Biochemistry

RSS

Steady-state CD spectroscopy is a major structural tool in (bio)chemical analysis

In nature, certain molecules with the same chemical composition, can exist in two different shapes that are mirrors images of each other, much like our hands.

11 Jan 2019

Unusual molecular regulatory mechanism discovered in unicellular parasites

Researchers of the University of Bern have discovered a new molecular regulatory mechanism in unicellular parasites which has never before been observed.

10 Jan 2019

Study explains why some drugs work well in ameliorating side effects of chemotherapy

Researchers at the University of Zurich have determined the three-dimensional structure of the receptor that causes nausea and vomiting as a result of cancer chemotherapy.

10 Jan 2019

University of Cincinnati professor awarded $1.6 million NIAID grant to study Hamburger E. coli

Alison Weiss, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology in UC College of Medicine, has been awarded a four-year grant of $1.6 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli 0157:H7, also sometimes referred to as Hamburger E. coli.

9 Jan 2019

Scientists fix flawed plant genes, make plants grow 40% larger

Researchers in the US have genetically engineered a way of shortcutting photosynthesis to increase the size of tobacco plants by up to 40%.

4 Jan 2019

New method for automation of DNA origami

Nature has made extravagant use of a simple molecule--DNA, the floorplan of all earthly life.

4 Jan 2019

Scientists cast new light on function of long-mysterious PCSK9 mutation

High levels of low-density lipoproteins, parcels of lipids and protein that carry cholesterol, are a leading risk factor for heart disease. Many cholesterol medications lower LDL, some of them by targeting the protein PCSK9. In the January issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, report on an investigation into why experiments on PCSK9 give different results in a test tube and in liver cells.

2 Jan 2019

Using Assay Kits and Dyes to Advance Cell Biology Research

In this interview, Richard Delle Bovi highlights live cell ability of the CELLESTIAL® analysis kit from Enzo Life Sciences and its applications in cell biology.

From Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. 2 Jan 2019

New research could help restore youthful characteristics

If only we could keep our bodies young, healthy and energetic, even as we attain the wisdom of our years. New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science suggests this dream could be at least partly obtainable in the future.

2 Jan 2019

Biologists discover how protein clumps damage cells in Parkinson's disease

Biologists studying Parkinson's disease have long hoped to solve the mystery of the telltale "clumps." Scientists want to know how clumps of misfolded proteins damage brain cells and contribute to the disease.

21 Dec 2018

Study uncovers initial folding mechanism of membrane proteins, key in design of new drugs

An international team coordinated by the Interdisciplinary Research Structure in Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the University of Valencia has proved how the folding of membrane proteins begins before they are inserted into biological membranes, a fact that has been central to the biochemical research for decades.

19 Dec 2018

Developing the Next Generation of Water-soluble DREADDs

An interview with James Flanaghan, discussing the uses of DREADDs in neurobiological research and the advantages of water-soluble ligands.

From Hello Bio 19 Dec 2018

Novel insight on inflammatory regulation could pave way for effective pain therapies

A novel way in which the inflammatory response to pain is regulated has been described in the open-access journal eLife.

19 Dec 2018

New compound blocks genetic cause of familial ALS and frontotemporal dementia

Since the ice bucket challenge went viral in 2014, raising awareness and funding for ALS research, scientists have learned much about a disease that disconnects muscles from nerves, leading to muscle atrophy and eventual death. Their ultimate goal is to create medications capable of stopping ALS in its tracks.

18 Dec 2018

Novel sunlight-powered microtube pump transports water droplets over long distances

Driven by natural or artificial sunlight, a novel “microtube pump” transports water droplets over long distances. As reported by Chinese researchers in the Journal Angewandte Chemie, the pump consists of a tube whose properties can be changed asymmetrically through irradiation.

18 Dec 2018

Researchers propose new model to explain how neural networks communicate

The brain is organized into a network of specialized networks of nerve cells. For such a brain architecture to function, these specialized networks - each located in a different brain area - need to be able to communicate with each other.

17 Dec 2018

New method to visualize small-molecule interactions inside cells

Like people in a large company, proteins in cells constantly interact with each other to perform various jobs. To develop new disease therapies, researchers are trying to control these interactions with small-molecule drugs that cause specific proteins to associate more or less with their "coworkers."

13 Dec 2018

Researchers develop new method to produce natural sweetener

A research group from Oulu University has developed a method capable of producing the natural sweetener brazzein. Production of brazzein as a good tasting sweetener has long been in development but until now, no solution for commercial production has been found.

12 Dec 2018

IONTAS founder and pioneer in phage display technology attends Nobel Prize Award Ceremony

Dr. John McCafferty celebrates the success of phage display technology with Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureates.

From FairJourney Biologics 12 Dec 2018

Researchers use new technique to probe hydrogen bonds

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have used nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy to probe the hydrogen bonds that modulate the chemical reactivity of enzymes, catalysts and biomimetic complexes.

10 Dec 2018