Molecular & Structural Biology

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Excess genetic exchanges impede the segregation of chromosomes into eggs

The exchange of DNA between chromosomes during the early formation of sperm and egg cells normally is limited to assure fertility.

8 Oct 2020

Production of bone substitutes is less complicated than was previously thought

The way in which bone formation occurs needs to be redefined. This was revealed by Radboud university medical center researchers and their colleagues in a publication in Nature Communications.

8 Oct 2020

PCR Biosystems launches NGSBIO Library Quant Kit for Illumina

PCR Biosystems, the UK-based PCR experts, have expanded their range of specialist molecular biology kits with the introduction of NGSBIO Library Quant Kit for Illumina®.

From PCR Biosystems Ltd. 8 Oct 2020

NTHU research could have significant impact on the treatment of dementia

One of the causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's is the calcification of the basal nucleus of the brain, which blocks the membrane protein channels on the surface of brain cells, preventing the transmission of signal molecules and nutrients to the cells.

8 Oct 2020

Research team discovers a new key player in long-term memory

A McGill-led multi-institutional research team has discovered that during memory consolidation, there are at least two distinct processes taking place in two different brain networks - the excitatory and inhibitory networks.

7 Oct 2020

Research elucidates the molecular mechanism of lentiviral cross-species transmission

Humans are exposed continuously to the menace of viral diseases such as those caused by the Ebola virus, Zika virus and coronaviruses. Such emerging/re-emerging viral outbreaks can be triggered by cross-species viral transmission from wild animals to humans.

7 Oct 2020

Researchers track time-resolved allosteric changes in PDZ2 test protein

Proteins transduce information and signals within the human body by changes in their structures. For example, hormones binding to their target proteins cause a structural change which in turn opens new binding sites for other proteins elsewhere on the surface of the protein.

7 Oct 2020

Researchers decipher evolution of the Y chromosome in great apes

New analysis of the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosomes from all living species of the great ape family helps to clarify our understanding of how this enigmatic chromosome evolved.

6 Oct 2020

New approach to reveal high-resolution protein structural details

The number of proteins in the human body, collectively known as the proteome, is vast. Somewhere between 80,000 and 400,000 proteins circulate in our cells, tissues and organs, carrying out a broad range of duties essential for life.

6 Oct 2020

Salk physician-scientist has been named an NIH Director's New Innovator for 2020

Salk Institute Assistant Professor Edward Stites has been named an NIH Director's New Innovator for 2020 as part of the National Institutes of Health's High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program.

6 Oct 2020

A new method to deliver drugs to the brain with pinpoint accuracy

Focused ultrasound waves help ETH researchers to deliver drugs to the brain with pinpoint accuracy, in other words only to where their effect is desired. This method is set to enable treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders and tumors with fewer side effects in the future.

5 Oct 2020

Scientists discover small molecules that may reduce cellular stress

For many, getting older can unfortunately mean an increased risk of illness from cardiovascular disease to cancer.

5 Oct 2020

Study offers explanation for why people's responses to the same drug vary widely

Scientists at Scripps Research have comprehensively mapped how a key class of proteins within cells regulates signals coming in from cell surface receptors.

1 Oct 2020

Direction and type of the force acting on a cell can alter gene expression

Tissues and cells in the human body are subjected to a constant push and pull - strained by other cells, blood pressure and fluid flow, to name a few.

1 Oct 2020

Scientists map genetic networks that control the biology of regulatory T cells

Unlike most T cells, which launch immune responses against foreign molecules, regulatory T cells are the peacekeepers of the human immune system, damping down inflammatory reactions when they're not needed.

1 Oct 2020

Researchers unravel new mechanism of cell survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Researchers at The Wistar Institute unraveled a mechanism employed by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells for their survival.

30 Sep 2020

Researchers identify the target structures for T-cell response against SARS-CoV-2

Our immune system can efficiently fend off viral diseases. Two types of immune cells play an important role in this process: The T-cells, which firstly can directly destroy virus-infected cells and secondly enable the formation of efficient, virus-neutralizing antibodies by B-cells.

30 Sep 2020

Researchers create drug-like compounds to destroy coronavirus' frameshifting element

Scripps Research chemist Matthew Disney, PhD, and colleagues have created drug-like compounds that, in human cell studies, bind and destroy the pandemic coronavirus' so-called "frameshifting element" to stop the virus from replicating.

30 Sep 2020

Neanderthal gene variant linked to higher risk of developing severe COVID-19

A study published in Nature shows that a segment of DNA that causes their carriers to have an up to three times higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neandertals. The study was conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

30 Sep 2020