Molecular & Structural Biology

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Evolution can favor flexible proteins, research suggests

When you think of proteins – the enzymes, signaling molecules, and structural components in every living thing – you might think of single strands of amino acids, organized like beads on a string.

26 Aug 2022

Study identifies novel neutrophil biomarkers of delayed recovery in COVID-19

Researchers map the proteomes of peripheral blood neutrophils isolated from hospitalized COVID-19 patients using high-resolution LC-MS.

25 Aug 2022

Unconventional T cells influence immune responses in the lymph nodes

Lymph nodes trigger very different immune responses – depending on which body tissue they are connected to. Special T cells are responsible for this newly discovered relation.

23 Aug 2022

UCI study uncovers key insights into 'parasitic genes'

They are considered "parasitic genes." Even though they comprise over half of human DNA, much remains to be learned about them.

23 Aug 2022

Common molecular tool for DNA labelling shows unexpected anticancer properties

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have made the surprising discovery that a molecule called EdU, which is commonly used in laboratory experiments to label DNA, is in fact recognized by human cells as DNA damage, triggering a runaway process of DNA repair that is eventually fatal to affected cells, including cancer cells.

23 Aug 2022

SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection induces virus-specific nasal T-cells

A new study reports that hybrid immunity induced by vaccination and previous infection induces SARS-CoV-2-specific tissue-resident T-cells in the nasal cavity.

22 Aug 2022

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers challenge the prevailing belief on how nasal cells process scent

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have evidence to potentially overturn a prevailing belief in a type of important signaling within cells.

18 Aug 2022

Researchers visualize antigen-bound T-cell receptor at atomic resolution

T cells are our immune system’s customized tools for fighting infectious diseases and tumor cells. On their surface, these special white blood cells carry a receptor that recognizes antigens.

18 Aug 2022

Researchers create novel mouse model for mapping protein communication between organs

Our many different organ systems are in constant communication with each other. During exercise, for example, muscles send out signals to fat and liver tissue to release their energy sources.

17 Aug 2022

Innovative technology revels the impact of environmental conditions on RNA structures in living cells

The impact of environmental conditions on the dynamic structures of RNAs in living cells has been revealed by innovative technology developed by researchers at the John Innes Centre.

17 Aug 2022

Scientists elucidate the structure of Type IV secretion system involved in antibiotic resistance

With antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the rise, scientists have been searching for ways to shut down the Type IV secretion system (T4SS), a protein complex on the outer envelope of bacterial cells that helps them to exchange DNA with neighboring bacteria and resist antibiotics.

17 Aug 2022

KAUST bioscientists develop new method to study the bone marrow microenvironment in greater detail

Deep molecular analysis of the bone marrow microenvironment reveals that the cells regulating blood stem cell maintenance are more diverse than expected and have features likely to be conserved between species.

16 Aug 2022

Intestinal tissue-resident lymphocytes regulate their activity depending on glucose availability

A new study led by Marc Veldhoen, group leader at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM; Portugal) and Associate Professor at Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa (FMUL) and published today in the scientific journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) discovered that white blood cells that reside in the intestines, a specific group of immune cells called tissue-resident lymphocytes, use sugar as an energy source and have a faster metabolism than lymphocytes that circulate in the blood.

15 Aug 2022

Study paves new way to develop a predictive biomarker for TRAIL therapy

A cytokine named TRAIL binds to TRAIL receptors and kills cancer cells, but not normal cells. Therefore, various anticancer drugs targeting TRAIL receptors have been developed and gained great attention as a promising cancer therapeutics, but a certain population of cancer patients does not respond to the therapy.

15 Aug 2022

In monkeys, spike-based vaccines produce some immunity based on CD8 T-cells

Scientists evaluate the role of CD8+ T-cells in vaccine protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in rhesus macaques.

14 Aug 2022

Why is COVID-19 more severe in people older than 50?

A new study reports that the reduced efficiency of the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 could be due to the reduced diversity of both B- and T-cells.

14 Aug 2022

Men exposed to industrial air pollution exhibit sperm mitochondrial DNA deletions

Researchers compare the length spectra of sperm mitochondrial DNA deletions in two seasons with varied air pollution levels.

14 Aug 2022

Recombination most often occurs on the COVID-19 phylogenetic tree in the form of 'long branches'

An analysis of millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes finds that recombination of the virus is uncommon, but when it occurs, it is most often in the spike protein region, the area which allows the virus to attach to and infect host cells.

11 Aug 2022

UTSW scientists discover mechanism of RNA capping by SARS-CoV-2 virus

A team led by UT Southwestern researchers has identified how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, builds a structure called the RNA cap that's critical for successful viral replication.

10 Aug 2022

IRB scientists identify critical spots on the genome where gene editing could cause an unwanted response

CRISPR/Cas9 is a commonly used, very precise, gene editing technique whose development, by Jennifer A. Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, was recognised with the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Commonly known as "genetic scissors", CRISPR allows the introduction of the desired DNA sequence into (virtually) any spot of the genome, thus modifying or inactivating a gene. This technique is widely used in biomedical research and some CRISPR-based therapies are in clinical trials for the treatment of human blood disorders, some types of cancer and HIV, among other conditions.

10 Aug 2022

Molecular & Structural Biology

Evolution can favor flexible proteins, research suggests

Study identifies novel neutrophil biomarkers of delayed recovery in COVID-19

Unconventional T cells influence immune responses in the lymph nodes

UCI study uncovers key insights into 'parasitic genes'

Common molecular tool for DNA labelling shows unexpected anticancer properties

SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection induces virus-specific nasal T-cells

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers challenge the prevailing belief on how nasal cells process scent

Researchers visualize antigen-bound T-cell receptor at atomic resolution

Researchers create novel mouse model for mapping protein communication between organs

Innovative technology revels the impact of environmental conditions on RNA structures in living cells

Scientists elucidate the structure of Type IV secretion system involved in antibiotic resistance

KAUST bioscientists develop new method to study the bone marrow microenvironment in greater detail

Intestinal tissue-resident lymphocytes regulate their activity depending on glucose availability

Study paves new way to develop a predictive biomarker for TRAIL therapy

In monkeys, spike-based vaccines produce some immunity based on CD8 T-cells

Why is COVID-19 more severe in people older than 50?

Men exposed to industrial air pollution exhibit sperm mitochondrial DNA deletions

Recombination most often occurs on the COVID-19 phylogenetic tree in the form of 'long branches'

UTSW scientists discover mechanism of RNA capping by SARS-CoV-2 virus

IRB scientists identify critical spots on the genome where gene editing could cause an unwanted response

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

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