Molecular & Structural Biology

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Study unravels factors involved in risiRNA generation

A team of scientists disclosed the nucleolar RNA interference based on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model organism.

1 Oct 2021

Experts unravel inner workings of cell receptors involved in various diseases

Scientists revealed the operational mechanism of possible drug targets for numerous diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and even COVID-19.

1 Oct 2021

Supercoiling and looping can transmit mechanical stress along the DNA backbone, shows study

When people think of DNA, they visualize a string-like double helix structure. In reality, the DNA double helix in cells is supercoiled and constrained into loops. This supercoiling and looping are known to influence every aspect of DNA activity, but how this happens has not been clear.

28 Sep 2021

Bird poop reveals how birds' gut microbiomes change on migration

The trillions of bacteria living in our guts play a crucial role in our ability to digest food and fight off disease.

28 Sep 2021

New model describes microbial navigation

The interdisciplinary field of active matter physics investigates the principles behind the behavior and self-organization of living organisms. The goal is to reveal general principles that allow to describe and predict the performance of living matter and thereby support the development of novel technologies.

27 Sep 2021

Researchers identify new protein that may critically contribute to severe COVID-19

The University of Kent's School of Biosciences and the Institute of Medical Virology at Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, have identified a protein that may critically contribute to severe forms of COVID-19.

27 Sep 2021

Remnants of organic molecules and chromatin found in nuclei of ancient dinosaur cells

A team of scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and from the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature (STM) has isolated exquisitely preserved cartilage cells in a 125-million-year-old dinosaur from Northeast China that contain nuclei with remnants of organic molecules and chromatin.

27 Sep 2021

Tumor suppressor protein binding to RNA also binds DNA, says study

Scientists from the Medical University of South Carolina earlier displayed how hnRNP E1 attaches to metastatic-linked RNAs to prevent their translation.

27 Sep 2021

Structural parameters of phosphatidylglycerol-DNA complex revealed

An interaction of DNA with lipids is of great interest because of their functions. As fatty acids and lipids can specifically bind to nucleic acids forming a code sequence of the genomic DNA, it is important to study the interaction of the oligonucleotide DNA (dA)20-(dT)20 with phosphatidylglycerol by the molecular dynamics method.

24 Sep 2021

Scientists analyze the molecular machinery of poxviruses at an atomic level

Poxviruses have found a unique way of translating their genes into proteins in the infected organism. A team of researchers from Würzburg shows for the first time how the molecular machinery involved works at an atomic level.

24 Sep 2021

How does the KLF4 transcription factor influence gene expression?

Scientists have led a research group to identify a mechanism using which transcription factor KLF4 can influence gene expression.

24 Sep 2021

Circulating tumor cells found to form clusters that cause breast cancer metastases

A new study reports that circulating tumor cells that exhibit the features of stem cells employ ICAM1 to enable the formation of CTC clusters.

24 Sep 2021

Discovery may offer a promising new path for the study of multiple sclerosis

A surprising discovery may offer a promising new direction in the study of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of hypomyelination – when axons of neurons are not covered sufficiently in fatty sheaths (myelin), which disrupts communication between nerve cells.

23 Sep 2021

Researchers show how 'bad mucin' contributes to worsening pulmonary conditions

Mucus is an essential protective layer of gel-like liquid composed largely of proteins called mucins throughout our airways.

23 Sep 2021

Study explores the benefits of the MIND diet for older adults

Scientists identified that older adults could take advantage of a specific diet named the MIND diet even when the protein deposits are developed.

23 Sep 2021

Novel process for accurate data analysis from NMR spectrometers

Researchers created a process employing machine learning to enhance data examination from a robust scientific tool—nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

23 Sep 2021

Prions may help yeast cope with rapidly changing environmental conditions

Prions are proteins found in the brain and familiar for their role in causing disease.

23 Sep 2021

Researchers reverse Kleefstra syndrome after birth in a mouse model

Scientists announced the reversal of Kleefstra syndrome—a genetic disorder leading to intellectual disability.

23 Sep 2021

Potential biomarkers help diagnose progressive stages of liver disease

Results of national research pinpointed potential biomarkers that could ultimately be employed for the diagnosis of progressive stages of liver disease.

23 Sep 2021

Researchers seek to point a way toward a unified theory for DNA folding

At more than 2 meters long, the human DNA molecule uses intricate folding patterns to fit into cells while locally unfolding to express genes. Such phenomena, however, are difficult to measure in experiments, and theoretical frameworks explaining them continue to be at odds with one another.

22 Sep 2021