Molecular & Structural Biology

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Bacterial movement is powered by tiny protein motor

The ability to move is key for bacteria like some strains of salmonella and E. coli to efficiently spread infections. They can propel themselves forward using threads, known as flagella, powered by the flagellar rotary motor.

15 Sep 2020

Genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease has early effects on the brain

A genetic predisposition to late-onset Alzheimer's disease affects how the brains of young adults cope with certain memory tasks.

15 Sep 2020

Scientists unravel the molecular mechanism underlying the causes of colorectal cancer

A team of scientists has unraveled the molecular mechanism behind one of the causes of colorectal cancer, and a treatment target.

15 Sep 2020

Buckling could trigger embryo morphogenesis

The embryo of an animal first looks like a hollow sphere. Invaginations then appear at different stages of development, which will give rise to the body's structures (the brain, digestive tract, etc.).

14 Sep 2020

RCas9 gene therapy clears toxic RNA buildup in mouse model of myotonic dystrophy

Myotonic dystrophy type I is the most common type of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. People with the condition inherit repeated DNA segments that lead to the toxic buildup of repetitive RNA, the messenger that carries a gene's recipe to the cell's protein-making machinery.

14 Sep 2020

Immune system study helps illuminate a surprising mind-body connection

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps illuminate a surprising mind-body connection.

14 Sep 2020

TRESK regulates the brain's circadian clock to differentiate behavior between day and night

Research from the University of Kent has found that TRESK, a calcium regulated two-pore potassium channel, regulates the brain's central circadian clock to differentiate behavior between day and night.

14 Sep 2020

DNA damage may occur far away from the point of incidence of radiation

Ultraviolet light endangers the integrity of human genetic information and may cause skin cancer. For the first time, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have demonstrated that DNA damage may also occur far away from the point of incidence of the radiation.

14 Sep 2020

Exploring sex differences in gene expression

Males and females share the vast majority of their genomes. Only a sprinkling of genes, located on the so-called X and Y sex chromosomes, differ between the sexes. Nevertheless, the activities of our genes--their expression in cells and tissues--generate profound distinctions between males and females.

12 Sep 2020

Study finds cuttlebone’s microstructure to be lightweight, stiff, and damage-tolerant

Ling Li has a lesson in one of his mechanical engineering courses on how brittle materials like calcium carbonate behave under stress.

12 Sep 2020

Antiviral effects of honeysuckle decoction affected in SIDT1poly population

Previously, Chen-Yu Zhang's group have identified SID1 transmembrane family member 1 (SIDT1) as a critical membrane protein mediating dietary miRNAs absorption, which is abolished in SIDT1 deficient mice.

11 Sep 2020

A new approach to study the role of Neandertal DNA during development

Protocols that allow the transformation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines into organoids have changed the way scientists can study developmental processes and enable them to decipher the interplay between genes and tissue formation, particularly for organs where primary tissue is not available.

11 Sep 2020

Allergic immune response against bacteria is not pathological but protective

Allergy is one of the most common diseases in Europe, it is estimated that more than 150 million Europeans suffer from recurring allergies and by 2025 this could have increased to half of the entire European population.

9 Sep 2020

Common diabetes drug controls aspects of inflammation in mice

The diabetes drug metformin--derived from a lilac plant that's been used medicinally for more than a thousand years--has been prescribed to hundreds of millions of people worldwide as the frontline treatment for type 2 diabetes.

9 Sep 2020

Scientists shed new light on gene regulatory pathways activated by stress hormone

Scientists have long known that chronic stress experienced early in life, or even chronic prenatal exposure to maternal stress hormones in the womb, can shorten lifespan and contribute to age-related chronic diseases like arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even mental illness later in life -- long after the source of stress has been removed.

9 Sep 2020

Computer model can replicate the unique firing-rate dependent behavior of Purkinje neurons

Research conducted by the Computational Neuroscience Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University has shown for the first time that a computer model can replicate and explain a unique property displayed by a crucial brain cell.

8 Sep 2020

Acne drug could be a potential treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of heart failure, affecting 1 in 250 people. The disease is characterised by an increase in size of the left ventricle of the heart.

8 Sep 2020

Viruses play a key evolutionary role in mammals' ability to reproduce and survive

As the world scrambles to control the growing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, new research in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology shows viruses also play a key evolutionary role in mammals' ability to reproduce and survive.

7 Sep 2020

Statistical model uses genomic data to predict a person's risk for esophageal cancer

7 Sep 2020

Fly brain structure governed by lineage-dependent repulsion mechanism between neurons

The brain's structure has columnar features, which are hypothesized to arise from nerve cells (neurons) stemming from the same parent cell, initially forming radial units. How exactly this process unfolds at the molecular level remains unexplained, however.

5 Sep 2020

Molecular & Structural Biology

Bacterial movement is powered by tiny protein motor

Genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease has early effects on the brain

Scientists unravel the molecular mechanism underlying the causes of colorectal cancer

Buckling could trigger embryo morphogenesis

RCas9 gene therapy clears toxic RNA buildup in mouse model of myotonic dystrophy

Immune system study helps illuminate a surprising mind-body connection

TRESK regulates the brain's circadian clock to differentiate behavior between day and night

DNA damage may occur far away from the point of incidence of radiation

Exploring sex differences in gene expression

Study finds cuttlebone’s microstructure to be lightweight, stiff, and damage-tolerant

Antiviral effects of honeysuckle decoction affected in SIDT1poly population

A new approach to study the role of Neandertal DNA during development

Allergic immune response against bacteria is not pathological but protective

Common diabetes drug controls aspects of inflammation in mice

Scientists shed new light on gene regulatory pathways activated by stress hormone

Computer model can replicate the unique firing-rate dependent behavior of Purkinje neurons

Acne drug could be a potential treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy

Viruses play a key evolutionary role in mammals' ability to reproduce and survive

Statistical model uses genomic data to predict a person's risk for esophageal cancer

Fly brain structure governed by lineage-dependent repulsion mechanism between neurons

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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