Molecular & Structural Biology

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Genetic studies analyze genome-wide set of genetic variants in different individuals

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analyze a genome-wide set of genetic variants in different individuals to see if any are associated with a trait or disease.

8 Jun 2020

Perchlorate in drinking water may be more dangerous than previously thought

Sometimes toxins, such as hazardous wastes and industrial byproducts, seep into groundwater, the source of our drinking water.

5 Jun 2020

Study offers a deeper understanding of T cell immunity in the elderly

A study by Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) expands the understanding of the molecular pathways that control T cell function and survival and how it relates to declining T cell immunity in the elderly.

5 Jun 2020

New images of LSD1 enzyme in action shed light on gene regulation

New images of an enzyme in action as it interacts with the chromosome could provide important insight into how cells--including cancer cells--regulate their genes.

5 Jun 2020

Scientists aim to develop a gene-targeting, antiviral agent against COVID-19

A team of scientists from Stanford University is working with researchers at the Molecular Foundry, a nanoscience user facility located at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), to develop a gene-targeting, antiviral agent against COVID-19.

4 Jun 2020

Exploring the molecular landscape of the aortic niche and beyond

Researchers from the group of Catherine Robin at the Hubrecht Institute characterized the molecular landscape of the aorta that supports the generation of the first Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) in the embryo.

4 Jun 2020

Scientists provide clarity into how cells remember their identity

Cancer is often the result of DNA mutations or problems with how cells divide, which can lead to cells "forgetting" what type of cell they are or how to function properly.

4 Jun 2020

Researchers discover novel gene involved in DNA damage repair and male fertility

A research group from the Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics at Kumamoto University, Japan has discovered that the gene C19ORF57 plays a critical role in meiosis.

4 Jun 2020

Hairy human skin grown from pluripotent stem cells

Building on years of groundbreaking discoveries in stem cell research, scientists from Indiana University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School have determined how to grow hairy skin using human stem cells--developing one of the most complex skin models in the world.

4 Jun 2020

Small protein has a large impact on bacterial gene regulation

Meningococci are bacteria that can cause life-threatening meningitis and sepsis. These pathogens use a small protein with a large impact: The RNA-binding protein ProQ is involved in the activation of more than 250 bacterial genes.

4 Jun 2020

Using advanced microscopy techniques to see single molecules of telomerase in living cells

Canadian scientists have achieved a first in the study of telomerase, an essential enzyme implicated in aging and cancer.

3 Jun 2020

Scientists uncover why developing nerve cells take a wrong turn

A group of scientists from CECAD, the Cluster of Excellence 'Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases,' have found a mechanism by which neurodevelopmental diseases concerning neurons can be explained: The loss of a certain enzyme, UBE2K, impeded the differentiation of stem cells by silencing the expression of genes important for neuronal differentiation and, therefore, the development and generation of neurons.

3 Jun 2020

Bacteria lurking in cancer cells may affect treatment

Cancer cells are comfy havens for bacteria. That conclusion arises from a rigorous study of over 1,000 tumor samples of different human cancers.

2 Jun 2020

New advance addresses a big challenge with using CRISPR in cancer patients

A mutation unique to certain cancer tumors is a potential homing beacon for safely deploying CRISPR gene editing enzymes to disarm DNA that makes cancer cells resistant to treatment, while ignoring the gene in normal cells where it's critical to healthy function, according to a new study from ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute in the journal Molecular Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2020

Study resolves contradictions surrounding p53 gene's role in pluripotent stem cell differentiation

The gene p53 is extremely important in cell biology and, hence, the world of cell replacement therapy. Its role is to regulate the cell cycle and halt the formation of tumors, leading to its nickname the "tumor suppressor gene."

1 Jun 2020

Stem cell model sheds new light on the devastating process of neurodegeneration

A new study published today in Neuron led by The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute's Valentina Fossati, Ph.D., creates astrocytes - an integral support cell in the brain - from stem cells and shows that in disease-like environments, these normally helpful cells can turn into neuron-killers.

1 Jun 2020