Cytoplasm News and Research

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Study provides first structural glimpse of circadian clock's molecular machinery

Scientists have long known that circadian clocks- biochemical oscillators that control physiology, metabolism and behavior on a roughly 24-hour cycle- are present in all forms of life, including animals, plants, fungi and some types of bacteria. However, the molecular mechanisms that "run" these systems remain largely unknown.

7 Sep 2017

Protein distribution channel may be new target for combating pathogenic bacterium

A bacterium that attacks people suffering from chronic lung disease and compromised immune systems could be halted by disrupting the distribution channels the organism uses to access the nutrient-rich cytoplasm of its host cell.

31 Aug 2017

Novel nanolaser can serve as super-bright probe to detect and kill metastasized cancer cells

A nanolaser known as the spaser can serve as a super-bright, water-soluble, biocompatible probe capable of finding metastasized cancer cells in the bloodstream and then killing these cells, according to a new research study.

22 Aug 2017

Northwestern Medicine scientists develop novel method to track HIV infection

Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed a novel method of tracking HIV infection, allowing the behavior of individual virions -- infectious particles -- to be connected to infectivity.

18 Aug 2017

Study elucidates how aerobic exercise protects the sick heart

Regular exercise is considered an important form of treatment for heart failure, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.

18 Aug 2017

New version of gene editing technique corrects molecular mistakes in RNA-based diseases

Until recently, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique could only be used to manipulate DNA. In a 2016 study, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers repurposed the technique to track RNA in live cells in a method called RNA-targeting Cas9 (RCas9).

11 Aug 2017

Study sheds new light on how anti-cancer agent inhibits tumor growth

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have published a study in Nature Communications shedding new light on how K-80003 (TX803), an anti-cancer agent discovered at the Institute, prevents activation of the PI3K pathway, resulting in inhibition of cancer cell growth.

4 Aug 2017

MIT engineers devise noninvasive way to assess cell's mechanical properties

The stiffness or elasticity of a cell can reveal much about whether the cell is healthy or diseased. Cancer cells, for instance, are known to be softer than normal, while asthma-affected cells can be rather stiff.

3 Aug 2017

Penn researchers discover how DNA damage turns immune cells against cancer

Cancer is essentially a disease of the cell replication cycle. The goal of treating the disease is to permanently kill off the cells that replicate with abandon without any molecular brakes.

31 Jul 2017

Low vitamin D may affect recovery of injured corneas

Injury or disease in combination with too little vitamin D can be bad for the window to your eyes. The three-layer, transparent cornea at the front of the eyes focuses the light coming in. But its prominent position also puts it at risk for injury from an errant mascara wand or over-prodding finger or a car accident.

24 Jul 2017

Scientists uncover new gene therapy treatment routes for motor neurone disease

Scientists investigating the genetic causes and altered functioning of nerve cells in motor neurone disease (MND) have discovered a new mechanism that could lead to fresh treatment approaches for one of the most common forms of the disease.

14 Jul 2017

Scientists gain new insights into protein network that regulates programmed cell death

Researchers use a simplified model of a protein network to explain how apoptosis is regulated, whose malfunction is linked to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

14 Jul 2017

Researchers get closer to finding out how cells and their nucleus grow at constant ratio

Over a century since scientists first observed that cells and their nucleus grow at a constant ratio to each other, we are now closer to finding out how.

11 Jul 2017

Novel technique analyzes sperm morphology and motility in embryo formation process

The research, presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual conference, which ends today in Geneva, Switzerland, describes for the first time the use of an experimental technique that has made it possible to analyze the functioning of human sperm in contact with the cytoplasmic content of the eggs in vitro.

7 Jul 2017

Morgridge researchers reveal complex viral replication process in unprecedented detail

In the fight against the viruses that invade everyday life, seeing and understanding the battleground is essential. Scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research have, for the first time, imaged molecular structures vital to how a major class of viruses replicates within infected cells.

27 Jun 2017

Cells key to blood vessel formation can also produce tumors and enable their spread

While it's widely held that tumors can produce blood vessels to support their growth, scientists now have evidence that cells key to blood vessel formation can also produce tumors and enable their spread.

20 Jun 2017

Study shows how RNA splicing errors may trigger development of ALS, FTD

The most frequent genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)- rare and related neurological disorders marked by progressive deterioration of motor or cognitive abilities- may be due to errors in RNA splicing, an intermediary step for translating genetic instructions into functional proteins.

14 Jun 2017