellular Decline

A gene’s length may have more to do with aging than particular “aging genes.” Reduced expression of long genes may be the cause of many aging-related changes, according to researchers writing an opinion piece that was published in the journal Trends in Genetics on March 21st, 2023.

25 Mar 2024

New Study Sheds Light on Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Aging

The central nervous system requires a tightly controlled environment for the neurons in the brain to function properly and be able to process information. The blood-brain barrier, which is maintained by specific brain endothelial cells lining blood vessel inner walls, controls the exchange of chemicals between the neurological and circulatory systems.

25 Mar 2024

Unraveling the Role of Gene Length in Aging

Aging may be less about specific "aging genes" and more about how long a gene is. Many of the changes associated with aging could be occurring due to decreased expression of long genes, say researchers in an opinion piece publishing March 21 in the journal Trends in Genetics.

22 Mar 2024

Role of Candidalysin in Gut Microbiome Dynamics

The fungus Candida albicans commonly inhabits the human gastrointestinal tract. This versatile species can switch between existing as single-celled yeast and multicellular hyphae to adjust to its surroundings.

22 Mar 2024

Insulin Influences Mitochondrial Recycling in Neurons

The hormone insulin controls many cellular processes and adapts them to the body's current energy supply.

20 Mar 2024

Targeting T Cell Metabolism to Boost Cancer Therapies

Recent findings from the lab of Jessica Thaxton, PhD, MsCR, in the UNC School of Medicine's Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, as well as associates in the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center's Immunotherapy Group, have provided new insights into T-cell metabolism that may improve immunotherapies that depend on T cells to combat cancer.

18 Mar 2024

Metabolic Insights into Immune Cell Activation and Response

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia identified a key metabolite in cells that helps direct immune responses and explains at a single cell level why immune cells that most efficiently recognize pathogens, vaccines, or diseased cells grow and divide faster than other cells.

18 Mar 2024

Reducing Iron May Reverse Stem Cell Aging

It is fascinating to learn how researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) have discovered a way to prevent or even reverse the function of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells (HSCs) as they age.

11 Mar 2024

Bioluminescent Plants Illuminate Homes and Gardens

New findings that have been published in the journal Science Advances have revealed a naturally occurring plant gene that makes it easier for scientists to capture the fascinating glow of bioluminescent plants.

11 Mar 2024

Strategies to Counter Postnatal Growth Retardation in Piglets

The metabolic basis of postnatal growth retardation (PGR) in piglets is not yet clear, but it is characterized by poor production performance, low feed conversion rate, and a high mortality rate.

4 Mar 2024

Unlocking the Potential of Fonio Seed Microbiome Engineering for Climate-Resilient Crops

Fonio (Digitaria exilis), a type of millet, is the oldest indigenous crop in West Africa and one of the fastest maturing cereals.

1 Mar 2024

Microbial Viruses Found to be Key Players in Methane Cycling and Climate Change

In a new study, scientists have discovered that viruses that infect microbes contribute to climate change by playing a key role in cycling methane, a potent greenhouse gas, through the environment.

1 Mar 2024

Gut Microbial Metabolite Linked to Increased Thrombosis Risk in COVID-19 Patients

A gut microbial metabolite called 2-methylbutyrylcarnitine (2MBC) plays a role in exacerbating thrombosis -- the formation of blood clots – researchers report February 23rd in the journal Cell Metabolism.

26 Feb 2024

The Hidden Link Between Cell Membrane Damage and Cellular Senescence Revealed

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) along with the researchers from University of Tokyo, Nagoya University, and Nagoya City University, found that disruption to the cell membrane accelerates cellular senescence or cell aging.

23 Feb 2024

Fish Size and Climate Change: Study Refutes Gill Oxygen Limitation Theory

A collaborative team of scientists led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently found that there is no physiological evidence supporting a leading theory-; which involves the surface area of fish gills -;as to why many fish species are "shrinking" as waters grow warmer due to climate change.

22 Feb 2024

Novel Antibiotic Discovery: Harnessing Energy Compounds to Combat Bacterial Infections

About a decade ago, researchers in UC Santa Barbara chemistry professor Guillermo Bazan's lab began to observe a recurring challenge in their research: Some of the compounds they were developing to harness energy from bacteria were instead killing the microbes.

22 Feb 2024