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UQ researchers reveal three-dimensional structure of important enzyme

Advanced herbicides and treatments for infection may result from the unravelling of a 50-year-old mystery by University of Queensland researchers.

11 Jul 2020

Research examines the role of perineuronal networks in psychiatric disorders

Juan Nácher, professor at the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Valencia, has conducted research on the role of perineuronal networks in the adult brain and their incidence in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

11 Jul 2020

Study shows how plants operate on a molecular level

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals how plants create the load-bearing structures that let them grow - much like how building crews frame a house.

10 Jul 2020

Structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein provides clues to its evolution

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have characterized the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as well as its most similar relative in a bat coronavirus. The structures provide clues about how the spike evolved and could help inform vaccine design.

9 Jul 2020

Researchers use gene-editing techniques to visualize protein action in multicellular animals

Duke University researchers have made the first time-lapse movies of the sheet-like latticework that surrounds and supports most animal tissues.

9 Jul 2020

Study sheds new light on protein movement

Many of the most promising medicines under development are proteins, often antibodies, to help patients fight disease. These proteins must be purified as part of the manufacturing process - a task that can be tricky and result in costly waste.

8 Jul 2020

Researchers develop bioprinted skin model of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

The cover for issue 27 of Oncotarget features "Bimodal imaging examples of control and treated tumors (red) before and after the treatment period," by Browning, et al. and reported that the authors developed a 3-dimensional bioprinted skin model of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) tumors together with a microscopy assay to test chemotherapeutic effects in tissue.

7 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein hidden as pH changes

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports the role of pH in helping the virus escape neutralization by antibodies, by inducing a key conformational switch.

7 Jul 2020

Real-time tracking of protein filaments in the nuclear pore complex

In human cells, the nucleus is enclosed by a structure called the nuclear pore complex (NPC). It acts as a 'gatekeeper' controlling the transport of molecules between the nucleus and the surrounding cytoplasm (the protein-containing solution in the inside of a cell).

6 Jul 2020

Clemson researcher receives DOD grant to explore cellular underpinnings of developmental disorder

College of Science associate professor and researcher David Feliciano has received a $667,000 grant from the Department of Defense to explore the cellular underpinnings of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a developmental disorder characterized by the growth of benign tumors throughout the body, most notably in the brain.

6 Jul 2020

Study reveals key role of a protein in regulating scar tissue growth after heart attacks

New UCLA research conducted in mice could explain why some people suffer more extensive scarring than others after a heart attack.

6 Jul 2020

Toxic metallic air pollution nanoparticles found inside myocardial mitochondria of city dwellers

Toxic metallic air pollution nanoparticles are getting inside the crucial, energy-producing structures within the hearts of people living in polluted cities, causing cardiac stress - a new study confirms.

3 Jul 2020

Researchers isolate protective antibodies for rare, polio-like disease in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have isolated human monoclonal antibodies that potentially can prevent a rare but devastating polio-like illness in children linked to a respiratory viral infection.

3 Jul 2020

Study provides new insights into the mystery of scent

The premiere of the movie Scent of Mystery in 1960 marked a singular event in the annals of cinema: the first, and last, motion picture debut "in glorious Smell-O-Vision."

2 Jul 2020

New technique could help fight the global threat of antibiotic resistance

A new technique could help reduce antibiotic prescribing by predicting which drugs could be effective in fighting bacteria within minutes.

2 Jul 2020

New study supports a causal relation of SARS-CoV-2 with COVID toes

There's considerable controversy over whether "COVID toes"—red sores or lesions on the feet and hands in children and young adults—are truly caused by COVID-19.

2 Jul 2020

Novel method shows how cell membranes are damaged by 'Parkinson's protein'

In sufferers of Parkinson's disease, clumps of α-synuclein (alpha-synuclein), sometimes known as the 'Parkinson's protein', are found in the brain.

2 Jul 2020

Striking CryoEM image of SARS-CoV-2

A new study by researchers from the UK and Germany and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the results of a detailed study of the S protein on the intact virus, using cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) and tomography. This could help understand the conformation of the S protein on the virion and how it interacts with neutralizing antibodies.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers track brain receptor as it transmits or inhibits neural signals

For the first time, researchers in the lab of CSHL Professor Hiro Furukawa have been able to track each atom in the NMDA receptor, an important brain protein, as it transmits or inhibits neural signals. Critical for brain development and function, the receptor converts chemical messages between cells into electrical signals within a neuron.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers develop computational approaches that dramatically reduce image-analysis time

A picture is worth a thousand words -but only when it's clear what it depicts. And therein lies the rub in making images or videos of microscopic life.

30 Jun 2020