Molecular & Structural Biology

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Two marine molecules show potential to treat Alzheimer's disease

An interdisciplinary research study of the University of Barcelona identified two potential candidates to treat Alzheimer's disease. These are two marine molecules, meridianine and lignarenone B, able to alter the activity of GSK3B activity, a protein associated with several neurodegenerative diseases.

28 May 2020

New insight into RNA movements can pave way for strategies to treat cancer

Research from Karolinska Institutet published today in Nature shows that an RNA molecule involved in preventing tumour formation can change its structure and thereby control protein production in the cell.

28 May 2020

Study offers new insight into how cells fuse

Scientists have known for a decade that cells that fuse with others to perform their essential functions - such as muscle cells that join together to make fibers - form long projections that invade the territory of their fusion partners.

26 May 2020

Study uncovers how protein inhibits the development of tumors in mice

Proteins are found throughout our cells and regulate a lot of biological processes that are important forour survival.

26 May 2020

Collagen maturation regulates PEDF availability, study shows

Cells are like tiny self-contained machines that are constantly fine-tuned in response to both internal and external signals. Some of these signals are induced by extracellular ligands, specialized proteins that bind to specific receptors on the cell surface, stimulating signaling pathways and altering gene expression.

26 May 2020

UZH researchers develop new X-ray contrast agent for high-resolution vascular imaging

Various diseases in humans and animals - such as tumors, strokes or chronic kidney disease - damage the blood vessels. Capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the body, are particularly affected.

26 May 2020

The eye initiates an immune response in the lens after injury

The lens of the eye is an unusual organ. Unlike most of the body's organs, blood vessels don't reach the lens. If they did, they'd obscure our vision and we wouldn't be able to see.

26 May 2020

3D model displays arrangement of intrinsic neurons in the rat heart

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a virtual 3D heart, digitally showcasing the heart's unique network of neurons for the first time.

26 May 2020

Women with Neandertal gene have increased fertility

One in three women in Europe inherited the receptor for progesterone from Neandertals - a gene variant associated with increased fertility, fewer bleedings during early pregnancy and fewer miscarriages.

26 May 2020

New technique for fast, easy optimization of antibodies using chicken cells

Antibodies for potential use as medicines can be made rapidly in chicken cells grown in laboratories. Researchers refer to their technique as the human ADLib system, short for autonomously diversifying libraries.

26 May 2020

Rejuvenated fibroblasts could be used in regenerative medicine, stem cell engineering

Fibroblasts are the most common connective tissue cells. They produce the structural framework for animal tissues, synthesize the extracellular matrix and collagen, and play a critical role in wound healing.

26 May 2020

Researchers recombine entire chromosomes with CRISPR/Cas technology

The CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors work like a fine surgical instrument and can be used to modify genetic information in plants.

25 May 2020

Study uncovers the role of DNA repair in preserving egg quality

A Monash University study has uncovered the role DNA repair plays in preserving egg quality, offering hope for women whose eggs may be damaged through treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.

22 May 2020

Virginia Tech researcher wins $661,216 grant to study Lyme arthritis

With a $661,216 grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Brandon Jutras, an assistant professor of biochemistry in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will study Lyme arthritis, including the cellular component that contributes to it.

22 May 2020

Study hints a mechanistic link between sex and stress response in microbes

Why is sex so popular? The question of why so many organisms reproduce sexually has mystified evolutionary biologists since before Darwin, who wrote that "The whole subject is as yet hidden in darkness."

21 May 2020

Novel tool helps translate complex communication between microbes and the body

A new tool developed by scientists at the Quadram Institute and Earlham Institute is helping to translate the complex communication between the microbiome and the body.

21 May 2020

Research demonstrates self-synthesis and assembly of 30S subunit of ribosome

As the cell's protein factory, the ribosome is the only natural machine that manufactures its own parts. That is why understanding how the machine, itself, is made, could unlock the door to everything from understanding how life develops to designing new methods of drug production.

21 May 2020