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Progenitor cells responsible for generation and maintenance of Merkel cells

Researchers have identified a population of "progenitor" cells in the skin that are solely responsible for the generation and maintenance of touch-sensing Merkel cells. The study appears in The Journal of Cell Biology.

27 Jan 2015

Researchers develop new treatment that extends telomeres

Will extending telomeres lead to longer, healthier lives? Researchers have taken an important step toward answering this question by developing a new treatment used in the laboratory that extends telomeres.

24 Jan 2015

Professor Jonathan Sprent named recipient of AAI Lifetime Achievement Award

The American Association of Immunologists has selected Professor Jonathan Sprent FAA FRS, from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, to be the 2015 recipient of the AAI Lifetime Achievement Award.

23 Jan 2015

ASCB honors UTSA adjunct professor with E. B. Wilson Medal

William Brinkley, adjunct professor of biology in the UTSA College of Sciences, was recently honored with the E. B. Wilson Medal from the American Society for Cell Biology. The medal, the organization's highest honor for far-reaching contributions to cell biology over a lifetime in science, was presented to Brinkley at the 54th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

22 Jan 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers propose novel cancer-fighting strategy

Existing cancer therapies are geared toward massacring tumor cells, but Johns Hopkins researchers propose a different strategy: subtly hardening cancer cells to prevent them from invading new areas of the body. They devised a way of screening compounds for the desired effect and have identified a compound that shows promise in fighting pancreatic cancer.

21 Jan 2015

Researchers explore how M6P deficiency affects different kinds of immune cells

A group of white blood cells known as B cells, which play a key role in the human immune response, need a protein-targeting signal called mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) in order to proliferate, differentiate, and present immune cell-activating antigens, according to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology.

20 Jan 2015

Researchers gain new insight into fragile X syndrome

Scientists have gained new insight into fragile X syndrome -- the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability -- by studying the case of a person without the disorder, but with two of its classic symptoms.

17 Jan 2015

CNIO researchers identify new mechanism that influences differentiation of keratinocytes

The formation of human skin involves a cascade of biochemical signals, which are not well understood. However, they are very important since their failure may cause diseases, such as Atopic Dermatitis and skin cancers, which affect more than 25% of the human population.

16 Jan 2015

Enzymes linked to diabetes, obesity play major roles in arthritis and leukemia

Enzymes linked to diabetes and obesity appear to play key roles in arthritis and leukemia, potentially opening up new avenues for treating these diverse diseases, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

8 Jan 2015

New research sheds light on process that controls genes and determines cell fate

For a skin cell to do its job, it must turn on a completely different set of genes than a liver cell — and keep genes it doesn’t need switched off. One way of turning off large groups of genes at once is to send them to “time-out” at the edge of the nucleus, where they are kept quiet. New research from Johns Hopkins sheds light on how DNA gets sent to the nucleus’ far edge, a process critical to controlling genes and determining cell fate.

7 Jan 2015

UT Southwestern researchers target cells' biological clock to kill cancer cells, shrink tumor growth

Cell biologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have targeted telomeres with a small molecule called 6-thiodG that takes advantage of the cell's 'biological clock' to kill cancer cells and shrink tumor growth.

2 Jan 2015

LIBD announces significant advances in identifying causes of schizophrenia, brain disorders

The Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) announces significant advances in identifying the causes of schizophrenia and related developmental brain disorders and translating these findings into new treatment strategies.

31 Dec 2014

Cancer could be broken down by its evolving defense mechanism

Turning the tables, Katherine Borden at the University of Montreal's Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) has evoked Star Trek's Borg in her fight against the disease.

24 Dec 2014

Endogenous retroviruses play critical role in body's immune defense against bacterial, viral pathogens

Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.

23 Dec 2014

Endogenous retroviruses also play critical role in the body's immune defense against pathogens

Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.

19 Dec 2014

Scientists find new signal pathway that plays vital role in learning, processing of sensory input

Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany have discovered a new signal pathway in the brain that plays an important role in learning and the processing of sensory input. It was already known that distinct glial cells receive information from neurons.

16 Dec 2014

Centenary researchers find potential way to stop spread of tumors

By blocking a widespread enzyme, Centenary researchers have shown they can slow down the movement of cells and potentially stop tumours from spreading and growing.

16 Dec 2014

Researchers assemble first high-resolution, 3-D maps of folded genomes

In a triumph for cell biology, researchers have assembled the first high-resolution, 3-D maps of entire folded genomes and found a structural basis for gene regulation -- a kind of "genomic origami" that allows the same genome to produce different types of cells. The research appears online today in Cell.

14 Dec 2014

Leica Microsystems offers preview of light sheet module for confocal microscope at ASCB annual meeting

At the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in Philadelphia, PA, USA, from December 6 to 10, 2014, Leica Microsystems offers visitors a preview of its latest development: a light sheet module as an optional add-on to the Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope for the observation of developing organisms in real time and 3D. The synergy of light sheet and confocal microscopy opens novel fields of application.

From Leica Microsystems GmbH 5 Dec 2014

Researchers identify biochemical mechanism that could lead to 'chemo brain'

UNC School of Medicine researchers have found for the first time a biochemical mechanism that could be a cause of "chemo brain" - the neurological side effects such as memory loss, confusion, difficulty thinking, and trouble concentrating that many cancer patients experience while on chemotherapy to treat tumors in other parts of the body.

4 Dec 2014