Electron Microscopy News and Research

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Discovery could open door to the development of new anti-cancer drugs

A team of scientists led by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified the binding site where drug compounds could activate a key braking mechanism against the runaway growth of many types of cancer.

20 Apr 2020

EMBL-EBI and partners launch new COVID-19 Data Portal

EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute and partners today launched the COVID-19 Data Portal, which enables the sharing and analysis of data related to the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

20 Apr 2020

Activating a braking mechanism against cancer

A team has identified the binding site where drug compounds could activate a braking mechanism against runaway growth of cancer.

20 Apr 2020

Researchers discover unique structure and function of rotavirus VP3 protein

After eluding researchers for more than 30 years, the VP3 protein of rotavirus has finally revealed its unique structure and function to a team led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine.

17 Apr 2020

Researchers develop synthetic scaffolds for tendon and ligament regeneration

Australia's love of sport means it has one of the highest rates of knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction in the world.

14 Apr 2020

Technologies converge on interacting surfaces in protein complexes

Researchers have fine-tuned a method to pinpoint surfaces within interacting large multi-protein complexes.

14 Apr 2020

New insights into the building blocks of periodontitis

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major bacterial pathogen which leads to periodontitis also known as gum disease. In Japan, 80% of adults aged 35 and over suffer from this disease. What's more, P. gingivalis has also been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, pancreatic cancer, and even Alzheimer's disease.

13 Apr 2020

New technique for imaging proteins in 3D

A team of scientists including researchers at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)--a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory--have demonstrated a new technique for imaging proteins in 3-D with nanoscale resolution.

13 Apr 2020

The building blocks of gum disease

A team of researchers has revealed the structure of adhesive pili and shed light on how they assemble, causing Periodontitis.

13 Apr 2020

UTSW researchers uncover shape of key protein involved in muscle contraction

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction. The report, published today in Neuron, may lead to improved understanding of muscle-weakening genetic conditions called congenital myasthenic syndromes.

12 Apr 2020

Researchers succeed in restoring mobility and sensation of touch in stroke-afflicted rats

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have succeeded in restoring mobility and sensation of touch in stroke-afflicted rats by reprogramming human skin cells to become nerve cells, which were then transplanted into the rats' brains.

8 Apr 2020

Personalized biohybrid microswimmers for therapeutic cargo delivery

Tiny biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions. The natural environmental sensing tendencies of bacteria mean they can navigate toward certain chemicals or be remotely controlled using magnetic or sound signals.

7 Apr 2020

Pollen-based paper shows promise for a new range of natural components

Scientists at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have created a paper-like material derived from pollen that bends and curls in response to changing levels of environmental humidity.

7 Apr 2020

Inhibiting the iron transport could halt tuberculosis

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis need iron to survive. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now solved the first detailed structure of the transport protein responsible for the iron supply.

1 Apr 2020

Researchers develop chemically modified phage capsid that “stifles” influenza viruses

A new approach brings the hope of new therapeutic options for suppressing seasonal influenza and avian flu: On the basis of an empty - and therefore non-infectious - shell of a phage virus, researchers from Berlin have developed a chemically modified phage capsid that "stifles" influenza viruses.

31 Mar 2020

SLAC structural biologist discovers a strange cavity in key tuberculosis protein

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered a strange new feature of a protein that’s thought to be important in the development of tuberculosis: The protein contains a “huge” interior pocket, the likes of which has never before been seen, that appears capable of passing a wide range of other molecules into the bacterial cell.

27 Mar 2020

Scientists discover tuberculosis bacterium channels vitamins into the cell

A new study published in the journal Nature in March 2020 reports a unique transport protein found within the tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This huge membrane-spanning vesicular protein is different from other transport proteins and is instrumental in carrying hydrophilic molecules, notably vitamin B12 or cobalamin, across the cell membrane.

24 Mar 2020

Using 'young NK cells' could improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy for cancer patients

Immunotherapy that involves treating cancer with the body's own immune cells, or those of a matched donor, shows promise in clinical trials for some patients, but not all.

22 Mar 2020

Cryo-electron microscopy helps visualize ball-and-chain inactivation of ion channels

Ion channels, which allow potassium and sodium ions to flow in and out of cells, are crucial in neuronal 'firing' in the central nervous system and for brain and heart function.

19 Mar 2020

Bacterial extracellular vesicles could combat antibiotic resistance

Children's National Hospital researchers for the first time have isolated bacterial extracellular vesicles from the blood of healthy donors, a critical step to better understanding the way gut bacteria communicate with the rest of the body via the bloodstream.

18 Mar 2020