Structural Biology News and Research

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CZI Launches Grand Challenge for Revolutionary Imaging Technologies

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) announced a new grand challenge to develop groundbreaking imaging technologies to transform how scientists observe, measure and understand living cells and organisms.

27 Mar 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

First-Ever Molecular Movie Shows DNA Unzipping Mechanism in Action

Scientists at the University of Leicester have captured the first detailed "molecular movie" showing DNA being unzipped at the atomic level – revealing how cells begin the crucial process of copying their genetic material.

22 Mar 2025

Spotiphy Revolutionizes Spatial Transcriptomics with AI for Single-Cell Resolution

Spatial transcriptomics is a cutting-edge technique that characterizes gene expression within sections of tissue, such as heart, skin or liver tissue.

14 Mar 2025

Generative AI Enhances Spatial Gene Expression Analysis in Tissue Samples

Spatial transcriptomics is an advanced technique that analyzes gene expression within tissue sections, such as those from the heart, skin, or liver. These analyses offer valuable insights into how spatial organization influences cellular functions across various biological contexts and diseases.

13 Mar 2025

Advanced Algorithm Predicts Structures of Disordered Proteins

The intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) do not attain a stable secondary or tertiary structure and rapidly change their conformation, making structure prediction particularly challenging.

8 Mar 2025

Cryo-ET Reveals Retrotransposon Replication Inside Cells

An arms race is occurring within human cells: Transposons, also known as jumping genes or mobile genetic elements, can replicate and reintegrate themselves into the genome, posing a threat to genomic integrity by inducing DNA rearrangements and mutations.

6 Mar 2025

Danforth Center Scientists Innovate Cryopreservation for Plant Tissue Imaging

Danforth Center scientists Tessa Burch-Smith, PhD, and Kirk Czymmek, PhD, in collaboration with researchers at the CryoEM Facility at Stanford University, are embarking on a pioneering initiative to develop new cryopreservation and nanoscale imaging procedures for volume electron microscopy (vEM) of plant tissues.

26 Feb 2025

New AI Pipeline Revolutionizes Molecular Target Identification

When researchers create new molecules whether for agricultural applications, species management, or life-saving medications it is essential to identify their specific targets.

17 Feb 2025

Cryo-EM Uncovers Hidden Complexity in Collagen Structure

The most prevalent protein in the body, collagen, has long been thought to be a predictable structural element of tissues.

10 Feb 2025

New Numbering System Advances Adhesion GPCR Research

Adhesion GPCRs are a group of cell-surface sensors associated with many body functions and diseases. However, they are not yet sufficiently understood to be exploited for therapies.

29 Jan 2025

Stress Pathway in Microglia Found to Contribute to Alzheimer's Neurodegeneration

Researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have unveiled a critical mechanism that links cellular stress in the brain to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

26 Dec 2024

New Insights into Photosystem II Megacomplex Assembly in Plants

In higher plants and green algae, Photosystem II (PSII) usually combines with Light Harvesting Complex II (LHCII) to form the PSII-LHCII supercomplex.

18 Dec 2024

Researchers Map Influenza Virus RNA Protective Coat at Atomic Level

To fight the virus that causes influenza, one of the avenues being explored by scientists is the development of drugs capable of destabilizing its genome, made up of eight RNA molecules.

17 Dec 2024

Unveiling the Molecular Mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas10's Cellular Shutdown

CRISPR-Cas9 can elegantly and precisely cut away any desired region of DNA and has long been compared to a type of genetic scissors.

29 Oct 2024

Cryo-EM Technology Paves the Way for Major Biological Discovery

Ben Orlando's research talk at MSU's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2019 laid the groundwork for a team effort that had been developing for decades.

25 Oct 2024

Structural Insights into Bacteriophages Open Doors for New Therapeutics

The viruses that infect bacteria are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. For example, a recent simple study of 92 showerheads and 36 toothbrushes from American bathrooms found more than 600 types of bacterial viruses, commonly called bacteriophages or phages.

23 Oct 2024

Structural Discovery of Fanzor Proteins Offers New Directions in Genome Engineering

A revolution in biomedicine is currently underway, driven by the application of genome engineering tools such as the prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas9.

3 Oct 2024

Breakthrough Discovery on How TGF-Beta Communicates in Cells

Scientists discover how TGF-Beta, a crucial protein in development and cancer, sends its message even while tethered to the cell membrane.

17 Sep 2024

New Insights into How Mutant p53 Promotes Tumor Growth

Research from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the National Institute of Science and Technology for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (INBEB) in Brazil has uncovered a critical mechanism by which mutations in the p53 protein-;a key tumor suppressor known as the "guardian of the genome"-;turn other proteins into cancer-promoting agents

17 Sep 2024