Molecular & Structural Biology

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Improper Z-RNA recognition contributes to pathogenesis of Aicardi-Goutières syndrome

Like DNA, RNA molecules contain information through unique combinations of four different nucleotides. However, through a molecular process called RNA editing, chemical changes can be made to adenosine nucleotides that convert them to a nucleotide called inosine by enzymes known as adenosine deaminases (ADARs).

21 Oct 2021

Novel pathways to target breast cancer identified

A pathway helping the breast cancer protein BRCA1 repair damaged DNA has been identified by University of Queensland researchers in a study that will inform future targeted therapies.

20 Oct 2021

Scientists pave the way for creating 'mini biological computers' in droplets

Scientists have worked out how to best get DNA to communicate with membranes in our body, paving the way for the creation of 'mini biological computers' in droplets that have potential uses in biosensing and mRNA vaccines.

18 Oct 2021

New method to study the nuclear pore complex directly inside cells

Context matters. It's true for many facets of life, including the tiny molecular machines that perform vital functions inside our cells.

18 Oct 2021

Researchers discover a new paradigm for how biological switches are regulated

Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) researchers at UC San Francisco have discovered a new paradigm for how fundamental biological switches, proteins that can be turned on and off to control processes like cell differentiation, cell growth, and transport within a cell, are regulated at the molecular level, specifically by molecules binding at newly discovered sites far away from the main binding site, and the broader impacts these changes have on a cellular level.

18 Oct 2021

Research reveals how daily circadian rhythms help to change heart function

A new study has shown how circadian rhythms in heart cells help to change heart function over the course of the day and may explain why shift workers are more vulnerable to heart problems.

18 Oct 2021

Statistical study reveals constraints and directions in the evolution of protein structure, function

A recent statistical study has revealed some of the constraints and directions in the evolution of the structure and function of proteins.

15 Oct 2021

Researchers identify neurons and signaling pathways that make sexually receptive females more active

Scientists have known for a century that female animals become more active just as they are about to ovulate, a behavior that evolved to enhance their chances of mating when they are fertile.

15 Oct 2021

Research reveals 3D structure of cell receptor with critical role in health and disease

Cells communicate with their environment via receptors on their surface. When a protein approaches these receptors, they can pass along a message to the inside of the cell, for example the instruction to grow which can lead to tumor formation.

13 Oct 2021

Researchers find how iron deficient plants protect themselves from damaging light

Researchers have identified how iron deficient plants protect themselves from damaging light, according to a Dartmouth study.

13 Oct 2021

New method helps to analyze proteins during dynamic processes on biological membranes

A large proportion of biologically relevant processes take place at membranes. Studying the dynamics of these processes in real time and without disturbing the biological system is still a major methodological challenge.

12 Oct 2021

Study identifies a new detrimental effect of genes that cause inherited diseases

Scientists have identified a new detrimental effect of genes that cause inherited diseases, publishing their results today in eLife.

12 Oct 2021

Research elucidates how chaperones display "selective promiscuity" for specific proteins

A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has announced a major new advance in understanding how our genetic information eventually translates into functional proteins - one of the building blocks of human life.

12 Oct 2021

Novel therapy approach could stop tumor growth

The immune system protects the body from cancer. To protect healthy body cells from its own immune system, they have developed a protective shield: the protein CD47 is a so called "don't eat me" signal, which tells the immune cells to stand back.

12 Oct 2021

New molecular understanding of variations in salmonella virulence

Researchers from the University of Seville, in collaboration with the universities of Zaragoza and Kansas (USA), have managed to describe hitherto unknown processes that allow us to understand the virulence of a Salmonella infection.

11 Oct 2021

Machine learning algorithms accelerate the protein engineering process

Proteins are the molecular machines of all living cells and have been exploited for use in many applications, including therapeutics and industrial catalysts.

7 Oct 2021

Scientists elucidate the structure of protein complex essential for proper functioning of cells

Scientists at IST Austria describe for the first time the structure of a protein complex essential for our cells to function properly.

7 Oct 2021

Planar cell polarity pathway found to be responsible for the formation and maintenance of synapses

Within the brain and other parts of the nervous system, synapses are key junctional points in between neurons (the nerve cells) where critical signals are transmitted. More specifically, the "glutamatergic" synapses are the prime "excitatory" synapse junctions that neurons use to activate each other and are known to have broad diversity in size and shape.

7 Oct 2021

Tiny bubbles show promise for reducing inflammation

Scientists hope that tiny sacs of material excreted by cells - so-called extracellular vesicles - can be used to deliver drugs inside the body. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet now show that these nano-bubbles can transport protein drugs that reduce inflammation caused by different diseases.

6 Oct 2021

Toxic fatty acids trigger cell death in damaged neurons

Cells that normally nourish healthy brain cells called neurons release toxic fatty acids after neurons are damaged, a new study in rodents shows.

6 Oct 2021

Molecular & Structural Biology

Improper Z-RNA recognition contributes to pathogenesis of Aicardi-Goutières syndrome

Novel pathways to target breast cancer identified

Scientists pave the way for creating 'mini biological computers' in droplets

New method to study the nuclear pore complex directly inside cells

Researchers discover a new paradigm for how biological switches are regulated

Research reveals how daily circadian rhythms help to change heart function

Statistical study reveals constraints and directions in the evolution of protein structure, function

Researchers identify neurons and signaling pathways that make sexually receptive females more active

Research reveals 3D structure of cell receptor with critical role in health and disease

Researchers find how iron deficient plants protect themselves from damaging light

New method helps to analyze proteins during dynamic processes on biological membranes

Study identifies a new detrimental effect of genes that cause inherited diseases

Research elucidates how chaperones display "selective promiscuity" for specific proteins

Novel therapy approach could stop tumor growth

New molecular understanding of variations in salmonella virulence

Machine learning algorithms accelerate the protein engineering process

Scientists elucidate the structure of protein complex essential for proper functioning of cells

Planar cell polarity pathway found to be responsible for the formation and maintenance of synapses

Tiny bubbles show promise for reducing inflammation

Toxic fatty acids trigger cell death in damaged neurons

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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