Cell Membrane News and Research

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Invasive cells deploy a trick to squeeze through barriers

Invasive cells deploy a trick to break through tissues and spread to other parts of the body, researchers report.

28 Nov 2017

Jena researchers unravel secrets of chemical language between algae and bacteria

It is a gruesome spectacle that meets the eyes of Prasad Aiyar as he looks down the microscope. The doctoral candidate from India, who came to Jena to do his Master's degree in Molecular Life Sciences, examines the species Chlamydomonas reinhardtii on a microscope slide.

28 Nov 2017

Alzheimer's Tau protein interacts with cell membranes and forms toxic complexes

The brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease contain characteristic tangles inside neurons. These tangles are formed when a protein called Tau aggregates into twisted fibrils. As a result, the neurons' transport systems disintegrate, essential nutrients can't move through, and the cells begin to die, affecting the brain's functions and giving rise to the disease's symptoms.

22 Nov 2017

Oncologists find new biomarker for breast cancer having poor prognosis

With the support of the FWF, an oncologist found a biomarker for breast cancer having a poor prognosis and developed two viable methods to detect it in tissue samples.

22 Nov 2017

Researchers uncover how rogue immune cells gain access to neurons in multiple sclerosis

Drug designers working on therapeutics against multiple sclerosis should focus on blocking two distinct ways rogue immune cells attack healthy neurons, according to a new study in the journal Cell Reports.

21 Nov 2017

Study identifies molecular pathway critical to development of fibrosis

A study led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and University Health Network in Toronto has identified a molecular pathway that appears to be critical to the development of fibrosis - scarring and excessive tissue deposition that result from abnormal healing responses and can compromise the function of vital organs.

15 Nov 2017

Using AFM to study cancer cells

An interview with Prof. Hermann Schillers, Universität Münster conducted by April Cashin-Garbutt, MA (Cantab).

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 14 Nov 2017

Scientists characterize infection mechanism of Rift Valley fever virus

Rift Valley fever virus, transmitted by mosquitoes, is responsible for outbreaks in livestock in Africa and can also be fatal in humans. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS, working with the University of Göttingen, have characterized the mechanism used by the virus to insert one of its envelope proteins into the host cell membrane, thereby enabling it to infect the cell.

9 Nov 2017

Popular Alzheimer's drug shows promise in clinical trials for treating patients with sickle cell disease

A popular drug commonly used to treat Alzheimer's disease has shown promise in laboratory and clinical trials for treating patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).

7 Nov 2017

CSIC researchers make breakthrough in battle against superbugs

A team led by researchers from the Spanish National Research Council has made an important breakthrough in the battle against superbugs and their resistance to multiple drugs.

2 Nov 2017

Inner workings of cells probed by new Kleindiek nanomanipulator at UNSW

The mechanism of how cells work is key to understanding how tumours metastasize as well as tissue regeneration and other bodily functions. The process of mechanotransduction, or how a cell converts a physical stimuli into an electrical response is fundamental to these understandings.

From AXT Pty Ltd 30 Oct 2017

Researchers uncover new molecular binding site that can influence electrical impulses in nerves

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have discovered a previously unknown molecular binding site that can influence electrical impulses in nerves.

27 Oct 2017

Study reveals why Alzheimer's drugs fail in clinical trials

A tremendous amount of Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) (a peptide of ～40 amino acids) accumulates in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients. γ-Secretase inhibitors were designed to inhibit the enzymatic activity that produces Aβ. By reducing Aβ production, γ-secretase inhibitors were considered able to treat Alzheimer's disease (Aβ hypothesis).

25 Oct 2017

Zinc-binding plays key role in sensing and regulation of brain’s pH levels

Researchers in Oslo, Norway, have discovered that Zinc-binding plays an important role in the sensing and regulation of pH in the human brain. The findings come as one of the first studies that directly link Zinc-binding with bicarbonate transporters.

17 Oct 2017

Fundamental discovery may open potential for new types of cancer drugs

Many approved cancer therapies target a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that regulates many crucial cellular processes and can speed the proliferation of tumor cells.

11 Oct 2017

Cells lining blood vessels in the lungs exposed to bacterial toxins don’t die easy, UIC study says

Cells lining blood vessels in the lungs that are exposed to bacterial toxins don't die easy, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

10 Oct 2017

New research uncovers how blood cancer 'steals' parts of bone marrow cells to thrive

New research published today uncovers how the blood cancer 'steals' parts of surrounding healthy bone marrow cells to thrive, in work that could help form new approaches to cancer treatment in the future.

5 Oct 2017

Researchers discover circadian clock at work in our muscles

Biological clocks are ticking everywhere throughout our body. They trigger the release of the hormone melatonin during sleep, favour the secretion of digestive enzymes at lunchtime or keep us awake at the busiest moments of the day.

3 Oct 2017

'Small intestinal permeable peptides' improve biopharmaceuticals absorption in digestive tract

Biopharmaceuticals, medium- and high-molecular weight biologically active macromolecules, are not easily absorbed by the small intestine, the main organ responsible for gastrointestinal absorption, resulting in a bottleneck for oral administration type biopharmaceutical development.

20 Sep 2017

Research reveals sugary secrets of protein important for development and cancer progression

The proteins in human cells are extensively decorated with different types of sugars, a phenomenon called glycosylation. These modifications greatly increase the diversity of protein structure and function, affecting how proteins fold, how they behave, and where they go in cells.

15 Sep 2017