Cell Biology

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What protects killer T cells from accidental death?

White blood cells, which release a toxic potion of proteins to kill cancerous and virus-infected cells, are protected from any harm by the physical properties of their cell envelopes, find scientists from UCL and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.

27 Nov 2019

Hibernators reveal genetic clues to better understand and treat obesity, metabolic disorders

Hibernation is one of nature's strangest quirks, inducing bears and other mammals to pack on massive weight- amounts that would be unhealthy for humans-;so they can survive months of slumber. Yet when these animals reemerge, they are as fit as ever.

27 Nov 2019

Study points to two types of motion that keeps cells in shape

The health of cells is maintained, in part, by two types of movement of their nucleoli, a team of scientists has found. This dual motion within surrounding fluid, it reports, adds to our understanding of what contributes to healthy cellular function and points to how its disruption could affect human health.

26 Nov 2019

Study shows how fiber spacing could control cell sticking

Researchers from the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore have shown that cells can attach to the fibrous protein meshwork that surrounds them only if the fibers are spaced close enough.

26 Nov 2019

Stem cells do not take the day off on national holidays

While most of us are stuffing ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie at home on Thanksgiving Day, the staff at one Cedars-Sinai laboratory will be on the job, feeding stem cells.

26 Nov 2019

Enzyme caspase-8 controls apoptosis, necroptosis and pyroptosis

The enzyme caspase-8 induces a molecular cell death programme called pyroptosis without involving its enzymatic activity, a new study by Hamid Kashkar published in Nature shows.

26 Nov 2019

Research shows how cilia and exocyst contribute to extracellular vesicle production

Although the cilium has been known to scientists for more than 100 years, it is only recently that it has been acknowledged to play important roles in physiology.

25 Nov 2019

Fetuses may be able to see more than previously believed

By the second trimester, long before a baby's eyes can see images, they can detect light.

25 Nov 2019

Scientists record assembly of ribosomes in real time

A team of scientists from Scripps Research and Stanford University has recorded in real time a key step in the assembly of ribosomes--the complex and evolutionarily ancient "molecular machines" that make proteins in cells and are essential for all life forms.

22 Nov 2019

DNA-modulated liquid droplets may explain how prion proteins clump

Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, have identified that the interaction between prion proteins and DNA may be behind the formation of protein amyloid aggregates and of the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other spongiform encephalopathies.

22 Nov 2019

Scientists investigate the dynamics of molecular changes in gliomas

Until relatively recently, cancer was viewed as a single disease with sub-types based on where in the body it arose.

22 Nov 2019

Wound healing events in mucous tissues could guard against AIDS

Wound healing events in mucous tissues during early infection by Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, or SIV, guard some primate species against developing AIDS, a recent study has learned.

21 Nov 2019

Extra DNA scooped up alongside cancer-causing genes helps drive tumor growth

One of the ways a cancer-causing gene works up enough power to turn a normal cell into a cancer cell is by copying itself over and over, like a Xerox machine.

21 Nov 2019

Doughnut-shaped circles of ecDNA provide tumor cells with a malignant twist

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA encodes information, not only in its sequence but also in its shape.

21 Nov 2019

Researchers develop breakthrough in marine sponge cell culture

Vertebrate, insect, and plant cell lines are important tools for research in many disciplines, including human health, evolutionary and developmental biology, agriculture and toxicology. Cell lines have been established for many organisms, including freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates.

21 Nov 2019

Label-free multimodal imaging platform enables non-invasive study of cell cultures

Most analytical methods in biology require invasive procedures to analyze samples, which leads to irreversible changes or even their destruction.

20 Nov 2019

Scientists grow complex organoids in the lab

Scientists at the University of Würzburg have successfully produced human tissues from stem cells. They have a complexity similar to that of normal tissue and are far superior to previous structures.

19 Nov 2019

Research findings can be used in antiviral development against enterovirus infections

Despite their prevalence, there are no antivirals on the market against enteroviruses, and vaccines have been developed only against couple of serotypes. The production of vaccines against all enterovirus serotypes is not feasible, and so antiviral drugs may be the solution for most of the enterovirus infections.

19 Nov 2019

TARA's organ-on-a-chip technology can directly measure in vivo cardiac performance, study shows

TARA Biosystems, Inc. today reported in vivo and in vitro functional data from a study of investigational candidate, MYK-491, showing that TARA's human iPSC-derived organ-on-a-chip technology can directly measure in vivo cardiac performance.

18 Nov 2019

Directional control of protocell's movement could lead to precision drug delivery

Synthetic protocells can be made to move toward and away from chemical signals, an important step for the development of new drug-delivery systems that could target specific locations in the body.

18 Nov 2019