Molecular & Structural Biology

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Study shows promise for developing novel COVID-19 therapeutics

A protein known as polymerase is used by SARS-CoV-2—the coronavirus that is responsible for causing the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic—to replicate its genome within the infected human cells.

1 Jul 2020

Study can help develop targeted drugs for cancer and other diseases

In the field of molecular biology, chaperones are a group of proteins that help regulate protein folding. Folding is a significant step in protein synthesis.

1 Jul 2020

UTEP researchers discover new target for tuberculosis drug development

Biology students and faculty members from The University of Texas at El Paso have discovered a new target for tuberculosis drug development.

1 Jul 2020

Glitches in DNA replication can lead to genetic diseases

Researchers have discovered that a living cell’s system meant for avoiding genetic damage can fail so much that it would be better off without it.

1 Jul 2020

Princeton researcher solves long-standing mysteries of membrane protein structure

Ion channels and membrane transporters are in the business of moving ions and small molecules across cellular membranes. They are essential for metabolic and cellular homeostasis, and for a host of biological signaling pathways.

30 Jun 2020

Biophysicists propose a simple method to study heart tissue

Biophysicists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and their colleagues have proposed a simple way to observe the heart tissue.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers identify osmotic stress as stimulator of cellular waste disposal

Cellular waste disposal, where autophagy and lysosomes interact, performs elementary functions, such as degrading damaged protein molecules, which impair cellular function, and reintroducing the resulting building blocks such as amino acids into the metabolic system.

29 Jun 2020

Deep-learning-based computational models predict the activities of SpCas9 variants

Specific sequences of DNA are typically cut using CRISPR-Cas9 that has become one of the most effective and convenient biotechnology tools today.

29 Jun 2020

Researchers identify novel protein complex that regulates chromosome segregation

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have identified a novel protein complex that regulates Aurora B localization to ensure that chromosomes are correctly separated during cell division.

26 Jun 2020

Single-cell sequencing can reveal genetic diversity of cancer cells

In the past, the potential to sequence the genome of the tumor has redefined the treatment of cancer by detecting cancer drivers at the molecular level.

26 Jun 2020

Researchers perform room-temperature X-ray measurements on SARS-CoV-2 main protease

A team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Argonne national laboratories has performed the first room-temperature X-ray measurements on the SARS-CoV-2 main protease -- the enzyme that enables the virus to reproduce.

26 Jun 2020

Simplified artificial cell sheds light on the dynamics of cellular symmetry

Symmetry and asymmetry are fundamental properties of nature. Seen from above, butterflies have left-right symmetry, while male fiddler crabs show dramatic asymmetry.

26 Jun 2020

Molecular dynamic simulations may contribute to structure-based drug design

Uppsala University scientists have reported that they have developed a new way to predict how unique molecules that can be employed in novel immunotherapy.

26 Jun 2020

New imaging techniques reveal individual transcription factor proteins in real time

A new study provides a new understanding of the mechanisms through which DNA-binding proteins look for the genome for their particular binding sites.

26 Jun 2020

Short-term exposure to low levels of air pollution can affect gene expression

New data from a landmark study by Monash University researchers raises concerns that even short-term exposure to low level air pollution can affect gene expression, leaving us at risk of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

25 Jun 2020