Cell Biology News and Research

Latest Cell Biology News and Research

Study explains why cancers stop responding to kinase inhibitors and come back stronger

More than 70 FDA-approved cancer drugs are kinase inhibitors, which work by blocking kinases-;enzymes that add phosphate groups to molecules in the cell-;and preventing the chemical activity necessary for signaling and growth in cancer cells.

14 Feb 2023

Researchers discover target enzyme for blast disease

A fungus that plagues rice crops worldwide gains entry to plant cells in a way that leaves it vulnerable to simple chemical blockers, a discovery that could lead to new fungicides to reduce the substantial annual losses of rice and other valuable cereals.

14 Feb 2023

Research provides insight into the regulation of heartbeats

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have mapped gene control elements in specialized cardiac cells responsible for coordinating heartbeats. The findings of the genome exploration study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, provide insight into how heartbeats are regulated and could impact diagnosis and risk prediction for a variety of common arrhythmias.

14 Feb 2023

Novel analytical platform quantitatively characterizes mRNA vaccines

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University and RIKEN CSRS have developed a new analytical platform based on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and software analysis that quantifies the structure of messenger RNA (mRNA) based medicines.

14 Feb 2023

Study reveals the mechanisms that prevent effective cancer cell death

Cancer is a disease driven by gene mutations. These mutated genes in cancer fall into two major categories: tumor suppressors and oncogenes. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes can allow tumors to grow unchecked – a case of no brakes – while mutations in oncogenes can activate cell proliferation, pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

14 Feb 2023

New software helps identify genes that play vital roles in the development

Computer software developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis can predict what happens to complex gene networks when individual genes are missing or dialed up more than usual.

14 Feb 2023

Review highlights the pathological significance of CEACAM1, 5, and 6

A new review was published in Genes & Cancer on February 1, 2023, entitled, "CEACAMS 1, 5, and 6 in disease and cancer: interactions with pathogens."

14 Feb 2023

Extracts from two common wild plants block SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells

Two common wild plants contain extracts that inhibit the ability of the virus that causes COVID-19 to infect living cells, an Emory University study finds.

13 Feb 2023

Engineering a phage's DNA by introducing modified CRISPR-Cas machinery genes

Bacteriophages (or phages) are viruses that infect bacteria. They are the most abundant biological entity, and they can be found wherever bacteria live. To propagate themselves, phages inject their DNA into their bacterial hosts.

13 Feb 2023

Two-step screening of aroma compounds reveals a novel and effective modulator of dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are important players of the immune system with important functions such as the identification of infectious pathogens, production of cytokines (chemical signalers of the immune system), presentation of antigens to activate T-cells, and more.

13 Feb 2023

A treatment strategy to hasten cancer cell death

Gene mutations are the cause of cancer. Tumor suppressors and oncogenes are the two main groups of these altered genes in cancer. Mutations in oncogenes can drive cell proliferation, pushing the gas pedal to the floor, whereas mutations in tumor suppressor genes can cause tumors to grow unchecked—a situation in which there is no control.

13 Feb 2023

Tissue inflammation altered by “natural killer” immune cells

The discovery of a previously unknown role of “natural killer” (NK) immune cells by Melbourne researchers has increased the current understanding of how the immune system is controlled to prevent disease.

13 Feb 2023

Identifying the molecular switch that regulates autophagy in plants

Autophagy, commonly known as “self-eating,” is a cellular quality control mechanism that relieves the cell of protein aggregates and damaged organelles. This system is inert under ordinary conditions and is only activated in the presence of persistent cellular stress.

13 Feb 2023

Rare disease involving speech and motor coordination difficulties identified

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health recently identified a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech. Their observations were published in the journal npj Genomic Medicine.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 13 Feb 2023

Fiber optical nanomechanical probe can measure in vivo biomechanical properties of tissue, single cell

Fiber sensing scientists at Shenzhen University have developed a compact fiber optical nanomechanical probe (FONP) for measuring in vivo biomechanical properties of tissue and even single cell.

13 Feb 2023

Pancreatic islet microexons play key role in islet function and glucose homeostasis

When cells copy DNA to produce RNA transcripts, they include only some chunks of genetic material known as exons and throw out the rest.

10 Feb 2023

Genetic variants that increase the risk of ADHD identified

Why are some people diagnosed with ADHD while others are not? And when is the seed of ADHD sown, in life or the womb?

10 Feb 2023

Importance of epigenetic regulation in the recovery of T cells

In stem cell transplants for leukemia treatment, the patient’s hematopoietic system is removed and replaced with hematopoietic cells from donors.

10 Feb 2023

Specific types of gut fungi play a role in infant weight gain and growth

Researchers in the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) at the University of Calgary in collaboration with the Canadian CHILD Study have found a link between the diversity, or number, of fungal species in the infant gut and the body-mass index (BMI) of infants.

10 Feb 2023

A protein in the lung forms a natural protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2 infection

University of Sydney scientists have discovered a protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body.

10 Feb 2023