Ribosome News and Research

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Scientists reveal new insights into mechanism of gene regulation by 'magic spot'

Using an innovative crystallization technique for studying three-dimensional structures of gene transcription machinery, an international team of researchers, led by scientists at Penn State, has revealed new insights into the long debated action of the "magic spot"--a molecule that controls gene expression in Eschericahia coli and many other bacteria when the bacteria are stressed.

24 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

EXD2 enzyme facilitates protein production in mitochondria

Researchers from the Genomic Instability and Cancer Laboratory at Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have identified a key role for EXD2 in protein production in the mitochondria, the cellular organelles responsible for the majority of energy generation.

17 Jan 2018

Wayne State researchers win NIH grant to uncover new antibiotic targets

A research team from Wayne State University has received a $1.85 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health for the project "Mechanisms of Non-Shine-Dalgarno Translation Initiation."

26 Oct 2017

Research reveals novel mechanism of ribosome dimerization using cryo-electron microscopy

Antibiotics are the most common medication used to treat microbial infections. Many antibiotics target intracellular bacterial ribosomes - cellular factories that synthesize proteins - which are essential for bacterial survival and proliferation.

28 Sep 2017

MIT engineers design more effective synthetic mRNA delivery system

By delivering strands of genetic material known as messenger RNA into cells, researchers can induce the cells to produce any protein encoded by the mRNA. This technique holds great potential for administering vaccines or treating diseases such as cancer, but achieving efficient delivery of mRNA has proven challenging.

21 Sep 2017

TSRI scientists confirm that quality control steps exist to protect production of proteins

The devil, as always, is in the details. The production of proteins is a complex process, made up of a series of smaller intricate biochemical steps that succeeds because of an equally complex number of quality controls. Without them, the process would irreparably break down and diseases like cancer would run rampant.

11 Sep 2017

Natural compound produced by honeybees could become basis for new antibiotics

An antimicrobial compound made by honeybees could become the basis for new antibiotics, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

7 Sep 2017

Study reveals biological basis of severe neurological disorder in children

In a new study published today in The American Journal of Human Genetics, a multinational team of researchers describes, for the first time, the biological basis of a severe neurological disorder in children.

3 Aug 2017

Research findings may provide path to new faster-acting antidepressants

Some activity patterns in the brain can be dangerous, producing persistent dark moods that drain people's motivation, pleasure, and hope.

28 Jul 2017

Salford scientists may have found simple way for designing new antibiotics

CANCER researchers in the UK may have stumbled across a solution to reverse antibiotic drug resistance and stop infections like MRSA.

12 Jul 2017

Study provides vital clues to counter superbug antibiotic resistance

An international study led by Monash University has discovered the molecular mechanism by which the potentially deadly superbug 'Golden Staph' evades antibiotic treatment, providing the first important clues on how to counter superbug antibiotic resistance.

16 May 2017

Swiss researchers discover potential way to design new antibiotics

Two Swiss research teams from the University of Bern and the ETH Zurich have developed a new method to shed light onto a mostly unknown process of bacterial protein production. Their results could be used for the design of new antibiotics.

10 May 2017

Researchers unravel how drug interacts with ribosome to halt protein production

The discovery of a chemical compound that halts the production of a small set of proteins while leaving general protein production untouched suggests a new drug search strategy: Find compounds that target undesired proteins before they are even made.

23 Mar 2017

BUSM researchers uncover unique patterns of protein synthesis linked to increased longevity

Aging is a complex process that involves multiple metabolic and regulatory pathways. Previous studies have identified hundreds of genes whose deletion can significantly increase lifespan in model organisms. Yet, how these different aging genes and pathways are interconnected remains poorly understood.

23 Feb 2017

Scientists identify novel mutations in bacteria that promote evolution of antibiotic resistance

Scientists from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have identified novel mutations in bacteria that promote the evolution of high-level antibiotic resistance.

21 Feb 2017

Research provides more evidence that mRNA vaccines can protect mice against Zika virus

Vaccine developers have successfully protected mice against Zika by injecting synthetic messenger RNA that encodes for virus proteins into the animals.

17 Feb 2017

Research shows how cutting calories can slow aging process

There's a multi-billion-dollar industry devoted to products that fight signs of aging, but moisturizers only go skin deep. Aging occurs deeper -- at a cellular level -- and scientists have found that eating less can slow this cellular process.

13 Feb 2017

LMU study shows crucial role of microRNAs in protecting precursors of neurons

Programmed cell death is an integral part of embryonic development. Exploring the regulation of the process, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich researchers have shown that so-called microRNAs protect the precursors of neurons from 'precocious' elimination.

13 Feb 2017

New Caltech study shows how chaperones protect ribosomal proteins

For proteins, this would be the equivalent of the red-carpet treatment: each protein belonging to the complex machinery of ribosomes -- components of the cell that produce proteins -- has its own chaperone to guide it to the right place at the right time and protect it from harm.

3 Feb 2017