Molecular & Structural Biology

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Research sheds light on how the cell selects suitable protein fragments for robust T-cell response

As task forces of the adaptive immune system, T lymphocytes are responsible for attacking and killing infected or cancerous cells.

30 Sep 2022

Oxytocin induces epicardial cell proliferation, study finds

The neurohormone oxytocin is well-known for promoting social bonds and generating pleasurable feelings, for example from art, exercise, or sex. But the hormone has many other functions, such as the regulation of lactation and uterine contractions in females, and the regulation of ejaculation, sperm transport, and testosterone production in males.

30 Sep 2022

Bioactive compounds derived from Ganoderma lucidum exhibit anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Scientists have identified lucidenic acid A, one of the bioactive compounds of Ganoderma lucidum, as a potential inhibitor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) host cell entry. The study has recently been published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology.

29 Sep 2022

A novel method to identify spike stabilizing mutations for COVID-19 vaccine development

Researchers discuss a robust method to identify mutations that improve the expression and stabilize the conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

29 Sep 2022

Study offers a new glimpse at how DNA variants can impact the lifespan

In a new study of more than 3,000 genetically diverse mice in a multicenter, multiyear project on healthy aging, Maroun Bou Sleiman and colleagues identified several genetic loci that correlate with longevity, offering a new glimpse at how DNA variants can impact the lifespan.

29 Sep 2022

UAB study finds distinct kidney resident macrophage subpopulations located in spatially discrete microenvironments

Macrophages are immune cells that engulf and digest pathogens, cancer cells or cellular debris. The kidneys -; like other tissues in the body -; contain kidney resident macrophages, or KRMs, from the time of birth.

28 Sep 2022

Researchers find new way to deliver a protein quickly, effectively and briefly to the brain

Many diseases have at their origin a protein that does not function properly. Now, a multidisciplinary research team with Texas A&M AgriLife and Texas A&M University has found a way to deliver a protein quickly, effectively and briefly to the brain, with therapeutic and scientific implications.

28 Sep 2022

Scientists visualize antibiotics in action inside a pathogenic bacterium

Every living cell relies on proteins in order to function and the process of protein synthesis – translation – is critical for survival.

28 Sep 2022

UArizona researchers discover new protein that is responsible for controlling cell growth in yeasts

Like bacteria, yeasts are found everywhere, even in and around our bodies. And, as with bacteria, you can become infected by yeasts and become ill. Yeasts infect about 150 million people a year and kill about 1.7 million, especially those who are immunocompromised.

28 Sep 2022

Shape-shifting mitochondria influence Th17 cells’ propensity for autoimmune activity

A new study focused on the immune system's Th17 cells suggests that the shape and function of their mitochondria (the powerhouse of cells) is important in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.

28 Sep 2022

Bile acids play an important role in regulating gut microbiome

Scientists performe in vitro and in vivo experiments to investigate the antimicrobial effects of different bile acids on various microorganisms.

27 Sep 2022

How the gut microbiome could affect COVID-19 severity

Researchers review the potential role of the gut microbiome in determining severe COVID-19.

27 Sep 2022

UVA researchers solve a decades-old mystery about how bacteria can move

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers and their collaborators have solved a decades-old mystery about how E. coli and other bacteria are able to move.

27 Sep 2022

Research reveals how carp virus uses a protein domain to inhibit host cell’s defense mechanisms

The team of Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen, virologist and immunologist at the University of Liège, has published an article in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, reporting ten years of research on how a carp virus has been using a protein domain called Zalpha (Zα) to inhibit the defense mechanisms of the host cell.

23 Sep 2022

Study finds strong links between certain gut bacteria and small molecules in the blood

There are strong links between bacteria living in the gut and the levels of small molecules in the blood known as metabolites.

23 Sep 2022

Study finds telomeres can set damage thresholds for cancer cells above which they cannot continue to divide

A recent study hypothesized that ALT might compromise telomere integrity if not restricted appropriately.

21 Sep 2022

Researchers successfully deliver a common blood pressure drug directly to cells’ ‘power plants’

In a study using lab-grown cells, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers specializing in aging report they have successfully delivered a common blood pressure drug directly to the inner membrane of mitochondria, the "power plants" in the cells of humans, animals, plants and most other organisms.

20 Sep 2022

Discovery of novel pathway offers a potential solution for preventing cancer chemo-resistance

Researchers have uncovered a novel pathway that explains how cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapies, which in turn offers a potential solution for preventing chemo-resistance.

20 Sep 2022

Cell's anti-aging structures can set the damage threshold a cancer cell can sustain, study shows

A new study led by Claus M. Azzalin, group leader at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes- iMM and published today in the prestigious scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows, for the first time, that the cell's anti-aging structures – the telomeres – can set the damage threshold a cancer cell can sustain and above which cells cannot continue to divide and die.

20 Sep 2022

Molecular engineered low-cost highly effective RBD-based COVID vaccine

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, an international team of researchers developed a second-generation severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor binding domain (RBD) antigen (RBD-J6) by molecular engineering with two additional amino acid (aa) substitutions (S383D and L518D mutations) in a hydrophobic cryptic RBD core epitope to enhance stability and expression against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs).

19 Sep 2022

Molecular & Structural Biology

Research sheds light on how the cell selects suitable protein fragments for robust T-cell response

Oxytocin induces epicardial cell proliferation, study finds

Bioactive compounds derived from Ganoderma lucidum exhibit anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

A novel method to identify spike stabilizing mutations for COVID-19 vaccine development

Study offers a new glimpse at how DNA variants can impact the lifespan

UAB study finds distinct kidney resident macrophage subpopulations located in spatially discrete microenvironments

Researchers find new way to deliver a protein quickly, effectively and briefly to the brain

Scientists visualize antibiotics in action inside a pathogenic bacterium

UArizona researchers discover new protein that is responsible for controlling cell growth in yeasts

Shape-shifting mitochondria influence Th17 cells’ propensity for autoimmune activity

Bile acids play an important role in regulating gut microbiome

How the gut microbiome could affect COVID-19 severity

UVA researchers solve a decades-old mystery about how bacteria can move

Research reveals how carp virus uses a protein domain to inhibit host cell’s defense mechanisms

Study finds strong links between certain gut bacteria and small molecules in the blood

Study finds telomeres can set damage thresholds for cancer cells above which they cannot continue to divide

Researchers successfully deliver a common blood pressure drug directly to cells’ ‘power plants’

Discovery of novel pathway offers a potential solution for preventing cancer chemo-resistance

Cell's anti-aging structures can set the damage threshold a cancer cell can sustain, study shows

Molecular engineered low-cost highly effective RBD-based COVID vaccine

Designing a new treatment to treat migraine effectively

World Sepsis Month: Increasing Sepsis Awareness, Patient Support, and Improving Survivor Outcomes

World Alzheimer’s Day 2022: Improving Post-Diagnosis Care with COGNISANCE

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