Molecular & Structural Biology

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Tau protein in Alzheimer's disease looks different at every dementia stage

Research into Alzheimer's disease has long focused on understanding the role of two key proteins, beta amyloid and the tau protein. Found in tangles in patients' brain tissue, a pathological form of the tau protein contributes to propagating the disease in the brain.

19 Nov 2020

Study identifies molecular mutation more common in African Americans with late-onset Alzheimer’s

Scientists have identified a molecular mechanism that leads to a “traffic jam” of enzymes, resulting in the accumulation of amyloid-beta.

19 Nov 2020

Somatic mutation acts as natural gene therapy in patients with GATA2 deficiency

Researchers affiliated with the Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, have identified for the first time a non-hereditary mutation in blood cells from a patient with GATA2 deficiency, a rare autosomal disease caused by inherited mutations in the gene that encodes GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2).

18 Nov 2020

Study finds that cannabidiol induces the expression of heme oxygenase 1 in skin cells

At present, cannabidiol has found considerable use not just in the world of cosmetics but also in nutrition and pharmaceutics due to its therapeutic potential.

17 Nov 2020

Study detects changes in how diseased neurons sense and use oxygen

Scientists have devised a new method for isolating a kind of brain cell that is related to symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

17 Nov 2020

Clostridium bacteria can help convert waste gas into valuable compounds

Several branches of industry discharge waste gases that contain mostly carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

17 Nov 2020

Discovery of 'Achilles heel' in protein crucial to HIV virulence paves way for new drugs

The discovery of a potential "Achilles heel" in Nef, the protein that is crucial to HIV virulence and its capacity to trigger AIDS, paves the way for the development of a new class of drugs against the virus.

17 Nov 2020

Scientists identify key source of sensory perception

The brain encodes information collected by our senses. However, to perceive our environment and to constructively interact with it, these sensory signals need to be interpreted in the context of our previous experiences and current aims.

17 Nov 2020

Bacterial microbes in the human gut could help diagnose and treat autism spectrum disorder

Every year, 1 out of 54 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and the count has been increasing, reports the Centers for Disease Research.

16 Nov 2020

Interleukin 10 levels could warn about the progression of COVID-19

Immunology experts have collaborated to use their groundbreaking research techniques to put people’s response to COVID-19 disease under the microscope.

16 Nov 2020

Study reveals 3D structure of crucial phage component in atomic resolution

Scientists from Berlin-based FMP are particularly interested in the tube employed by phages to insert their DNA into bacteria.

16 Nov 2020

Study shows sleep apnea may be a risk factor for COVID-19

The question of sleep apnea as the risk factor for COVID-19 arose in a study conducted by the Turku University Hospital and the University of Turku on patients of the first wave of the pandemic.

16 Nov 2020

Ultra-processed foods increase risk of muscle pain

A research team from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona - Spain) has observed that following a diet rich in fats and sugars from ultra-processed foods (such as sweet rolls and pastries) for a six-week period increases the number of inflammatory molecules in the organism, which increases the excitability of the muscle nerves.

16 Nov 2020

Astrocytes regulate inhibitory synapses by binding to neurons

In the orchestra of the brain, the firing of each neuron is controlled by two notes--excitatory and inhibitory-- that come from two distinct forms of a cellular structure called synapses.

16 Nov 2020

Researchers develop new method to produce artificial organelles in living yeast cells

Cells of higher organisms use cell organelles to separate metabolic processes from each other. This is how cell respiration takes place in the mitochondria, the cell’s power plants.

16 Nov 2020

Study demonstrates utility of novel method in fluorescent labeling

Thirty years ago, the cloning of the green fluorescent protein GFP, together with genetic engineering tools, revolutionized the field by enabling researchers to fuse a fluorescent 'beacon' to any protein of interest so that it can be directly observed in living cells using fluorescence microscopy.

16 Nov 2020