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Researchers reveal role NAD+ molecule in turning on genes that make fat cells

Glucose is the energy that fuels cells, and the body likes to store glucose for later use. But too much glucose can contribute to obesity, and scientists have long wanted to understand what happens within a cell to tip the balance.

1 Jun 2018

UD researchers examine connection between DNA replication in HPV and cancer

A pair of researchers from the University of Delaware Department of Medical and Molecular Sciences are investigating genetic variations in DNA replication of human papillomaviruses and its correlation with HPV-related cancers.

23 May 2018

Study provides insights into how immune cells kill bacteria with acid

The first line of immune defense against invading pathogens like bacteria are macrophages, immune cells that engulf every foreign object that crosses their way. After enclosing it in intracellular membrane vesicles, a process called phagocytosis, macrophages kill their prey with acid.

17 May 2018

Study: Different strains of same protein may contribute to different Parkinson's-related brain disorders

Different Parkinson's-related brain disorders, called synucleionpathies, are characterized by misfolded proteins embedded in cells.

10 May 2018

Nuclear pore complexes are critical for survival of circulating T cells, study shows

Nuclear pore complexes in the nuclear membrane not only control the transport of molecules into and out of the nucleus- they play an essential role in the survival of T cells.

8 May 2018

New optogenetic tools show promise in treating cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric disorders

You've heard of "nature versus nurture," and philosophers argue about which is more important. But how does this work on the cellular level?

27 Apr 2018

Expression of long non-coding RNAs can result in high levels of specific proteins involved in cancer

A Danish-German research team has shown that not only the where and when of long non-coding RNA expression is important for their function but also the how.

25 Apr 2018

Study reveals surprising insights into RNA-binding proteins

A host of special molecules called nuclear RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), when misplaced outside the nucleus, form the harmful clumps seen in several brain disorders, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

20 Apr 2018

Aberrant protein prevents self-cleaning of nerve cells in ALS

Scientists have discovered that TDP-43 interferes with lysosomal pathways responsible for its clearance and induces autophagy in ALS.

12 Apr 2018

Resistance training enhances cellular recycling in muscle cells

A new study has shown that resistance training among previously untrained men increases autophagosome content, but that this effect may be blunted by aging.

9 Apr 2018

Scientists uncover new answers to cell aging in children with rare, fatal disease

In a recent paper published in Cell Reports, Saint Louis University researchers have uncovered new answers about why cells rapidly age in children with a rare and fatal disease.

20 Mar 2018

Researchers produce complete 3D structure for yeast Nuclear Pore Complex

For the first time, researchers have produced a nearly complete three-dimensional structure for the yeast Nuclear Pore Complex. This discovery represents a major step toward identifying the atomic structure of the NPC, which soon may provide researchers with a better understanding of how the central transport channel functions.

15 Mar 2018

Researchers determine cause of difficult-to-control mitochondrial diseases

A Japanese research group has discovered that taurine is conjugated with mitochondrial transfer RNAs (tRNAs), small RNAs that decode genetic information, and that taurine deficiency in tRNA dramatically reduces both mitochondrial protein translation and impairs mitochondrial membrane integrity.

7 Mar 2018

New class of antimicrobial polymers can kill five hard-to-treat multidrug-resistant bacteria

An international research team led by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and IBM Research developed a synthetic molecule that can kill five deadly types of multidrug-resistant bacteria with limited, if any, side effects.

7 Mar 2018

MIPT biophysicists study structure and interaction of nanofibrous scaffold with cardiac cells

Biophysicists from MIPT have studied the structure of a nanofibrous scaffold, as well as its interaction with rat cardiac cells.

2 Mar 2018

New study provides better understanding of asymmetric cell division

Stem cells are the basic material from which mature, specialised cells such as muscle and blood cells are produced -- this process is known as differentiation.

28 Feb 2018

New staining method helps analyze 3D tissue samples using Nano-CT system

To date, examining patient tissue samples has meant cutting them into thin slices for histological analysis. This might now be set to change - thanks to a new staining method devised by an interdisciplinary team from the Technical University of Munich.

23 Feb 2018

Zika virus could be alternative for treatment of aggressive brain cancer

Zika virus, feared for causing microcephaly in babies whose mothers were infected during pregnancy by attacking the cells that will give rise to the fetus's cerebral cortex, could be an alternative for treatment of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive kind of malignant brain tumor in adults.

21 Feb 2018

Ribosomes found to be cause of somatic cell pluripotency

In 2012, a Japanese research group discovered that human skin cells acquire pluripotency when introduced to lactic acid bacteria. Now, the same group of researchers have found that the cause of somatic cell conversion into pluripotent stem cells is the ribosome, a protein synthesizing cellular organelle.

5 Feb 2018

Viral replication process weak spot may help develop cure for infections

Researchers at the Morgridge Institute for Research believe they have identified a weak spot in the replication process of positive-strand RNA viruses, which could yield treatment for viral infections such as Zika, Polio, Chikungunya, Hepatitis C and even common cold viruses.

29 Jan 2018