Cell Biology

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New techniques enable visualization of DNA repair machinery in detail

Each one of the trillions of cells that make up the human body suffers more than 10,000 DNA lesions every day. These injuries would be catastrophic if cells were unable to repair them, but a very delicate machinery that detects and repair genetic damage is at work to prevent DNA mutations and diseases such as cancer.

29 Dec 2021

New optogenetic tool uses focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force

Cell generated force plays essential roles in a wide range of biological processes, such as cell motility, cytokinesis, and tissue morphogenesis. In a study published in Nature Communications, a research team led by the Division of Quantitative Biology at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Japan has successfully developed "OptoMYPT"：an optogenetic tool that utilizes focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force.

29 Dec 2021

LJI researchers discover how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma

Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have uncovered how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma. Their research, published in Nature Immunology, could potentially open opportunities for designing drug treatment strategies to target malignant cells in many cancers.

24 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spreads through cell-to-cell transmission, study finds

The virus that causes COVID-19 has adopted some stealth moves to stay alive and kicking, and one secret to its success is hiding from the immune system by spreading through cell-to-cell transmission, a new study has found.

23 Dec 2021

Researchers unravel how our organs know when to stop growing

The smallest fish in the world, the Paedocypris, measures only 7 millimeters. This is nothing compared to the 9 meters of the whale shark.

23 Dec 2021

Flexibility may maximize the potency of peptides used to treat Type 2 diabetes

A little wiggle room might be just what the doctor ordered. New research suggests that the peptides - short chunks of protein - used to treat Type 2 diabetes may be more effective if they're able to flexibly move back and forth between different shapes.

23 Dec 2021

X-ray imaging of cardiac tissue reveals the impact of Covid-19 on the heart

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Göttingen and Hannover Medical School (MHH) has detected significant changes in the heart muscle tissue of people who died from Covid-19.

23 Dec 2021

Researchers identify a key influenza epitope that can targeted for developing universal vaccines

A team led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine, Scripps Research and the University of Chicago has identified an important site of vulnerability on influenza viruses—a site that future influenza vaccines and antibody therapies should be able to target to prevent or treat infections by a broad set of influenza strains.

23 Dec 2021

Researchers reveal an unrecognized pathway promoting long-term survival of T cells

They are at the forefront in the fight against viruses, bacteria, and malignant cells: the T cells of our immune system. But the older we get, the fewer of them our body produces.

23 Dec 2021

New study shines light on how brain cells die in prion diseases

Prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), are fast-moving, fatal dementia syndromes associated with the formation of aggregates of the prion protein, PrP.

22 Dec 2021

Researchers identify new mechanism that impairs cancer cell proliferation and induces death

UAB and Vall d'Hebron researchers identified the mechanism by which inhibitors of the ERK5 protein kinase impair the proliferation of cancer cells and induce their death. The results, obtained using human cancer cell lines, demonstrate that ERK5 inhibition activates cytotoxic autophagy, a process that triggers cancer cell death, without affecting healthy cells. A combination of ERK5 inhibitors and chemotherapy could improve cancer treatment.

22 Dec 2021

Researchers use network modeling to hone in on cancer gene interactions critical to malignancy

Wilmot Cancer Institute researchers are a step closer to understanding the complex gene interactions that cause a cell to become malignant.

21 Dec 2021

Polyrotaxane-based biomaterials enhance the connection between epithelial cells

The field of tissue engineering is constantly exploring the possibility of using different properties of various biomaterials to achieve tissue regeneration.

21 Dec 2021

Researchers discover new function of protein tBID

The protein tBID can trigger programmed cell death (apoptosis) by inducing damage in the energy suppliers of the cells, the mitochondria. Apoptosis is essential for maintaining tissue balance.

21 Dec 2021

Star-shaped cells in the brain regulate cognitive flexibility

As we live in a dynamically changing environment, it is important for our brain to not only learn new things but also to modify existing memories.

21 Dec 2021

Study analyzes the role of circular RNA in ALS pathology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS, is a neurodegenerative disorder which affects motor neurons. These are the neuronal cells responsible for muscle innervation, whose degenerations leads to progressive paralysis culminating with motor and respiratory failure.

21 Dec 2021

Nanostructured polymeric scaffolds accelerate neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells

Collaboration between different UPV/EHU departments has achieved a promising advance for future cell therapy: nanostructured scaffolds based on bioresorbable polymers and graphene derivatives that induce aligned migration and accelerate the neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells.

20 Dec 2021

U-M scientists develop a cell-free artificial cortex to study how cells divide

Animal cells are bound by a structure called a cell cortex—and this structure, researchers say, is a bit like a tent.

20 Dec 2021

New tool provides an unprecedented view of brain cell activity in a synapse

To solve the mysteries of how learning and memory occur, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists have created a system to track millions of connections among brain cells in mice — all at the same time — when the animals' whiskers are tweaked, an indicator for learning.

20 Dec 2021

Researchers uncover production mechanism of protein crucial for vision

Every 6 minutes someone is told they're going blind. One of the major causes of human blindness is a disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which causes progressive degeneration of the retina and vision loss.

18 Dec 2021