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Study determines 3D structure of molecular machine involved in placement of key proteins

Within a single cell, more than a quarter of all proteins are found in the membrane, in which they carry out crucial functions.

7 Dec 2020

Gasdermin E triggers pyroptosis and involved in pathogen-induced coral death

Pyroptosis is a highly inflammatory form of programmed necrotic cell death that acts as a defense mechanism against the infection of bacterial and viral pathogens. Pyroptosis is executed by gasdermin, a family of pore-forming proteins.

7 Dec 2020

Study may lead to novel organisms that are more efficient at converting plants into biofuels

A new study reveals how bacteria control the chemicals produced from consuming 'food.' The insight could lead to organisms that are more efficient at converting plants into biofuels.

4 Dec 2020

Drug meant for bacterial infections can combat weight gain

A drug originally developed to treat bacterial infections has proved capable of boosting the metabolism and attenuating the weight gain induced by a fatty diet in tests with mice. The study was conducted at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) with FAPESP's support, and the findings have just been published in the journal Science Advances.

3 Dec 2020

Specific immune mechanism in COVID-19 patients triggers inflammatory process

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have demonstrated for the first time that in COVID-19 patients an immune mechanism known as the inflammasome participates in activation of the inflammatory process that can damage several organs and even lead to death.

3 Dec 2020

Researchers determine role of NLRP1 protein in detecting the common cold virus

The role of a protein in detecting the common cold virus and kickstarting an immune response to fight infection has been uncovered by a team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the National University of Singapore.

From Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) 3 Dec 2020

Study identifies a promising target for cancer treatment

If there is a positive aspect in cancer’s random biology, it is that the same characteristics that promote the growth of cancer cells usually present opportunities for destroying them.

2 Dec 2020

Protein interactions could serve as therapeutic targets to treat viral infections

Researchers have investigated the role of the interplays within the proteins membranes of viral families involved in the control of programmed cell death.

30 Nov 2020

Novel targeted therapy blocks critical metabolic pathways in cancer cells

Scientists have designed a new targeted therapy, known as POMHEX, which inhibits vital metabolic pathways in tumor cells containing specific genetic defects.

24 Nov 2020

Study shows how chaperone activity influences the course of neurodegenerative diseases

In many neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, protein aggregates form in the brain and are assumed to contribute to neuronal cell death.

12 Nov 2020

New method to improve preclinical evaluation of CAR-T cell therapies

Ludwig Cancer Research scientists have developed a method to significantly improve the preclinical evaluation of chimeric antigen-receptor (CAR) T cell therapies.

9 Nov 2020

Similarities between animal and plant immune systems go beyond sensing

Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) and University of Cologne researcher Takaki Maekawa and colleagues have discovered that plants have independently evolved a family of immune proteins that are strikingly similar to animals.

3 Nov 2020

Genetic predispositions affect the efficacy of COVID-19 drugs

A paper recently uploaded to bioRxiv* aimed to utilize genome-wide CRISPR screening to identify genes involved in modulating the activity of COVID-19 drugs.

29 Oct 2020

Proviral and antiviral genes may help develop new therapies for COVID-19

Scientists have screened an unlimited number of cells exposed to the COVID-19 virus and detected genes that appear to close the door on the virus.

27 Oct 2020

Scientists develop lab-grown lung model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of Duke University researchers has developed a lab-grown living lung model that mimics the tiny air sacs of the lungs where coronavirus infection and serious lung damage take place. This advance has enabled them to watch the battle between the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and lung cells at the finest molecular scale.

23 Oct 2020

Researchers develop "mini lungs" to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

'Mini-lungs' grown from tissue donated to Cambridge hospitals has provided a team of scientists from South Korea and the UK with important insights into how COVID-19 damages the lungs.

23 Oct 2020

A combinational approach to fight against cancer

In their quest to destroy cancer cells, researchers are turning to combinational therapies more and more. Scientists from Germany and China have now combined a chemotherapeutic and photodynamic approach.

14 Oct 2020

Study clarifies role of ERβ in growth and regeneration of skeletal muscle in female mice

Researchers at Kumamoto University, Japan generated mice lacking the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) gene, both fiber-specific and muscle stem cell-specific, which resulted in abnormalities in the growth and regeneration of skeletal muscle in female mice.

13 Oct 2020

Components leaking from broken muscle fibers activate 'satellite' muscle stem cells

While building a muscle damage model in a cultured system, a research collaboration between Kumamoto University and Nagasaki University in Japan has found that components leaking from broken muscle fibers activate "satellite" muscle stem cells.