Molecular & Structural Biology

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Study finds hidden dynamics in neuronal networks

Neuronal networks in the brain can process information particularly well when they are close to a critical point - or so brain researchers had assumed based on theoretical considerations.

23 Jul 2019

Common feature that makes cancer cells appear bloated could be their potential weak spot

In a study using yeast cells and data from cancer cell lines, Johns Hopkins University scientists report they have found a potential weak spot among cancer cells that have extra sets of chromosomes, the structures that carry genetic material.

23 Jul 2019

High-resolution images offer clues to improve design of anti-nausea drugs

A new study using a special type of electron microscope using samples cooled to extremely cold temperatures provides critical information for drug developers seeking to reduce nausea and vomiting side effects of cancer treatments.

23 Jul 2019

UV-DDB protein scouts DNA damage and oversees repair

In the time it takes you to read this sentence, every cell in your body suffers some form of DNA damage. Without vigilant repair, cancer would run rampant, and now scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have gotten a glimpse of how one protein in particular keeps DNA damage in check.

22 Jul 2019

Researchers identify new mechanism for deactivation of switch proteins

A new mechanism for the deactivation of switch proteins has been identified by researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, headed by Professor Klaus Gerwert and Dr. Till Rudack from the Department of Biophysics, and the University of Uppsala in Sweden.

22 Jul 2019

Scientists confirm HIV theory by sequencing 53-year old tissue

Researchers have extracted a near-complete HIV-1 genome from the lymph node tissue of a man who has been embedded in wax since 1966.

22 Jul 2019

Study provides new insight into how changes in DNA methylation contribute to diseases

More than half of our genome consists of transposons, DNA sequences that are reminiscent of ancient, extinct viruses.

19 Jul 2019

Group of genes linked to longer lifespan in fruit flies discovered

Alexey Moskalev, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Geroprotective and Radioprotective technologies, and co-authors from the Institute of biology of Komi Science Center of RAS, the Engelgard's Institute of molecular biology of RAS and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology published a scientific article titled "Transcriptome Analysis of Long-lived Drosophila melanogaster E(z) Mutants Sheds Light on the Molecular Mechanisms of Longevity" in Nature Scientific Reports - the leading international multidisciplinary weekly journal.

19 Jul 2019

Researchers develop a more precise version of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system

A gene defect in humans causes progressive hearing loss in humans, resulting in deafness by their mid-20s. The same genetic mutation causes deafness in the Beethoven-mouse model.

18 Jul 2019

Researchers reveal molecular cause for severe multi-organ disorder

Three unrelated families on three continents (from continental Portugal, the United States and Brazil), all with healthy ancestors, had children with a very rare disease.

18 Jul 2019

Research team detects novel mechanism of inheritance

Non-Mendelian, oligogenic inheritance could bean unrecognized and important element for occurrence ofhereditary retinal degenerations (HRDs, comprising retinitis pigmentosa) which are caused by ultra-rare mutations and cause progressive blindness.

18 Jul 2019

Study defines how diarrhea-causing rotavirus initially interacts with the host

Research by the Department of Microbiology of the University of Valencia, the Institute of Biomedicine of Valencia and the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology of the CSIC has defined the initial interaction of human rotavirus P [8] (the main cause of gastroenteritis) with the recipients of the intestine.

18 Jul 2019

Novel insight into microRNA function can be crucial for the development of gene therapy

Scientists at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Oxford have shown that small RNA molecules occurring naturally in cells, i.e. microRNAs, are also abundant in cell nuclei.

18 Jul 2019

Study: Megakaryocytes play an important role in cell migration

Hematopoiesis is the process of forming blood cells, which occurs predominantly in the bone marrow. The bone marrow produces all types of blood cells: red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells.

18 Jul 2019

Molecular switches may control lifespan and healthspan separately, genetic discovery suggests

Aging research indicates that better healthspan--the quality of life as we age--may be more important than lifespan.

17 Jul 2019

Slug serves as 'command central' for determining breast stem cell health

A new study published in Cell Reports found that a transcription factor called Slug serves as 'command central' for determining breast stem cell health, regulating both stem cell activity and repair of DNA damage.

17 Jul 2019

New method spots rare immune cells reactive against cancer

Researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have developed a new method to spot rare immune cells that are reactive against cancer cells, from within a patient's own immune system.

16 Jul 2019

Removing bacterial armor could be new way to fight anthrax

A new study led by Dr. Antonella Fioravanti in the lab of Prof. Han Remaut (VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology) has shown that removing the armor of the bacterium that causes anthrax slows its growth and negatively affects its ability to cause disease.

16 Jul 2019

Discovery could pave the way towards new treatments for neurological disorders

Scientists at the University of Warwick have discovered a new process that sets the fastest molecular motor on its marathon-like runs through our neurons.

16 Jul 2019