Molecular & Structural Biology

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Researchers Aim to Illuminate Biological Dark Matter with DNA Barcoding

The Earth is an almost unimaginably diverse planet in terms of species. Researchers have identified between two and three million species, but there are many more that we know nothing about.

18 Oct 2024

Researchers Unravel Plant-to-Fungi Communication Using Baker's Yeast

Researchers at the University of Toronto have cracked the code of plant-to-fungi communication in a new study published in the journal Molecular Cell.

18 Oct 2024

MANF Protein Found to Boost Cellular Clean-Up and Efficiency

Researchers at McMaster University have uncovered a previously unrecognized function of a protein that helps protect cells, potentially leading to new treatments for age-related conditions and promoting healthier aging.

18 Oct 2024

Yeast's Survival Strategy Provides Clues for Targeting Cancer Cells

The discovery of a surprising way yeast used to brew beer can survive starvation could open the door to new treatments for cancer.

17 Oct 2024

Fly Hormone Discovery Sheds Light on Lifespan Regulation and Aging

Researchers at Brown University have found that a neuropeptide hormone produced in the gut of flies influences their lifespan.

17 Oct 2024

Unveiling the Potential of YY1 in Blood Cell Development and Therapy

Common lymphoid progenitors, pre-pro-B cells, pro-B cells, pre-B cells, immature B cells, and finally more mature and specialized B cells are the stages in which B cells, white blood cells that produce antibodies, develop.

17 Oct 2024

Peptide Inhibitor Could Revolutionize mRNA-Based Therapies

The new hope in the fight against diseases that cannot be cured is mRNA-based vaccinations and treatments.

17 Oct 2024

Scientists Identify Drug-Binding Site on FOXA1

Forkhead box protein 1 (FOXA1) is a difficult-to-target protein that is frequently involved in hormone-driven malignancies, such as those of the breast and prostate.

16 Oct 2024

High Potency Cannabis Leaves Unique DNA Signature, Study Shows

Published in Molecular Psychiatry, this is the first study to suggest that the use of high potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA, providing valuable insights into the biological impact of cannabis use.

16 Oct 2024

Mutant Neurons Show Accelerated Development in Mouse Brain

The mechanisms behind intellectual disabilities and autism remain largely unknown. However, researchers from the labs of Prof. Pierre Vanderhaeghen and Prof. Vincent Bonin at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research and NERF have identified that mutations in the SYNGAP1 gene interfere with the extended development of human neurons, a process believed to be critical for normal cognitive function.

15 Oct 2024

Placental Protein Levels Offer Insights into Early-Onset Preeclampsia

A potentially fatal pregnancy complication, preeclampsia is characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure, which is exacerbated when it develops early in the first trimester.

15 Oct 2024

Advanced Model Predicts Nucleosome Positions with High Precision

DNA-;the molecule that carries the genetic information of all living organisms-;is packaged within cells in a complex manner that allows it to function efficiently.

15 Oct 2024

Scientists Identify Key Role of Proteasome in Cell Death

Programmed cell death protects the body against cancer and other diseases. A team of researchers led by Professor Alexander Bartelt from the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK) has decoded a new mechanism by which oxidative stress influences cell death.

15 Oct 2024

New Mouse Model Shows Superior Ability to Study Human Immune Response to Cancer

Immunity plays a central role in the fight against cancer. Many of the current immunotherapies aim at helping the patient's immune system to better recognize cancer cells – by using engineered antibodies – or by simply providing it with new cells, pre-equipped to search and destroy cancer. Either way, what is paramount is a deep understanding of how the immune system works and confronts tumors.

15 Oct 2024

Disrupting a Gene Boosts T Cell Therapy, St. Jude Study Shows

Immunotherapy, using a patient's own immune system to treat disease, has shown promise in some patients with cancer but has not worked in most.

15 Oct 2024

Unveiling a New Cellular Phase for Protein Compartmentalization

Classical mixture theory, which takes into account the percentage corresponding to each constituent as well as the interactions among constituents, can be used to model a system made up of two substances in physics.

14 Oct 2024

A New Technique Reveals the Behavior of OPCs in the Brain

Imagine yourself sometime in the far future aboard a routine rocket to Mars. Someone just spilled their drink. Without gravity, it collects in floating blobs that ripple right before your eyes. Now freeze.

14 Oct 2024

New Research Reveals Link Between Stress Response and C. difficile Severity

The portion of our nervous systems responsible for the "fight or flight" response can shape the severity of potentially deadly C. difficile infections, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals.

14 Oct 2024

New Research Examines the Role of Skeletal Stem Cells in Bone Growth and Regeneration

Researchers at UTHealth Houston have been awarded an $8.1 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine skeletal stem cells as potential drivers of craniofacial bone diseases and deformities. The study is led by Noriaki Ono, DDS, PhD, associate professor of orthodontics, and diagnostic and biomedical sciences at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry.

14 Oct 2024

Cell Division Variability Promotes Healthy Embryo Development

There is variability in when and how cells divide during the development of embryos. While researchers traditionally believed this variability was an obstacle that needed to be regulated, the Hiiragi group now found that it actually promotes healthy development.

14 Oct 2024