Cell Membrane News and Research

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Study may help develop medical implants for diabetic patients

For the first time, a research team led by Martin Fussenegger, a professor at ETH Zurich, has successfully used electric current to directly manipulate gene expression.

1 Jun 2020

Biophysicists shed light on how optogenetic tool works

An international research team has for the first time obtained the structure of the light-sensitive sodium-pumping KR2 protein in its active state.

29 May 2020

New study outlines the mechanisms behind cell fusion

Scientists have known for a decade that cells that fuse with others to perform their essential functions - such as muscle cells that join together to make fibers - form long projections that invade the territory of their fusion partners.

28 May 2020

New minimally invasive method allows cells to be sampled over time

At any given moment, a variety of dynamic processes occur inside a cell, with many developing over time. Because current research methods for gene profiling or protein analysis destroy the cell, study is confined to just that one moment in time, and researchers are unable to return to the cell to examine how things change beyond that snapshot.

27 May 2020

New Functions Of A Protein May Improve Biocontrol Methods In Sustainable Agriculture

The laboratory of the UMA has proved that Bacillus subtilis cells, when deprived of an amyloid protein (TasA), exhibit a range of cytological anomalies.

19 May 2020

'Water Wires' May Play Bigger Role In Cellular Function

Each of our cells is surrounded by a membrane that functions as a biological border, letting ions and nutrients such as salt, potassium, and sugar in and out.

13 May 2020

Mice study identifies protein vital for liver restoration and regeneration after hepatic surgery

Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona and the CELLEX Biomedical Research Centre from IDIBAPS have identified in a study with mice a protein which is fundamental to guarantee the restoration and regeneration of the liver after a transplant or hepatic surgery.

12 May 2020

Study shows protein shredder also regulates fat metabolism indirectly

A protein shredder takes place in the cell membranes of brain cells. A new study has demonstrated that this protein shredder also controls fat metabolism.

11 May 2020

New open-source software tool aims to analyze lipid behavior

Lipids are essential building blocks of cell membranes, which control the exchange of substances and energy between a cell and its environment.

8 May 2020

Study reveals the mechanism used by tuberculosis bacteria for their growth

The structure of a protein that plays a role in importing vitamin B12 into the cells of a tuberculosis (TB)-causing bacterium has been revealed by scientists from the Netherlands, Russia, the United States, and Sweden.

23 Apr 2020

Researchers use CRISPR/Cas9 to search for Alzheimer's-related genes

Experts at the University of Tokyo have identified a new protein in the pathway that leads to Alzheimer's disease. Researchers used the "molecular scissors" of CRISPR/Cas9 to search for new genes related to the neurodegenerative disease.

22 Apr 2020

Chemical tools can regulate lipid concentration in living cells

Lipids have several crucial functions in the human body: They serve as messengers, which mediate the growth of cells and regulate the release of hormones.

20 Apr 2020

Designing Peptide Inhibitors For Possible COVID-19 Treatments

Scientists across the globe are rushing to find inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.

20 Apr 2020

Specialized proteins could help combat severe cytokine storms in COVID-19 patients

One of the defining features of COVID-19 is the excessive immune response that can occur in severe cases. This burst of immune overreaction, also called a cytokine storm, damages the lungs and can be fatal.

17 Apr 2020

Sensitive technique makes it possible to study the delivery of RNA drugs

In recent years, RNA molecules, with the ability to affect or turn off pathogenic genes, have become promising drug candidates in several areas.

17 Apr 2020

New method images proteins in 3D with nanoscale resolution

A research team, which also included scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), has reported a novel method for imaging proteins in three dimensions (3D) with nanoscale resolution.

16 Apr 2020

Personalized biohybrid microrobots for therapeutic cargo delivery

Tiny biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions.

8 Apr 2020

UMSOM researchers uncover mechanism to explain role of genetic mutations in kidney disease

Researchers from the Center for Precision Disease Modeling at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have uncovered a mechanism that appears to explain how certain genetic mutations give rise to a rare genetic kidney disorder called nephrotic syndrome.

6 Apr 2020

Do Pancreatic Cells Write Their Own Autoimmune Ending?

Researchers have discovered that pancreatic cells, producing lipids, can create their own autoimmune ending. This article looks at how this is possible.

25 Mar 2020

Bacterial acid tolerance system shown to confer growth capability to enteric bacteria

The potential to proliferate under acidic conditions is crucial for bacteria. Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and other such enteric bacteria have the ability to colonize and cause disease in the intestinal tract of the host. Yet, they must fight against acidic environments in the entire process of host invasion.

23 Mar 2020