Molecular & Structural Biology

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RNA steps up to protect the genome from DNA knots

Not all DNA looks like the familiar twisted ladder. Sometimes, parts of our genetic code fold into unusual shapes. One such structure, the G-quadruplex (G4), looks like a knot.

13 Jun 2025

Redefining health science in the age of exposomics

We live in the age of -omics. We have genomics to study complete sets of DNA. We have proteomics focused on all the proteins within our cells.

13 Jun 2025

Study uncovers molecular mechanism behind 'ticking' of the circadian clock in cyanobacteria

Researchers from the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS)/SOKENDAI and Kyushu University have uncovered the molecular mechanism that drives the "ticking" of the circadian clock in cyanobacteria.

13 Jun 2025

Structural insights into IVD enzyme function and isovaleric acidemia

IVD is a key enzyme in leucine catabolism, catalyzing the conversion of isovaleryl-CoA to 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA.

10 Jun 2025

New insights into the physical principles behind embryo development

During embryonic development, thousands of cells divide and move collectively to sculpt the main body axes.

9 Jun 2025

Electron microscopy study shows how two enzymes work in tandem to process proteins

Healthy cells are constantly breaking down proteins and building up new ones with the help of enzymes aptly named unfoldases, because they unravel proteins tagged for destruction or recycling.

6 Jun 2025

Reverse transcriptase activity found in aging and Alzheimer’s brains

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and affects more than a tenth of Americans aged 65 and older.

5 Jun 2025

Krakencoder reveals neural connections behind brain function

Using an algorithm they call the Krakencoder, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine are a step closer to unraveling how the brain's wiring supports the way we think and act.

5 Jun 2025

New marker identifies the functional maturity and heterogeneity of stem cell–derived islet organoids

Over 500 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes-a disease that contributes to major complications such as stroke, kidney failure, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.

4 Jun 2025

New family of antibiotics derived from the body's own proteins

A team of scientists led by the UAB has identified a new type of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found in human proteins that are capable of selectively eliminating multidrug-resistant bacteria, particularly of the gram-negative type, responsible for serious hospital acquired infections.

4 Jun 2025

New discovery reveals how cohesin complex alters gene expression

Cohesin is a protein that forms a ring-shaped complex which wraps and alters the DNA molecule shape. It moves through the DNA and creates specific loops in the genetic material which determine the architecture of the genome and gene expression.

29 May 2025

Scientists reveal how RNA could have replicated on early earth

Chemists at UCL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have demonstrated how RNA (ribonucleic acid) might have replicated itself on early Earth – a key process in the origin of life.

28 May 2025

Fungal antiviral responses controlled by RNA editing and transcription factor dynamics

The expression of symptoms of viral infections is a byproduct of complex virus-host molecular pathways.

23 May 2025

New cryogenic mass spectrometry approach reveals inner structure of lipid nanoparticles

Scientists have developed a method for analysing the structure of lipid nanoparticles that could be used to improve vaccine and drug delivery, targeting a wide range of health issues.

23 May 2025

Tuberculosis bacteria use molecular switch to pause and restart growth

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) may have an "on-off switch" that lets them pause and restart growth, according to a new study from the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford.

23 May 2025

Newly discovered Cat1 protein halts viral infections by depleting cellular fuel

Every living creature on Earth needs to protect itself from things that would do it harm. Bacteria are no different. And despite their relative simplicity, they deploy remarkably savvy defensive strategies against viral invaders.

18 May 2025

Optimer licensing agreements and repeat custom

Aptamer Group plc, the leading developer of next-generation synthetic binders delivering innovation to the life science industry, has announced two new development contracts for Optimer binders and the agreement of licensing heads of terms with a global provider of specialty enzymes for developed enzyme-modulating Optimers.

From Aptamer Group 16 May 2025

DNA strand separation requires more force in crowded cellular environments

By creating a more true-to-life representation of DNA's environment, researchers at Northwestern University have discovered that strand separation - the essential process a "resting" double helix undergoes before it can initiate replication or make repairs - may take more mechanical force than the field previously believed.

11 May 2025

AI identifies brain cell types through electrical signatures

A decades-old challenge in neuroscience has been solved by harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the electrical signatures of different types of brain cells for the first time, as part of a study in mice led by researchers from UCL.

7 May 2025

New insights into bacterial division through engineered protein control

The Min protein system prevents abnormal cell division in bacteria by forming oscillating patterns between the ends of a cell ("poles"). Despite decades of theoretical work, predicting the protein concentrations at which oscillations start and whether cells can maintain them under different conditions has been a challenge.

7 May 2025