Actin News and Research

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Fluid Dynamics of Stentors Offers New Insight Into Evolution of Multicellular Life

Life emerged on Earth some 3.8 billion years ago. The "primordial soup theory" proposes that chemicals floating in pools of water, in the presence of sunlight and electrical discharge, spontaneously formed organic molecules.

1 Apr 2025

Unraveling the Evolutionary Link to Eukaryotic Cells

A decade ago, the existence of Asgard archaea was unknown. However, in 2015, researchers analyzing deep-sea sediments uncovered gene fragments that suggested the presence of a new, previously unidentified group of microbes.

24 Mar 2025

Gamma-Actin's Influence on Cell Rigidity and Junctional Proteins

Epithelial cells defend human skin and mucous membranes. Specialized structures known as “junctions” enable this “barrier” tissue to carry out its role. They control interactions between cells and maintain cell cohesion.

21 Mar 2025

Segmented Nerve Cords Enable Precision and Flexibility in Cephalopod Arms

Findings on cephalopod nerve cords highlight segmentation's role in sucker movement control, advancing knowledge of neural architectures in soft-bodied species.

24 Jan 2025

The Critical Role of TRiC in Brain Development and Function

In 1992, Judith Frydman, PhD, discovered a molecular complex with an essential purpose in all of our cells: folding proteins correctly.

29 Nov 2024

New Discovery Shows TAGLN2 Protein Boosts T Cell Immunity Against Tumors by Enhancing Lipid Metabolism

Findings indicate ovarian cancer disrupts CD8+ T cell metabolism through FABP5 and TAGLN2, suggesting new therapeutic targets for enhancing immune function.

1 Nov 2024

F-Actin Accumulation Impairs Brain Function in Aging Fruit Flies

Humans aren't the only ones who grow forgetful as they age -; fruit flies do, too. But because fruit flies have a lifespan of only about two months, they can be a useful model for understanding the cognitive decline that comes with aging.

29 Oct 2024

New Method for Identifying Kinase Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy

The most difficult subtype of breast cancer to treat is triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Over 20,000 cases of TNBC are reported each year in the United States alone.

10 Oct 2024

Engineering Tissue Domains with a Synthetic Biology Approach

Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, demonstrate how morphogens combined with cell adhesion can generate tissue domains with a sharp boundary in an in vitro model system.

9 Oct 2024

Motor And Extracellular Matrix Proteins Play A Critical Role In Cleft Palate Formation

The study reveals 44 differentially expressed proteins in cleft palate models, shedding light on molecular mechanisms and potential prenatal diagnostic markers.

30 Sep 2024

blotRig Tool Transforms Western Blot Design and Statistical Analysis for Reproducibility

Improving reproducibility in Western blot experiments through rigorous design and advanced statistical analysis is crucial for accurate protein quantification.

26 Sep 2024

PKN Inhibition Reduces Cardiac Fibrosis and Improves Heart Function

The number of people suffering from heart failure is rising quickly as society ages. Heart failure progression is linked to fibrosis, or the overgrowth of fibrotic tissue in the heart.

16 Sep 2024

Arctic Actinobacteria Yield Novel Antivirulence Compounds Against E. coli

A novel set of techniques was created by researchers in Finland and Norway to screen unknown substances with bacterial origin for antivirulence activity.

2 Sep 2024

Bifidobacterium in Maternal Gut Found to Alter Fetal Brain Growth

Bifidobacterium breve supplementation in pregnant mice alters fetal brain metabolism, highlighting its role in enhancing gestational health and development.

29 Aug 2024

High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy Reveals Cofilin Binding Patterns in Actin Filaments

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in eLife on deciphering the actin structure-dependent preferential cooperative binding of cofilin.

29 Aug 2024

New Screening Methods Uncover Antivirulence Compounds from Arctic Actinobacteria

Antibiotics are the linchpin of modern medicine: without them, anyone with open wounds or needing to undergo surgery would be at constant risk of dangerous infections.

27 Aug 2024

Astrocytes Emerge as Key Players in Brain Health and Development

Researchers at the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Duke-NUS Medical School have uncovered a novel mechanism for reawakening dormant neural stem cells, which may lead to the development of new treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, cerebral palsy, and learning disabilities.

14 Aug 2024

FAM110A's Dual Role: Orchestrating Microtubule-Actin Interactions in Mitosis

An international research collaboration, led by Prof. Dr. Robert Grosse (Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies and Institute of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg), Dr. Libor Macurek (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) and Dr. Zdenek Lansky (Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) has uncovered a new mechanism of the crosstalk between microtubules and actin cytoskeleton during cell division and revealed unique characteristics of the previously unexplored protein FAM110A.

17 Jul 2024

AI-Driven Atlas Reveals Hidden Proteins in Cellular Condensates

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed an atlas of proteins describing how they behave inside human cells.

11 Jul 2024

Are Advances in AI Technology Transforming Immunohistochemistry Analysis in Pathology?

The platforms and AI-based programs that are being used to analyze immunohistochemical markers and interpret the results.

3 Jul 2024