Molecular & Structural Biology

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Length of pregnancy related to chemical DNA changes in newborns

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have together with an international team mapped the relationship between length of pregnancy and chemical DNA changes in more than 6,000 newborn babies.

2 Mar 2020

Manipulation of CRF neurons motivates behavioral style selection under stress

In response to stressors, individuals exhibit different coping styles, each characterized by a set of behavioral, physiological, and psychological responses.

2 Mar 2020

Novel technique helps trace individual chromosomes during embryonic development

The spatial arrangement of genetic material within the cell nucleus plays an important role in the development of an organism.

28 Feb 2020

Researchers elucidate structure and function of enzyme that builds complex sugar trees

Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate for the first time the structure and function of a very small enzyme embedded in cell membranes.

27 Feb 2020

Bifunctional nanobodies with antitoxin potencies could protect against botulinum neurotoxins

New study reveals potential for developing novel antibody-based antitoxins against botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), including the most commonly used, yet most toxic one, Botox.

27 Feb 2020

New clue behind chronic diseases and food spoilage discovered

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have made a surprising discovery that could help explain our risk for developing chronic diseases or cancers as we get older, and how our food decomposes over time.

26 Feb 2020

New discovery will change our understanding of bile production

Forget what you know about bile because that's about to change, thanks to a new discovery made by Michigan State University and published in the current issue of Nature.

26 Feb 2020

Gene-editing is more error-prone than thought, new findings suggest

The standard gene-editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, frequently produces a type of DNA mutation that ordinary genetic analysis misses, claims new research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

26 Feb 2020

Aggressive cancers set up a structural framework to keep the immune system at bay

Aggressive colorectal cancers set up an interactive network of checkpoints to keep the immune system at bay, scientists report.

26 Feb 2020

Scientists discover new biological mechanism of insulin signaling

In a discovery that may further the understanding of diabetes and human longevity, scientists at Scripps Research have found a new biological mechanism of insulin signaling.

25 Feb 2020

Cryo-electron microscopy reveals how transport protein works very efficiently

The structure of a transport complex used by bacteria to import aspartate has been mapped in unique detail by University of Groningen scientists.

24 Feb 2020

Scientific breakthrough provides insights into basic mechanisms of allergic reactions

An international research team has been able to describe the overall structure of the antibody type IgE, which is the key molecule in allergic diseases.

24 Feb 2020

DNA topological problems may cause lymphoma, study shows

Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, Madrid, and the Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Seville, published today a paper in Nature Communications that shows that DNA topological problems may cause endogenous DNA breaks that have a causal relationship with cancer.

24 Feb 2020

New way to chart human genome with CRISPR/nanopore sequencing technique

In search of new ways to sequence human genomes and read critical alterations in DNA, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully used the gene cutting tool CRISPR to make cuts in DNA around lengthy tumor genes, which can be used to collect sequence information.

24 Feb 2020

Researchers discover glial cells that control stress response, extend lifespan in worms

While many of us worry about proteins aggregating in our brains as we age and potentially causing Alzheimer's disease or other types of neurodegeneration, we may not realize that some of the same proteins are aggregating in our muscles, setting us up for muscle atrophy in old age.

23 Feb 2020