Molecular & Structural Biology

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Review reveals exceptions to the purported rules of sex chromosome evolution theory

For nearly a century, biologists have modeled the evolution of sex chromosomes--the genetic instructions that primarily determine whether an individual will develop into a male or female (or a certain mating type)--resulting in an impressive theoretical framework.

4 Jun 2020

Bacteria that live in soil and on people have widespread antibiotic-destroying genes

The latest generation of tetracyclines - a class of powerful, first-line antibiotics - was designed to thwart the two most common ways bacteria resist such drugs.

3 Jun 2020

Study takes important step forward to understand the chemical origins of life

Researchers have long sought to understand the origins of life on Earth. A new study conducted by scientists at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), and the University of New South Wales, among other participating institutions, marks an important step forward in the effort to understand the chemical origins of life.

3 Jun 2020

UCL scientists discover genes responsible for maintaining healthy hearing

Scientists at UCL have discovered sets of regulatory genes, which are responsible for maintaining healthy hearing. The finding, made in fruit flies, could potentially lead to treatments for age-related hearing loss (ARHL) in humans.

From University College London 3 Jun 2020

Stem cell model sheds new light on neurodegeneration process

A new study published today in Neuron led by The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute's Valentina Fossati, Ph.D., creates astrocytes - an integral support cell in the brain - from stem cells and shows that in disease-like environments, these normally helpful cells can turn into neuron-killers.

2 Jun 2020

Toxic tau may spread in the brain via connected neurons

Toxic versions of the protein tau are believed to cause the death of neurons of the brain in Alzheimer's disease.

1 Jun 2020

Synthetic molecule suppresses drug cravings with fewer side effects

A new synthetic molecule selectively reduces the physiological rewards of cocaine in mice.

1 Jun 2020

Study reveals a new method for efficient production of proteins

Researchers have studied over 30,000 variants of genetic sequences to determine which traits of mRNA can enhance translational efficiency.

1 Jun 2020

Sheep poo could hold the key to developing new antiparasitics

Sheep poo could hold the key to developing the next generation of antiparasitic treatments that could protect Australian livestock and save the industry millions of dollars a year.

29 May 2020

New insights into recombination of sex chromosomes during meiosis

As chromosomes go, X and Y make an unlikely pair. The X is large and contains thousands of genes critical for life.

29 May 2020

Research identifies how neuronal transmission is disrupted in ALS

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, lose muscle control as nerve cells or neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer send signals to muscles.

29 May 2020

Biophysicists shed light on how optogenetic tool works

An international research team has for the first time obtained the structure of the light-sensitive sodium-pumping KR2 protein in its active state.

29 May 2020

Study provides new strategies for treating different types of cancer

An RNA molecule involved in preventing the formation of tumors can modify its structure and thus regulate the production of proteins in the cell.

29 May 2020

Study highlights crucial role of immune-system molecule in Huntington's disease

More than a decade before people with Huntington's disease show symptoms, they can exhibit abnormally high levels of an immune-system molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which has led many researchers to suspect IL-6 of promoting the eventual neurological devastation associated with the genetic condition.

28 May 2020

New study outlines the mechanisms behind cell fusion

Scientists have known for a decade that cells that fuse with others to perform their essential functions - such as muscle cells that join together to make fibers - form long projections that invade the territory of their fusion partners.

28 May 2020

Scientists explain why cold-adapted enzymes stop functioning at room temperature

Enzymes from cold-loving organisms that live at low temperatures, close to the freezing point of water, display highly distinctive properties.

28 May 2020

Damped circadian oscillations observed in the absence of KaiA protein in cyanobacterium

Circadian rhythms are driven by a highly autonomous, self-sustaining circadian clock in our cells, telling us when to sleep or wake up in a 24-hour cycle.

27 May 2020

Using CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors to recombine entire chromosomes

The CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors work like a fine surgical instrument and can be used to modify genetic information in plants.

27 May 2020

Study discovers how protein inhibits tumor development in mice

Proteins are found throughout our cells and regulate a lot of biological processes that are important for our survival.

27 May 2020

New minimally invasive method allows cells to be sampled over time

At any given moment, a variety of dynamic processes occur inside a cell, with many developing over time. Because current research methods for gene profiling or protein analysis destroy the cell, study is confined to just that one moment in time, and researchers are unable to return to the cell to examine how things change beyond that snapshot.

27 May 2020