Fluorescent Protein News and Research

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Breast cancer cells in mice coaxed to turn into harmless fat cells

As cancer cells respond to cues in their microenvironment, they can enter a highly plastic state in which they are susceptible to transdifferentiation into a different type of cell.

16 Jan 2019

Study: Reactivation of HIV-infected cells depends on its size and cell cycle

Thanks to the development of antiretroviral drugs, human immunodeficiency virus is considered a manageable chronic disease today.

27 Dec 2018

Mapping fiber layers of mammalian cerebral cortex reveals clues to their evolution

The cerebrum plays the most important roles in the higher functions of the brain. In particular, the cerebral cortex, among other parts of the cerebrum, is essential.

20 Dec 2018

Montana State doctoral student receives grant for her work to improve neuroscience tool

A Montana State University doctoral student who is working on a way to improve a neuroscience tool that uses fluorescent proteins found in some jellyfish and coral has received a grant that will help fund her work.

17 Dec 2018

New method to visualize small-molecule interactions inside cells

Like people in a large company, proteins in cells constantly interact with each other to perform various jobs. To develop new disease therapies, researchers are trying to control these interactions with small-molecule drugs that cause specific proteins to associate more or less with their "coworkers."

13 Dec 2018

New mouse model shows potential for rapid identification of promising muscular dystrophy therapies

A Massachusetts General Hospital research team has created a new mouse model of a common form of muscular dystrophy with the potential of rapidly distinguishing promising therapeutic drugs from those unlikely to be successful.

13 Dec 2018

Discovery about DNA twists could be crucial in development of new antibiotics

DNA replication is vital to all lifeforms, but in some organisms, it can be prevented by twists in the DNA sequence, called 'supercoils'. If too many supercoils are allowed to build up, cells vital to sustaining life will die.

28 Nov 2018

Scientists discover important hallmark of aging in neuronal cells

MIT researchers have discovered that free radicals cause a build-up of short RNA snippets which could contribute to neuronal ageing and cognitive decline.

27 Nov 2018

New technology based on moths and magnets could help treat genetic diseases

A new technology that relies on a moth-infecting virus and nanomagnets could be used to edit defective genes that give rise to diseases like sickle cell, muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.

14 Nov 2018

New study upends conventional theories about fluid nature of cell membranes

If you want to understand how the cell membrane works, Adam Cohen says, look no further than your kitchen. Cohen, a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics, is the lead author of a new study that upends the conventional theories about the fluid nature of cell membranes and how they react to tension.

2 Nov 2018

Neurons in the brain's primary visual cortex can reliably detect straight lines

Single neurons in the brain's primary visual cortex can reliably detect straight lines, even though the cellular makeup of the neurons is constantly changing, according to a new study by Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientists, led by Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Sandra Kuhlman.

24 Oct 2018

Researchers create photoswitchable fluorescent proteins with optical properties

Researchers developed fluorescent proteins that can be controlled by orange and green light. These proteins will help to study processes in living cells. The work was supported by Russian Science Foundation grant, and the results were published in Nature Methods.

28 Sep 2018

New tool provides improved in vivo imaging of atherosclerotic plaque development

Atherosclerosis, involving the buildup of plaque in the arteries and an associated reduction in the flow of blood, is a major feature of cardiovascular diseases.

28 Sep 2018

New research suggests power of zebrafish as tool for cancer drug discovery

The lab of Leonard Zon, MD, at Boston Children's Hospital has long been interested in making blood stem cells in quantity for therapeutic purposes.

24 Sep 2018

Researchers describe mechanism that sets stage for fate decision of T cells

After a pathogen infects the body, the immune system responds with a remarkable -- and remarkably complicated -- cascade of events.

14 Sep 2018

Exeter’s new system can probe microscopic environments inside cells

A new system capable of probing microscopic environments inside cells has been installed at the University of Exeter's Bioimaging Centre.

7 Sep 2018

Fluorescent protein sensor detects changes in cellular oxygen levels with very high sensitivity

Based on a protein from E. coli, scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a fluorescent protein sensor able to provide real-time information on dynamic changes in oxygen levels with very high sensitivity.

30 Aug 2018

Small black box could change the way scientists search for new antibiotics

A small, black box developed in a McMaster University lab could change the way scientists search for new antibiotics.

30 Aug 2018

Drug used to treat amoebic dysentery may block journey of rabies virus in nerves

To successfully infect its host, the rabies virus must move from the nerve ending to the nerve cell body where it can replicate.

24 Aug 2018

Finding ways to improve cell replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects dopamine signaling neurons in patients' brains. Cell-replacement therapy shows some promise as a treatment for Parkinson's. A recent paper in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics reports a technical advance in selecting cells to use in this therapy.

24 Aug 2018