Toxin News and Research

RSS

Novel Chemical Probes Improve Capture of Elusive DNA Repair Proteins

PARylation is a reversible post-translational modification in which PARP enzymes use NAD+ to assemble PAR chains on proteins. These chains can function as signaling scaffolds that recruit proteins involved in DNA repair, chromatin organization, transcription, and stress responses.

1 Sep 2026

Advanced Computational Methods Map Metabolite Binding Proteins Across Cellular Contexts

Endogenous metabolites participate in nearly every fundamental biological process, serving not only as metabolic intermediates but also as signaling molecules that influence physiology and disease.

1 Sep 2026

Research Reveals Supposedly Decoded Gene Has Hidden Cellular Function

The complete genome for the tuberculosis bacterium was sequenced and published in 1998. Since then, scientists have deciphered about two-thirds of TB's genes. Or have they?

18 Aug 2026

Study Reveals Why People Are At Greater Risk of Fungal Infections Than Others

A study on Candida albicans uncovers immune mechanisms that prevent systemic infections, emphasizing the role of IL-1 cytokines and neutrophil response.

13 Aug 2026

Scientists Discover How Heart Muscle Cells Remodel Actin Filaments

Biophysicists unraveled a mystery of how muscles form at the molecular level and how they maintain their function.

30 Jul 2026

Fluctuating Environments Stabilize a Self-Destructive Survival Strategy in Yeast

A research group led by Tetsuhiro Hatakeyama from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Institute of Science Tokyo have revealed how a seemingly self-destructive survival strategy could persist in yeast for hundreds of millions of years.

27 Jul 2026

Bullfrog Protein Saxiphilin Acts as Effective Antidote for Marine Saxitoxin

The "red tide" algal blooms that are becoming more frequent along the Pacific coast produce one of the most potent neurotoxins known: saxitoxin, or STX.

17 Jul 2026

Advanced Cellular Mapping Preserves Spatial Architecture During Holistic Herb Interventions

Traditional Chinese medicine is widely recognized for its holistic and systematic mode of action, often described as "multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway" regulation.

17 Jul 2026

Intermicrobial Antagonism Controls Essential Bacteria Populations in Human Guts

Mougous, John F. Enders Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis at Yale School of Medicine (YSM), studies bacterial warfare, or how different microbes defend their ecological niches against other species.

14 Jul 2026

Ancient Plague Killed Hunter Gatherers Long Before Medieval Cities

Plague is commonly associated with rats, crowded medieval cities, and the epidemics that swept across Europe during and after the Middle Ages.

18 Jun 2026

Evolutionary Biology Unlocks Secret Toxins Hidden Inside Poison Dart Frogs

There is a group of colorful amphibians that are known for storing defensive alkaloids in glands on their skin.

16 Jun 2026

Brazilian Researchers Identify Forty Five New Toxins in Salmonella Samples

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered 45 new toxins produced by Salmonella bacteria, some of which are associated with foodborne infections.

12 Jun 2026

Genomewide CRISPR Screen Reveals Unexpected Structural Protein Link Behind Chronic Colon Inflammation

Since a landmark 2009 study, researchers have known that a common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon. But until now, the exact mechanism the toxin uses to latch onto those cells remained a mystery.

25 May 2026

Novel Formicitoxins Found in Carpenter Ant Venom Offer Drug Discovery Impetus

The venom of forest ants and horse ants contains numerous substances that protect the insects from pathogens. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and Freie Universität Berlin have succeeded for the first time in identifying and characterizing these novel antimicrobial substances in the insects' venom.

19 May 2026

New Epigenetic Marker Reveals Lasting Impact of Arsenic Exposure

Public health experts estimate that more than 200 million people worldwide are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water.

5 May 2026

How the Microbiome Shapes Cancer Immunity and Therapy Response

This review examines how the human microbiome regulates anti-tumor immunity through DNA damage, inflammation, immune-cell activity, microbial metabolites, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. It highlights emerging microbiome-based strategies, including FMT, probiotics, prebiotics, engineered bacteria, and live biotherapeutics, while stressing the need for rigorous validation and clinical trials.

29 Apr 2026