Fluorescent Protein News and Research

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Seeing genes inside living cells

For Mazhar Adli, the little glowing dots dancing about on the computer screen are nothing less than the fulfillment of a dream. Those fluorescent dots, moving in real time, are set to illuminate our understanding of the human genome, cancer and other genetic diseases in a way never before possible.

14 Apr 2017

Synthetic biologists engineer gut bacteria capable of sensing colitis

Synthetic biologists at Rice University have engineered gut bacteria capable of sensing colitis, an inflammation of the colon, in mice.

6 Apr 2017

Fluctuation in intracellular calcium ion concentration impacts brain shape

The first step in shaping the brain is that the neural plate, a sheet-like cell layer, curves to form the neural tube. Assistant Professor Makoto Suzuki of the National Institute for Basic Biology, Professor Naoto Ueno, and their colleagues have shown that during the process of neural tube formation a transient increase in the concentration of calcium ions in cells causes these morphological changes and is essential for neural tube formation.

30 Mar 2017

Researchers develop optimized sensors to study biochemical underpinnings of learning and memory

Learning and memory are crucial aspects of everyday life. When we learn, our neurons use chemical and molecular signals to change their shapes and strengthen connections between neurons, a process known as synaptic plasticity.

9 Mar 2017

Researchers reveal how overloading of protein transport mechanisms triggers cellular defects

Researchers at Okayama University report in Scientific Reports how the overloading of protein transport mechanisms affects cell functioning. Over-expression of different types of target proteins leads to cellular growth defects, and the mechanism for transporting proteins out of a cell nucleus has the lowest over-expression tolerance.

7 Mar 2017

Random variability may contribute to differences in gut microbe populations, study finds

Within the human digestive tract, there are trillions of bacteria, and these communities contain hundreds or even thousands of species. The makeup of those populations can vary greatly from one person to another, depending on factors such as diet, environmental exposure, and health history.

6 Mar 2017

Scientists discover how misfolded proteins can damage cells’ energy-producing powerhouses

Working with yeast and human cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have discovered an unexpected route for cells to eliminate protein clumps that may sometimes be the molecular equivalent of throwing too much or the wrong trash into the garbage disposal.

3 Mar 2017

MIT biological engineers develop method to measure heme levels inside malaria parasite

The iron-containing molecule heme is necessary for life. Cells require heme to perform the chemical reactions that produce energy, among other critical tasks.

28 Feb 2017

Researchers pinpoint new neural mechanism that regulates chronic stress response

In addition to the classic stress response in our bodies - an acute reaction that gradually abates when the threat passes - our bodies appear to have a separate mechanism that deals only with chronic stress.

15 Feb 2017

OIST researchers employ time-lapse imaging technique to observe lens development in zebrafish

There are many different structures in our eyes that work in conjunction to allow us to see. These structures are strikingly similar between different species, from zebrafish to humans.

15 Feb 2017

Researchers provide insights into effects of microgravity on bone tissue

As is well-known, space flights bring with them a unique set of health hazards. That includes bone and muscle deterioration. Loss of bone density is currently one of the most serious problems for astronauts.

28 Jan 2017

Johns Hopkins researchers create mature cardiomyocytes in the laboratory from stem cells

Generating mature and viable heart muscle cells from human or other animal stem cells has proven difficult for biologists.

26 Jan 2017

Scientists harness rabies viruses for assessing connectivity of nerve cell transplants

Scientists under the leadership of the University of Bonn have harnessed rabies viruses for assessing the connectivity of nerve cell transplants: coupled with a green fluorescent protein, the viruses show where replacement cells engrafted into mouse brains have connected to the host neural network.

19 Jan 2017

Study shows structural impact of membrane lipids on medically relevant serotonin transporters

Neurotransmitter transporters are some of the most popular transport proteins in research as they play a major role in the processing of signals in the brain. A joint study by TU Wien and the Medical University of Vienna has now successfully demonstrated for the first time the structural impact of membrane lipids on medically relevant serotonin transporters.

19 Jan 2017

Stem cell research offers alternative view of cancer metastasis

Stem cells are among the most energetically activated, migratory and proliferative sub-populations of tumour cells, according to observations by scholars at the Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Salford.

18 Jan 2017

Researchers move one step closer to regenerating heart wall using stem cells

A process using human stem cells can generate the cells that cover the external surface of a human heart -- epicardium cells -- according to a multidisciplinary team of researchers.

12 Jan 2017

Research reveals how microbial context during infectious disease can compromise antibiotic therapy

Bacteria that are susceptible to antibiotics can survive when enough resistant cells around them are expressing an antibiotic-deactivating factor.

28 Dec 2016

UNC scientists develop new tool to study G-protein signaling

Scientists from the UNC School of Medicine have developed a new tool for studying a key process in cells called G-protein signaling, which plays a central role in the normal functioning of cells and can go awry to cause severe disease, including cancers.

22 Dec 2016

Allen Institute for Cell Science releases gene edited, fluorescently tagged human iPS cells

The Allen Institute for Cell Science has released the Allen Cell Collection: the first publicly available collection of gene edited, fluorescently tagged human induced pluripotent stem cells that target key cellular structures with unprecedented clarity.

30 Nov 2016

Scientists develop safe, highly efficient method to improve searching of new germicides

Scientists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in cooperation with colleagues have worked out a safe, not that expensive and highly efficient method, which allows to speed up and improve searching of new germicides.

29 Nov 2016