Biochemistry

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New Technique Unifies Protein Size Measurements to Predict Aggregation Risk

Proteins are necessary for many bodily processes. Numerous physiological functions and activities are carried out by thousands of distinct proteins.

21 Jan 2025

Novel Fluorescent Probes Illuminate Cholesterol Dynamics in Live Cells

The quest to find solutions for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders continues to be one of the most urgent priorities in brain research. According to Maciej J. Stawikowski, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University, the secret might be in comprehending how lipids like cholesterol flow through cells and impact communication.

20 Jan 2025

Oxygen Sensor Protein Offers Solution for Enhancing Nitrogen Fixation in Plants

A small helper for big tasks: an oxygen sensor protein protects the enzymatic machinery of biological nitrogen fixation from serious damage.

17 Jan 2025

Researchers Develop Strategy to Boost Pharmaceutical Production in CHO Cells

An international team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has developed a new strategy to enhance pharmaceutical production in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which are commonly used to manufacture protein-based drugs for treating cancer, autoimmune diseases and much more.

16 Jan 2025

New Study Offers Hope for Safer, More Effective Snakebite Treatment

Last year’s Chemistry Nobel Laureate published a new study in Nature that could revolutionize the way snakebite is treated.

16 Jan 2025

Compound from Sea Sponge Could be Used as a Chemical Probe for Research

Girolline, a compound extracted from the sea sponge Pseudaxinyssa cantharella, has been investigated for possible antitumor effects and also found to have anti-malarial effects.

15 Jan 2025

Tokyo Researchers Develop Antibacterial Surfaces Safe for Cell Culture

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created nanostructured alumina surfaces which are strongly antibacterial but can be used to culture cells.

13 Jan 2025

Fiber Digestion Alters Gene Function with Potential Anti-Cancer Effects

Fiber is well known to be an important part of a healthy diet, yet less than 10% of Americans eat the minimum recommended amount.

10 Jan 2025

Novel Targets for Modulating the Gut Microbiota and Human Health

Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research and the Julius-Maximilians-Universität in Würzburg have discovered a protein and a class of small ribonucleic acids (sRNAs) in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron that control the metabolism of sugar.

10 Jan 2025

New Insights into How Nitrogenase Enzyme Survives Oxygen Exposure

Nitrogen is an essential component in the production of amino acids and nucleic acids - both necessary for cell growth and function.

9 Jan 2025

Researchers Discover Genetic Markers for PFAS-Induced Neurotoxicity

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) earn their "forever chemical" moniker by persisting in water, soil and even the human brain.

7 Jan 2025

Genetic Discovery Offers Potential for Higher Crop Yields and Biofuel Production

A team of scientists with two Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers -; the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, or CABBI, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign -; identified a gene in a poplar tree that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height by about 30% in the field and by as much as 200% in the greenhouse.

6 Jan 2025

New HG-TCs Strategy Enables Efficient Analysis of Glycosylation in Cells

Protein glycosylation is a fundamental biological process that regulates various cellular functions, yet its study has been hampered by the complexity and low abundance of glycoproteins.

27 Dec 2024

New Platform Simplifies Protein-Protein Interaction Measurements

A team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has created a platform, called SIMPL2, that revolutionizes the study of protein-protein interactions by simplifying detection while improving measurement accuracy.

26 Dec 2024

New Synthetic Biology Tool Improves Genetic Circuit Integration and Functionality

The research team led by Professor Jongmin Kim from the Department of Life Sciences at POSTECH, along with graduate students Hyunseop Goh and Seungdo Choi, has successfully developed the 'Synthetic Translational Coupling Element (SynTCE),' significantly enhancing the precision and integration density of genetic circuits in synthetic biology.

23 Dec 2024

A Novel Method for Synthesizing Piperidines for Modern Medicine

A team of chemists from Scripps Research and Rice University has unveiled a novel method to simplify the synthesis of piperidines, a key structural component in many pharmaceuticals. The study, published in Science, combines biocatalytic carbon-hydrogen oxidation and radical cross-coupling, offering a streamlined and cost-effective approach to create complex, three-dimensional molecules.

19 Dec 2024

Silver-Containing Showerheads Fail to Reduce Pathogens in Real-World Conditions

To guard against harmful waterborne pathogens, many consumers, including managers of health-care facilities, install antimicrobial silver-containing showerheads.

19 Dec 2024

Yeast Proteins Found to Offer Powerful Emulsifying Action

Mention emulsifiers and many people might be unaware what they are used for, but they are present in many daily products, from food to cosmetics.

18 Dec 2024

Recycling Human and Livestock Waste Reduces Fertilizer Dependency

Recycling all the human and livestock feces and urine on the planet would contribute substantially to meeting the nutrient supply for all crops worldwide, thereby reducing the need to mine fertilizers such as phosphorus and dramatically reducing the dependency on fossil fuels, according to a global analysis of nutrient recycling published in Nature Sustainability.

12 Dec 2024

"Conan the Bacterium" Yields Key Insights for Protecting Against Radiation Damage

Dubbed "Conan the Bacterium" for its extraordinary ability to tolerate the harshest of conditions, Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human -; and every other organism for that matter.

10 Dec 2024