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Revealing the structural basis underpinning the biophysical properties of pili

According to the World Health Organization, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria are the most common cause of traveler’s diarrhea and cause the greatest number of known community-acquired cases of childhood diarrhea in the developing world.

31 Mar 2023

Determining the structure of protein pumps using cryo-EM

A rare, genetic disorder known as Hailey-Hailey disease causes patches of blisters to develop mainly in the folds of skin under the breasts, in the groin, and the armpits.

29 Mar 2023

Novel tool analyzes how immune cells respond to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

A study discovered that the magnitude and quality of a key immune cell’s response to two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were significantly lower in individuals with earlier SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to individuals without previous infection.

21 Mar 2023

The protein synthesis mechanism in the Giardia parasite

Cryo-electron microscopy was employed by Uppsala University researchers to reveal information on the protein synthesis mechanism in the parasite Giardia intestinalis, which causes diarrhea. The new findings could help in the development of specific medicines to combat Giardia and other protozoan parasites.

20 Mar 2023

New antibody "cocktail" may help counter the Lassa virus

The finding, made with the use of the Advanced Photon Source, shows a new way to exploit monoclonal antibodies to subvert the "shield" of the virus, potentially paving the way for new therapies.

20 Mar 2023

Using PET and electron microscopy to generate 3D maps of mitochondrial networks in lung tumors

Scientists have long known that mitochondria, the "powerhouses" of cells, play a crucial role in the metabolism and energy production of cancer cells.

16 Mar 2023

First molecular images of olfaction sets the stage to create novel smells

Breaking a longstanding impasse in our understanding of olfaction, scientists at UC San Francisco (UCSF) have created the first molecular-level, 3D picture of how an odor molecule activates a human odorant receptor, a crucial step in deciphering the sense of smell.

16 Mar 2023

Merging cryo-TEM and tomography methods to reveal 3D morphology of dendrites

Documenting the lithiation process in TEM can provide a deep understanding of the electrode degradation mechanism during battery cycling, which enhances material modification for improved performance. The research was guided by Prof. Dong Su (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences).

15 Mar 2023

High correlation between the product of a gene in the majority of cancers

The product of a gene expressed in most cancers, including the most prevalent type of head and neck cancer, has been linked to elevated levels of white blood cells that produce antibodies inside tumors, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

14 Mar 2023

Analyzing microscopic chalk disks coccoliths formed by the marine algae

Under the guidance of Rutgers University, a research group learning about virus-host interactions of worldwide abundant and armor-plated marine algae, Emiliania huxleyi, has discovered that the circular and chalk plates produced by the algae have the potential to serve as catalysts for viral infection.

From Rutgers University 7 Mar 2023

First wiring map of neurons in insect brain complete

Researchers have built the first ever map showing every single neuron and how they’re wired together in the brain of the fruit fly larva.

6 Mar 2023

Uncovering the complete 3D structure of p53 protein

By inducing cell repair or self-destruction, the tumor suppressor protein p53, often known as “the guardian of the genome,” shields the body’s DNA from daily stress or long-term damage.

2 Mar 2023

Nanosatellite paves the way for developing RNA-based medicines

Researchers from Aarhus University and Berkeley Laboratory have designed RNA molecules, that folds into nanoscale rectangles, cylinders, and satellites, and have studied their 3D structure and dynamics with advanced nanotechnological methods.

28 Feb 2023

Study reveals why the FMO5 gene produces an enzyme with a different activity

Our body produces lots of enzymes that break down toxic substances. One class of such enzymes are the flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs), which are present in all tetrapods. Humans have five different FMO genes, of which the first four display the same activity. However, the fifth FMO gene triggers a different breakdown reaction. University of Groningen biochemists have succeeded in resurrecting the ancestral genes of all tetrapod FMOs to show how this divergence has occurred. Their results appear on 24 February in Nature Communications.

28 Feb 2023

New center offers electron microscope services to the scientific community

The Joint Electron Microscopy Center at ALBA (JEMCA) was established through the collaboration of various research agencies to open a new center within the ALBA Synchrotron building that provides electron microscope assistance to the scientific community.

27 Feb 2023

MoBIE: New user-friendly, freely available tool for sharing large imaging data sets

High-resolution microscopy techniques, for example electron microscopy or super-resolution microscopy, produce huge amounts of data.

24 Feb 2023

New biomarker helps identify biological age

Once considered to be incompetent in encoding proteins due to their simple monotonous DNA repetitions, tiny telomeres at the tips of human chromosomes now appear to have a powerful biological function that could help better understand cancer and aging.

21 Feb 2023

Accelerating the structure-guided discovery of chemogenetic tools

In order to more fully understand how diseases arise in the brain, scientists must unravel the intricate way neurons relay messages (either chemical or electrical) along a complex web of nerve cells. One way is by using a tool called DREADDs, which stands for Designer Receptors Activated by Designer Drugs.

21 Feb 2023

New method for studying mitochondria using advanced imaging technology

Scientists at Scripps Research have developed an advanced imaging-based approach that provides a unique perspective on mitochondria, which are best known as the “powerhouses” of cells.

17 Feb 2023

New method triggers and analyzes the dynamics of brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s

Scientists are not yet clear on how the tau protein changes from a benign protein essential for normal function in our brains into the toxic neurofibrillary tangles that are a signature of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Feb 2023