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Overactivation of neuroimmune gene leads to schizophrenia-like changes in mice

Excessive activity of an immune system gene previously linked to schizophrenia reproduces neural and behavioral aspects of the disease in mice, according to a new study publishing on January 14 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Ashley Comer and Alberto Cruz-Martín of Boston University and colleagues.

14 Jan 2020

Researchers develop 'flash and freeze' method for studying nerve connections

Uniting structure and function of synapses is challenging: Function is studied in living tissue, measuring electrical signals at millisecond precision with electrophysiology, while the observation of fine structure at nanometer scale requires tissue to be fixed for electron microscopy.

9 Jan 2020

Research reveals cardiac thin filament structure and function

Researchers at Osaka University used electron cryomicroscopy to image essential cardiac muscle components, known as thin filaments, with unprecedented resolution.

9 Jan 2020

Single-particle method helps determine isoelectric point of viruses

Viruses are not easy to characterize. But we need to because being able to quickly predict the surface charge of viruses opens up new possibilities for vaccine purification and making gene therapy treatments for eye diseases and muscular dystrophy.

8 Jan 2020

New approach using deep learning could speed up brain image microscopy by 16 times

Textbook descriptions of brain cells make neurons look simple: a long spine-like central axon with branching dendrites.

8 Jan 2020

Scientists uncover new types of brain activity that may be key to human intelligence

A team of scientists has revealed evidence that human brains may be even more powerful than we anticipated.

7 Jan 2020

Researchers reveal how antibodies assemble to form a circle for defensive attack

Antibodies are key players in our immune system. These antibodies recognize antigens displayed on foreign cell membranes and thereby recruit attacking forces, called complements.

6 Jan 2020

Structure of most lethal toxin produced by C. difficile bacteria identified

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and their colleagues have identified the structure of the most lethal toxin produced by certain strains of Clostridium difficile bacteria, a potentially deadly infection associated with the use of antibiotics. The

2 Jan 2020

Study reveals key insight into the development of hair bundles

New research reveals a key insight into the development of hair bundles, the intricately complex assemblies in the inner ear responsible for hearing.

2 Jan 2020

Bile acids help norovirus to infect cells of the small intestine

A new study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that human noroviruses, the leading viral cause of foodborne illness and acute diarrhea around the world, infect cells of the small intestine by piggybacking on a normal cellular process called endocytosis that cells use to acquire materials from their environment.

31 Dec 2019

New 'fishing' technique to detect thousands of proteins

A new study published today in the journal Nature Cell Biology reports the use of a novel fishing method, under microscopy, to pick up thousands of proteins that are involved in supervising how the cell skeleton is assembled.

23 Dec 2019

New technique provides real-time images of biomolecules in living cells

Metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity are ever more common globally. In addition to genetic disposition, lifestyle contributes strongly to the prevalence of these metabolic diseases.

23 Dec 2019

Research shows how the hepatitis D virus copies itself

A team of researchers has discovered how one crucial step occurs in the lifecycle of the hepatitis D virus (HDV), which causes the widespread and hard to treat liver inflammation called hepatitis D. The study, which was published recently in the Journal of Virology, could help develop antiviral therapy to control this disease.

22 Dec 2019

Discovery of molecular origins of a heart beat

Researchers have found that molecular origins of a heart beat. They have found the proteins that make up tiny sodium channels in the tissues of the heart that can help generate the heart beats. The results of the study titled, “Structure of the Cardiac Sodium Channel” was published yesterday 19th of December 2019 in the journal Cell.

22 Dec 2019

Atomic-level structure of cardiac sodium channel

Atomic-level studies of the architecture of tiny sodium channel proteins, critical to generating electrical signals that start off each beat of the heart, are imparting striking details about their function, malfunctions, disruption by many disease mutations, and response to medication.

20 Dec 2019

First images of new gene editing complex which could upgrade CRISPR

Nobel Prize-winning technique used to capture images of a new gene-editing tool that could improve CRISPR-based tools.

19 Dec 2019

Observing 3D Microscopic Images using Virtual Reality

Dr. Christopher Zugates discusses a revolutionary way of analyzing complex 3D images in protein biology… through virtual reality!

From arivis AG 19 Dec 2019

A fast, sensitive technique to detect cancer markers brings liquid biopsy closer to clinic

A fast, inexpensive yet sensitive technique to detect cancer markers is bringing researchers closer to a "liquid biopsy" - a test using a small sample of blood or serum to detect cancer, rather than the invasive tissue sampling routinely used for diagnosis.

18 Dec 2019

Scientists use blue mushroom dye to develop fluorescent tool for detecting reactive oxygen species

A new fluorescent tool for detecting reactive oxygen species based on a chemical found in mushrooms has been developed by scientists at the University of Bath.

17 Dec 2019

Using bacterial nano-syringes as drug transporters in medicine

Pathogens can use a range of toxins to damage their host organism. Bacteria, such as those responsible for causing the deadly Plague, use a special injection mechanism to deliver their poisonous contents into the host cell.

17 Dec 2019