Molecular & Structural Biology

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Researchers Uncover Role of OpgH in Bacterial Cell Shape

In what they labeled a "surprising" finding, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers studying bacteria from freshwater lakes and soil say they have determined a protein's essential role in maintaining the germ's shape. Because the integrity of a bacterial cell's "envelope" or enclosure is key to its survival, the finding could advance the search for new and better antibiotics.

16 Aug 2024

New Insights into Memory Formation and Modification

The ability to turn experiences into memories allows us to learn from the past and use what we learned as a model to respond appropriately to new situations. For this reason, as the world around us changes, this memory model cannot simply be a fixed archive of the good old days.

16 Aug 2024

Spontaneous Brain Activity Drives Early Neural Circuit Formation

In humans, the process of learning is driven by different groups of cells in the brain firing together. For instance, when the neurons associated with the process of recognizing a dog begin to fire in a coordinated manner in response to the cells that encode the features of a dog -; four legs, fur, a tail, etc. -; a young child will eventually be able to identify dogs going forward. But brain wiring begins before humans are born, before they have experiences or senses like sight to guide this cellular circuitry. How does that happen?

16 Aug 2024

Brain's Co-Rippling Activity Sheds Light on Consciousness

For many years, researchers have been concentrating on how the brain organizes information into hierarchical structures, with distinct regions of the brain designated for distinct functions.

13 Aug 2024

Novel Technique to Study Ubiquitination

Once human proteins are synthesized, they go through some chemical changes. These adjustments control their stability, functionality, and structure.

13 Aug 2024

New AI Model Predicts Protein-DNA Binding Specificity with High Accuracy

A new artificial intelligence model developed by USC researchers and published in Nature Methods can predict how different proteins may bind to DNA with accuracy across different types of protein, a technological advance that promises to reduce the time required to develop new drugs and other medical treatments.

12 Aug 2024

Scientists Develop AI-Powered Tool to Optimize Gene Delivery

Gene therapy could potentially cure genetic diseases but it remains a challenge to package and deliver new genes to specific cells safely and effectively. Existing methods of engineering one of the most commonly used gene-delivery vehicles, adeno-associated viruses (AAV), are often slow and inefficient.

9 Aug 2024

New Findings Shed Light on ATM Activation in DNA Repair

New research from a team of genome scientists and DNA damage response experts breaks new ground in understanding the function of a protein currently limited in clinical trials for cancer treatments.

9 Aug 2024

UCL Scientists Uncover New Role of Ribosomes in Protein Folding

Scientists at UCL have discovered a novel role played by ribosomes during the folding of new proteins in cells, described in their paper in Nature.

8 Aug 2024

Detailed Analysis of Cucumber Centromeres Uncovers Key DNA Sequences and Retrotransposons

Centromeres are crucial for chromosome segregation during cell division and consist of repetitive DNA sequences.

8 Aug 2024

Mini-Gut Model Unlocks Secrets of COVID-19 Diarrhea

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine claim to have identified multiple molecular pathways linked to diarrhea caused by COVID-19, offering possible therapeutic interventions utilizing human stem cells to create a sort of “mini intestine-in-a-dish.

7 Aug 2024

The Importance of Antioxidant Therapy in Preventing Parkinson's Disease

The neurodegenerative condition known as Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of neurons that generate dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for both motor control and cognitive function.

6 Aug 2024

Unveiling the Roots of Deadly Infant Leukemia

Researchers at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute have identified the genetic foundation for newborn B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (B-ALL) glucocorticoid resistance through MLL gene rearrangements.

6 Aug 2024

Breakthrough in Understanding Brain's Master Protein

Proteins engage in intricate molecular movements to fulfill their biological roles. The NMDAR protein, crucial for brain function, performs a particularly complex dance.

1 Aug 2024

Revealing the Spatial Dynamics of Sebum Production

Changes in gene expression in sebaceous glands have been spatially mapped for the first time in a collaborative project between Leipzig University's Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics (IZBI) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

1 Aug 2024

Study Challenges Current Understanding of Parkinson's and Lewy Body Disease Onset

Early detection of Alzheimer's disease-related changes in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies could be made possible by monitoring the amyloid-β (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) proteins.

1 Aug 2024

Researchers Uncover Unique Protective Mechanism in Pancreatic Cells

Researchers from the University of Cologne have revealed a mechanism protecting pancreatic β-cells, which are crucial for insulin production from inflammatory cell death. The study investigated the role of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) in regulating β-cell survival.

1 Aug 2024

Cryo-EM Reveals Structural Differences in Fetal and Adult Muscle Receptors

The connections between the nervous system and muscles develop differently across the kingdom of life. It takes newborn humans roughly a year to develop the proper muscular systems that support the ability to walk, while cows can walk mere minutes after birth and run not long after.

1 Aug 2024

New Model Reveals Underlying Similarity in Mammalian Brain Shapes

A novel method for characterizing the cerebral cortex's shape has been devised by researchers, who also present evidence that cortices in all mammalian species share a common, fractal design.

31 Jul 2024