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How one gene shakes up our understanding of male infertility

The study investigates the role of the ACTL7B gene in sperm formation using genetically modified mice and finds that deficiencies in this gene lead to failed spermatogenesis and structural sperm abnormalities. Given the gene's similarity in humans, the findings suggest ACTL7B could serve as a potential biomarker for male infertility.

31 Oct 2023

Researchers identify a rare cause of male infertility and discover a potential cure

Researchers investigated the genetic underpinning of asthenozoospermia, the leading cause of male fertility.

18 Sep 2023

Researchers unlock the molecular basis behind fastest biological movement of single-celled eukaryotes

In his famous letter to the Royal Society dated Oct. 9, 1676, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek described a single-celled eukaryote (Vorticella) and its fascinating ultrafast cell contraction as the first set of discoveries.

22 Feb 2023

How does SARS-CoV-2 infection impact fertility in men?

In a recent review published in the journal Endocrines, researchers summarized existing literature findings on the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections on the male reproductive system and fertility.

7 Sep 2022

Study uncovers the herpes virus' strategy for infecting the nervous system

Herpes type 1 is sealed with a kiss for a lifetime. More than half of U.S. adults are carriers of HSV1 (herpes simplex virus type 1) which hibernates in the peripheral nervous system and can never be eradicated.

17 Nov 2021

Microtubule regulatory protein inhibits early HIV-1 infection, study finds

Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered that a microtubule regulatory protein inhibits early HIV type 1 (HIV-1) infection, according to findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1 Nov 2021

Newly discovered protein regulates molecular motors in response to light

Single-celled algae and animal sperm cells are widely separated in evolution but both swim in the same way, by waving their protruding hairs, called cilia or flagella. Motion is driven by molecular motors, complex assemblies of proteins that exert a force when changing shape.

1 Mar 2021

Glycylation essential to keep sperm swimming in a straight line, shows study

One essential component of each eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells.

7 Jan 2021

WPI researchers awarded NIH funding to develop computational models for human cell division

Two researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have been awarded $917,999 by the National Institutes of Health to develop computational models for the study of a critical piece of cellular machinery that often goes awry in cancer.

9 Nov 2020

Cytoplasm of ruptured Xenopus frog eggs reorganizes into cell-like compartments, study shows

Can scrambled eggs unscramble themselves? Well, sort of.

6 Nov 2019

RNA hitches lysosome rides to make proteins far away from the nucleus

Proteins inside a cell are often made at the site where they are used, rather than being shipped long distances. This is so with nerve cells which have long cell extensions in the form of axons and dendrites, up to four feet long in some case

22 Sep 2019

Biologists unravel new role for nervous system in regeneration

Biologists at Tufts University have developed a computational model of planarian (flatworm) regeneration that explains how fragments of planaria determine which end should form a tail and which should form a head.

25 Apr 2019

Study sheds new light on microtubule binding proteins and microtubule dynamics

When bacteria or viruses enter the body, proteins on their surfaces are recognized and processed to activate T cells, white blood cells with critical roles in fighting infections.

6 Dec 2018

Scientists uncover the structure of microtubule motor proteins

Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have discovered new information about how motor proteins called dyneins interact with another protein called dynactin to transport molecules to different parts of a cell.

12 Feb 2018

New research shows how molecular motors are transported into cilia

Molecular motors produce the force that powers the beat of sperm cell tails to generate movement toward the egg cell for fertilization.

27 Mar 2017

UI biologists discover protein that appears to regulate chromosome movement

Before an egg becomes fertilized, sets of chromosomes must pair up to pass along genetic information. This happens within each reproductive cell, where separate chromosomes of male and female origin move toward each other and eventually join.

25 Jan 2017

Scientists discover how motors maneuver cells' intricate roadway system

Much like motors power our cars, they also ensure that proteins get to the right place in our cells, and a wide variety of diseases - from cancer to heart problems - can result when they don't.

7 Dec 2016

Scientists identify genetic cause and biological mechanisms linked to new human immunodeficiency

A multi-institutional, international team of scientists has discovered the genetic cause and biological mechanisms linked to a new human immunodeficiency. The study, which is published in Nature Immunology, also identifies a potential treatment.

24 Oct 2016

UC San Diego professor Samara Reck-Peterson named HHMI-Simons Faculty Scholar

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Simons Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has named Samara Reck-Peterson, PhD, an HHMI-Simons Faculty Scholar.

28 Sep 2016

Solid-state NMR in structural biology: an interview with Professor Tatyana Polenova

My research lab studies several classes of systems. We are mostly interested in looking at large protein assemblies to understand their structure, dynamics and how their properties relate to their malfunction in disease.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 21 Sep 2016