Molecular & Structural Biology

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“Sugar” Molecule in Cells Plays Crucial Role in Disease Prevention

The body’s inherent production of a sugar-based molecule plays a crucial role in various cellular functions, including growth, differentiation into different cell types, self-destruction if necessary, and more.

29 Nov 2023

Unraveling the Molecular Basis of SIDT1 and SIDT2 in C. elegans

New work thoroughly characterizes the structural features of human SIDT1 and SIDT2, revealing their existence as dimers in vitro and their tendency to form dimers or higher-order oligomers in their natural environment.

23 Nov 2023

New Tool Tracks Mouse Movements and Brain Activity

Mice exhibit constant activity, regardless of external stimuli such as the presence of a nearby cat. Their ongoing actions, which include whisker movement, environmental exploration, and self-grooming, trigger neural responses spanning various brain regions.

21 Nov 2023

Unveiling Epidermal Hemoglobin: A Breakthrough in Skin Research

Scientists have, for the first time, demonstrated the presence of hemoglobin—a protein primarily known for its role in binding with oxygen within red blood cells—in the epidermis, the outermost tissue layer of human skin.

20 Nov 2023

Study Reveals Crucial Protein’s Role in Brain Cell Development

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have pinpointed a crucial protein associated with the formation of a specific type of brain cell implicated in conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

20 Nov 2023

Scientists Discover New Class of Molecular Glue Degraders for Cancer Therapy

Cells contain molecular machinery that targets and disposes of unwanted proteins to maintain homeostasis.

17 Nov 2023

Novel Biosensors Uncover Brain Activity

Researchers have employed novel biosensors to uncover neuropeptide activity in the brain, introducing innovative tools for examining the release, function, and regulation of these vital signaling molecules in vivo.

17 Nov 2023

More Genes Changed By Early Life Stress Than Head Injury

Researchers recently discovered a phenomenon as they delved into the investigation of whether early-life stress exacerbates the impact of a childhood head injury on health and behavior in later years.

16 Nov 2023

Tokyo Metropolitan University Decodes DNA Repair Mechanisms

Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers have uncovered crucial aspects of the DNA repair mechanism within human bodies.

16 Nov 2023

New Drug-Like Molecule Enhances Mitophagy, Protects Against Neurodegeneration

Having healthy mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy in all our cells, usually portends a long healthy life whether in humans or in C. elegans, a tiny, short-lived nematode worm often used to study the aging process.

14 Nov 2023

New Computational Method Predicts the Stability of Pharmaceutical Crystalline Forms

Physical properties (stability, solubility, etc.), critical to the performance of pharmaceutical and functional materials, are known to strongly depend on the solid-state form and environmental factors, such as temperature and relative humidity.

13 Nov 2023

New Synthetic Enzymes can Control Signaling Protein Vital to Embryonic Development

A University of Texas at Dallas bioengineer has developed synthetic enzymes that can control the behavior of the signaling protein Vg1, which plays a key role in the development of muscle, bone and blood in vertebrate embryos.

10 Nov 2023

Novel Bacterial Protein can Prolong Cell Longevity by Acting Directly on Mitochondria

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, partnering with colleagues in Australia, have identified a novel bacterial protein that can keep human cells healthy even when the cells have a heavy bacterial burden.

10 Nov 2023

Role of Inhibitory Interneurons in Memory Expression

Memory, a crucial aspect of human survival, is intricately connected to how humans encode, retrieve, and react to external stimuli.

9 Nov 2023

Distinctive Taste Receptors Between a Moth’s Larval and Adult Stages

New research reveals that the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) employs distinct sugar-sensing mechanisms in its larval and adult stages to fulfill its dietary preferences.

8 Nov 2023

Unearthing Beal’s Time Capsule: The 144-Year-Old Seed Experiment

In April of 2021, a clandestine gathering took place on the Michigan State University campus, where four plant scientists from the university unearthed a bottle filled with seeds that had been buried over 144 years ago by the renowned MSU botanist, William J. Beal.

8 Nov 2023

SPT5 Identified as a Potential Target Protein for Treatment of MYC-Dependent Cancers

MYC proteins play an important role in many types of cancer. A research team at the University of Würzburg has now succeeded in indirectly influencing these proteins - with clear consequences for the tumor.

8 Nov 2023

Unlocking the Secrets of Memory: Key Protein Regulates Hippocampal Plasticity

Mount Sinai researchers have shed valuable light on the mechanism of a key protein that regulates the plasticity and function of the hippocampus, a key brain region involved in memory and learning, and that decreases with age in mice.

3 Nov 2023

Scientists Unlock the Structure of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2

Neurons talk to each other using chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have drawn on structural biology expertise to determine structures of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), a key component of neuronal communication.

2 Nov 2023