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Embryonic stem cell gene Nanog holds potential for reversing effects of aging

The fountain of youth may reside in an embryonic stem cell gene named Nanog.

26 Jul 2016

Researchers discover new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified a new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease. In experiments using fruit flies, blocking the pathway reduced the death of brain cells, suggesting that interfering with the pathway could represent a promising new strategy to treat the disease in human patients.

13 Jul 2016

Researchers study how skin stem cells respond to forces

All cells share the same genetic code, no matter if they are skin or brain cells. However, these cells are exposed to very different types of mechanical environments and mechanical stresses.

13 Jul 2016

Researchers aim to explore impact of gender and aging on CapZ levels in the heart

Why do women have lower rates of heart failure than men for most of their lives? University of Guelph researchers have uncovered a possible clue - an actin binding protein called "CapZ" that also protects against heart attacks.

7 Jul 2016

Lack of Alix protein leads to occurrence of hydrocephalus in the brain

A team led by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital report that mice lacking the protein Alix develop hydrocephalus or "water on the brain." Alix ensures that epithelial cells of the choroid plexus are oriented correctly with respect to one another to prevent compromise of the epithelial barrier.

23 Jun 2016

Researchers identify new myosin kinase that could optimize heart contractions

The heart is the only muscle that contracts and relaxes continuously over a lifetime to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body's organs. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center now have identified a previously unrecognized enzyme that could optimize contraction and lead to new strategies to treat heart failure.

21 Jun 2016

Motor protein Myo1c uses actin cytoskeleton as 'track' for Neph1 transport

The motor protein Myo1c binds to Neph1, a protein crucial for ensuring effective filtration by the kidney, and serves as one mode of its cellular transport, according to findings by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina and their collaborators reported in the May 16, 2016 issue of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

17 May 2016

General anesthesia affects heart muscle proteins and causes depressed heart function, study shows

Anesthesia is used every day, but surprisingly little is known about one of its most dangerous side effects--depressed heart function.

13 May 2016

Study shows over-expression of adhesion molecules in fat tissues protects mice from obesity, diabetes

Okayama University researchers report that the overexpression of an adhesion molecule found on the surface of fat cells appears to protect mice from developing obesity and diabetes. The findings, published in the journal Diabetes, March 2016, may fuel the development of new therapies targeting these diseases.

9 May 2016

Scientists develop new technology that helps visualize translation of mRNA into proteins

For the first time, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have developed a technology allowing them to "see" single molecules of messenger RNA as they are translated into proteins in living mammalian cells. Initial findings using this technology that may shed light on neurological diseases as well as cancer were published online today in Science.

9 May 2016

Newly identified molecular pathway could lead to new treatments for reflux, incontinence disorders

Researchers at UMass Medical School have identified a new molecular pathway critical for maintaining the smooth muscle tone that allows the passage of materials through the digestive system.

25 Apr 2016

Actin filaments may be key to molecular machinery that forms, stores long-term memories

Thank the little "muscles" in your neurons for allowing you to remember where you live, what your friends and family look like and a lot more.

19 Apr 2016

Cell biologists identify new way for curing cancer and vessel diseases

Cell biologists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University discovered a new way of regulating of cell motility -- this discovery will make possible development of new drugs for curing onco- and vessel diseases.

22 Mar 2016

New study identifies cell communication mechanism

The cells of an organism interact not only with each other but with the extracellular matrix that surrounds them. Increasing evidence is unveiling the relevance of this structure--which is secreted by the cells themselves-- for the correct function of the organism and also for the development of various diseases.

24 Feb 2016

Simple physics may play key role in helping the body to fight infection

Simple physics may play a larger role than previously thought in helping control key bodily processes - such as how the body fights infection.

11 Feb 2016

Muscle protein titin plays vital role in Frank-Starling mechanism

Researchers at Illinois Institute of Technology and Loyola University have discovered new clues in the 100-year-old mystery of the Frank-Starling law of the heart: What makes the heart contract more strongly at longer lengths given the same level of calcium activation?

10 Feb 2016

Scientists develop potential treatment to prevent hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

More than 15 years ago, David Warshaw, Ph.D., and coworkers discovered the precise malfunction of a specific protein in the heart that leads to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common culprit in cases of sudden death in young athletes.

7 Feb 2016

Duchenne muscular dystrophy: direct effect on muscle stem cells? An interview with Dr Rudnicki

For twenty years, it has been understood that dystrophin is expressed in differentiated muscle fibers where it is part of a protein complex that crosses the membrane and connects the extracellular matrix to the actin network inside the cell to provide structural integrity.

5 Feb 2016

Using Single-Molecule Studies to Understand Cellular Processes: An Interview with Professor W. E. Moerner

Single fluorescent molecules provide a local nanometer-sized probe of complex systems. We can measure the motion of the single molecule, use them to achieve imaging on a scale down to 20 nanometers, or we can infer aspects of the behaviour of the object under study by the details of the light that is emitted.

From Pittcon 26 Jan 2016

Study on myosins may lead to therapies for muscle diseases, cancers

Understanding how tiny molecular motors called myosins use energy to fuel biological tasks like contracting muscles could lead to therapies for muscle diseases and cancers, says a team of researchers led by Penn State College of Medicine scientists.

22 Dec 2015