Molecular & Structural Biology

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University of Cincinnati professor awarded $1.6 million NIAID grant to study Hamburger E. coli

Alison Weiss, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology in UC College of Medicine, has been awarded a four-year grant of $1.6 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli 0157:H7, also sometimes referred to as Hamburger E. coli.

9 Jan 2019

Stick insect study reveals importance of small limbs' passive muscle force for swift movements

Long, heavy limbs such as arms or legs differ fundamentally from short, light limbs such as fingers in their ability to execute fast movements. While the central nervous system has to actively control fast movements of large limbs, passive muscle force can suffice for the movement velocity and movement amplitude of small and light limbs.

9 Jan 2019

Protein discovery could lead to mosquito "birth control"

Researchers have discovered a way of preventing mosquito eggs from hatching, paving the way for drugs that could serve as “birth control” within mosquito populations.

9 Jan 2019

New mechanism of gene regulation involved in tumor progression discovered

Genes contain all the information needed for the functioning of cells, tissues, and organs in our body. Gene expression, meaning when and how are the genes being read and executed, is thoroughly regulated like an assembly line with several things happening one after another.

9 Jan 2019

Study offers new insight on mechanism underlying control of gene expression

Researchers have provided new insight on the mechanism underlying the control of gene expression in all living organisms, according to a study published today in eLife.

8 Jan 2019

Scientists explore bacterial immunity to better understand infectious disease

Patients with cystic fibrosis are often infected by pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that infects the lungs and prevents breathing, often causing death.

8 Jan 2019

New molecular engineering method improves precision of biomarker analysis

Researchers from the University of Helsinki in cooperation with the University of Tartu, Competence Centre on Health Technologies from Estonia, and the Karolinska Institute, published an article in Nature's partner journal Genomic Medicine in which they present Targeted Allele Counting by sequencing along with several of its potential applications.

8 Jan 2019

Scientists identify evolutionary formula for monogamy

U.S. biologists have conducted a study showing that the evolution of a universal transcriptomic code underlies monogamous behavior in various species of vertebrates.

8 Jan 2019

Washington University scientists find an unknown route for cellular fuel delivery

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a previously unknown route for cellular fuel delivery, a finding that could shed light on the process of aging and the chronic diseases that often accompany it.

8 Jan 2019

Salk researchers reveal clues into early development of ASD

Autism spectrum disorder is a relatively common developmental disorder of communication and behavior that affects about 1 in 59 children in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite its prevalence, it is still unclear what causes the disease and what are the best ways to treat it.

7 Jan 2019

Study elucidates how essential amino acid in humans acts as growth signal for cells

A recent study from the Laxman lab elucidates how a small metabolite and amino acid, methionine, acts as a growth signal for cells, by setting into motion a metabolic program for cell proliferation.

7 Jan 2019

Scientists fix flawed plant genes, make plants grow 40% larger

Researchers in the US have genetically engineered a way of shortcutting photosynthesis to increase the size of tobacco plants by up to 40%.

4 Jan 2019

Inhalable mRNA offers hope for patients with lung disease

Scientists have reported the success of an inhalable mRNA therapy that can induce the production of a target protein in the lungs of mice.

4 Jan 2019

New method for automation of DNA origami

Nature has made extravagant use of a simple molecule--DNA, the floorplan of all earthly life.

4 Jan 2019

Researchers shed new light on the body's largest cell receptor

A giant toadstool that swallow up vitamins and nutrients. This is how the receptor, which e.g. absorbs B12 vitamin, looks. For the first time, researchers have an insight into a biology which has survived millions of years.

3 Jan 2019

Senescent cells in the brain shown to cause obesity-related anxiety

Researchers have shown that obesity increases the level of semi-dormant senescent cells in the brain, which give rise to anxiety-like behaviors.

3 Jan 2019

Researchers reveal cause of possible genetic problems in mitochondria

A group of researchers from the Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine has revealed the importance of eliminating any excess of defective products that might have accumulated in the mitochondria, as its presence generates mitochondrial instability and information loss on the mitochondrial genome.

3 Jan 2019

Scientists cast new light on function of long-mysterious PCSK9 mutation

High levels of low-density lipoproteins, parcels of lipids and protein that carry cholesterol, are a leading risk factor for heart disease. Many cholesterol medications lower LDL, some of them by targeting the protein PCSK9. In the January issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, report on an investigation into why experiments on PCSK9 give different results in a test tube and in liver cells.

2 Jan 2019

Using Assay Kits and Dyes to Advance Cell Biology Research

In this interview, Richard Delle Bovi highlights live cell ability of the CELLESTIAL® analysis kit from Enzo Life Sciences and its applications in cell biology.

From Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. 2 Jan 2019

Salk scientists show how brain cells filter information in groups

When we perceive the world around us, certain objects appear to be more noticeable than others, depending on what we do. For example, when we view a forest-covered mountain from a distance, the forest looks like a large green carpet. But as we get closer, we start noticing the individual trees, and the forest fades to the background.

2 Jan 2019