Biochemistry News and Research

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Scientists Uncover Key Plant Metabolite to Block Biofilm Development

If your teeth have ever felt fuzzy after skipping a brushing, you've encountered biofilm-a slimy bacterial layer that clings to surfaces. In medical settings, biofilms make infections harder to treat when they form protective shields for bacteria on devices like catheters and implants.

13 Jan 2025

Illuminating RNA Function with Innovative Bioluminescent Probes

The molecule that reads the genetic data contained in DNA is called RNA. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have found a method to tag RNA with a glowing bioluminescent molecule, which enables them to track RNA in real time as it travels throughout the body.

10 Jan 2025

New Insights into How Nitrogenase Enzyme Survives Oxygen Exposure

Nitrogen is an essential component in the production of amino acids and nucleic acids - both necessary for cell growth and function.

9 Jan 2025

Weak Molecular Interactions Trigger Autophagy in Cells

Recycling takes place in our cells at all times: in a process called autophagy, cell components that are no longer needed are enclosed by membranes and broken down into their basic building blocks.

8 Jan 2025

Zinc Stress Exposes Vulnerabilities in Drug-Resistant Bacteria

McMaster University researchers have identified zinc or the lack of it as a crucial weakness in drug-resistant bacteria.

7 Jan 2025

Stress Pathway in Microglia Found to Contribute to Alzheimer's Neurodegeneration

Researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have unveiled a critical mechanism that links cellular stress in the brain to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

26 Dec 2024

New Platform Simplifies Protein-Protein Interaction Measurements

A team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has created a platform, called SIMPL2, that revolutionizes the study of protein-protein interactions by simplifying detection while improving measurement accuracy.

26 Dec 2024

New Synthetic Biology Tool Improves Genetic Circuit Integration and Functionality

The research team led by Professor Jongmin Kim from the Department of Life Sciences at POSTECH, along with graduate students Hyunseop Goh and Seungdo Choi, has successfully developed the 'Synthetic Translational Coupling Element (SynTCE),' significantly enhancing the precision and integration density of genetic circuits in synthetic biology.

23 Dec 2024

Chaperone Proteins Unveil Their Role in Neurotransmission

A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst is the first to show how proteins called "chaperones" are vital in ensuring that neurons can transmit signals to one another. When this neurotransmission breaks down, devastating diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's along with many others, can occur.

19 Dec 2024

Study Reveals How Toxoplasma Parasite Evades Drug Treatment by Altering Protein Production

A study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on how Toxoplasma gondii parasites make the proteins they need to enter a dormant stage that allows them to escape drug treatment.

10 Dec 2024

Adult Neurogenesis Found to Aid Verbal Learning and Memory

Why do adults make new brain cells? A new study published in Cell Stem Cell provides the first cellular evidence that making new brain cells in adults supports verbal learning and memory, which enables people to have conversations and to remember what they hear.

6 Dec 2024

The Critical Role of TRiC in Brain Development and Function

In 1992, Judith Frydman, PhD, discovered a molecular complex with an essential purpose in all of our cells: folding proteins correctly.

29 Nov 2024

Promising New Target for Cancer Immunotherapy

Sensing infection and cellular change is essential for effective immunity. Human cells have a specialized chemical called MR1 on their surface.

27 Nov 2024

Unveiling the Hidden Potential of SnoRNAs

Dynamic, reversible modifications of DNA and RNA regulate how genes are expressed and transcribed, which can influence cellular processes, disease development, and overall organismal health.

25 Nov 2024

TRISCO Reveals 3D RNA Structures at Cellular Resolution

A novel microscopy technique created by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital allows for in-depth, three-dimensional (3D) RNA analysis at the cellular level in complete, undamaged mouse brains.

22 Nov 2024

New Mechanism for Precise Protein Production Unveiled

A new process that is essential to the synthesis of cellular proteins has been discovered by an international research team.

15 Nov 2024

Study Reveals How Simple Molecules Could Have Formed Early Cell Membranes

Few questions have captivated humankind more than the origin of life on Earth. How did the first living cells come to exist? How did these early protocells develop the structural membranes necessary for cells to thrive and assemble into complex organisms?

14 Nov 2024