Biochemistry News and Research

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MIT researchers decode structure of molecule that gives tissues their elasticity

The stretchiness that allows living tissues to expand, contract, stretch, and bend throughout a lifetime is the result of a protein molecule called tropoelastin. Remarkably, this molecule can be stretched to eight times its length and always returns back to its original size.

26 Jun 2018

Microbiologists and plant scientists pinpoint genetic weakness in cholera pandemic's armor

While cholera rages across many regions of the world, a team of microbiologists and plant scientists has pinpointed a genetic weakness in the pandemic's armor, which could lead to future treatments.

26 Jun 2018

Canadian researchers uncover new molecular mechanism to stop proliferation of cancer cells

Canadian researchers have discovered a new and direct molecular mechanism to stop cancer cells from proliferating. In the prestigious journal Nature Cell Biology, scientists from Université de Montréal show that a disruption of a fine balance in the composition of ribosomes (huge molecules that translate the genetic code into proteins) results in a shutdown of cancer cell proliferation, triggering a process called senescence.

26 Jun 2018

Targeting proteins in semen could prevent sexually transmitted spread of Ebola virus

Protein fragments, called amyloid fibrils, in human semen significantly increase Ebola virus infection and protect the virus against harsh environmental conditions such as heat and dehydration. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report these findings in a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

26 Jun 2018

New discovery suggests potential target for treating cancers and other diseases

When cells grow and divide to ensure a biological function - such as a properly working organ - DNA must be unwound from its typical tightly packed form and copied into RNA to create proteins.

25 Jun 2018

Blocking viral-host interaction slows down flu virus replication, study shows

Influenza A (flu A) hijacks host proteins for viral RNA splicing and blocking these interactions caused replication of the virus to slow, according to new research published in Nature Communications by Kristin W. Lynch, PhD, chair of the department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and doctoral student Matthew Thompson.

25 Jun 2018

Scientists discover secret to success of antiviral gene

It's been known for years that humans and other mammals possess an antiviral gene called RSAD2 that prevents a remarkable range of viruses from multiplying.

25 Jun 2018

Dynamic model helps make predictions about gut microbiome

The human gut is teeming with microbes, each interacting with one another in a mind-boggling network of positive and negative exchanges. Some produce substances that serve as food for other microbes, while others produce toxins - antibiotics - that kill their neighbors.

22 Jun 2018

Chemists find new way to make enzymes do a non-natural reaction

Princeton chemists have found a way to make a naturally occurring enzyme take on a new, artificial role, which has significant implications for modern chemistry, including pharmaceutical production.

22 Jun 2018

Study reveals how mTORC1-driven changes in crowding could influence major diseases

Among the most studied protein machines in history, mTORC1 has long been known to sense whether a cell has enough energy to build the proteins it needs to multiply as part of growth.

22 Jun 2018

Researchers discover new defense mechanism against oxygen radicals

Oxygen radicals occur as a by-product when living beings burn carbohydrates or fat. They are suspected of accelerating the ageing process in humans and animals, and to be partly responsible for severe illnesses such as Alzheimer's or certain types of cancer.

18 Jun 2018

Novel compound as effective as FDA-approved antibiotics for treating deadly infections

Purdue University researchers have identified a new compound that in preliminary testing has shown itself to be as effective as antibiotics approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat life-threatening infections while also appearing to be less susceptible to bacterial resistance.

18 Jun 2018

Scientists discover how cancer-targeting 'Natural Killer' cells are fueled in the body

Scientists have just made an important discovery as to how cancer-targeting 'Natural Killer' cells are fueled in the body, which has significant implications for related therapies.

14 Jun 2018

New studies on fat cell filling, history of biochemistry, and ketogenic diet

There's more than one type of fat cell. Besides the white fat that stores triglycerides in lipid droplets in preparation for lean times later, mammals also have heat-generating brown fat, which acts more like a radiator than a storage closet.

14 Jun 2018

Study unravels how nuclear pore complexes transport mRNAs out of the nucleus

Standing guard between a cell's nucleus and its main chamber, called the cytoplasm, are thousands of behemoth protein structures called nuclear pore complexes, or NPCs.

13 Jun 2018

Novel approach induces cell death via dual targeting of DNA repair mechanism

Proteins commonly known as BRCA - short for BReast CAncer susceptibility gene- serve a critical role in cellular DNA repair, but when mutated they allow genetic errors to replicate, facilitating cancer development.

13 Jun 2018

Research reveals potential new treatment for drug addiction relapse

Research published in Addiction Biology by scientists at the University of Bath reveals a new potential mechanism for combatting drug addiction relapse.

12 Jun 2018

TU Graz researchers manipulate enzymes to build ring-shaped molecular structures

TU Graz researchers managed for the first time ever to 'retrain' an enzyme to build ring-shaped molecular structures instead of performing its natural task of reducing double bonds.

12 Jun 2018

CRISPR-Cas9 technique may raise cancer risk

Therapeutic use of gene editing with the so-called CRISPR-Cas9 technique may inadvertently increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and the University of Helsinki, Finland, published in Nature Medicine.

11 Jun 2018

UCLA researchers have blueprint of telomerase that plays major role in cancer, aging

Cancer, aging-related diseases and other illnesses are closely tied to an important enzyme called "telomerase." UCLA researchers report in the journal Cell the deepest scientific understanding yet of this once-mysterious enzyme, whose catalytic core -- where most of its activity occurs -- can now be seen in near atomic resolution.

7 Jun 2018

Biochemistry News and Research

MIT researchers decode structure of molecule that gives tissues their elasticity

Microbiologists and plant scientists pinpoint genetic weakness in cholera pandemic's armor

Canadian researchers uncover new molecular mechanism to stop proliferation of cancer cells

Targeting proteins in semen could prevent sexually transmitted spread of Ebola virus

New discovery suggests potential target for treating cancers and other diseases

Blocking viral-host interaction slows down flu virus replication, study shows

Scientists discover secret to success of antiviral gene

Dynamic model helps make predictions about gut microbiome

Chemists find new way to make enzymes do a non-natural reaction

Study reveals how mTORC1-driven changes in crowding could influence major diseases

Researchers discover new defense mechanism against oxygen radicals

Novel compound as effective as FDA-approved antibiotics for treating deadly infections

Scientists discover how cancer-targeting 'Natural Killer' cells are fueled in the body

New studies on fat cell filling, history of biochemistry, and ketogenic diet

Study unravels how nuclear pore complexes transport mRNAs out of the nucleus

Novel approach induces cell death via dual targeting of DNA repair mechanism

Research reveals potential new treatment for drug addiction relapse

TU Graz researchers manipulate enzymes to build ring-shaped molecular structures

CRISPR-Cas9 technique may raise cancer risk

UCLA researchers have blueprint of telomerase that plays major role in cancer, aging

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