Electron News and Research

RSS

Scientists Reveal HIV's Secret Weapon for Invading Cell Nucleus

Around one million individuals worldwide become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, each year.

27 Jan 2024

Phage Proteins Tame CRISPR-Cas3, Paving Way for Precise Gene Therapy

Through the use of CRISPR, an immune system that bacteria use to defend themselves against viruses, researchers have been able to alter genetic information within cells.

22 Jan 2024

Mathematical Model Unravels Brain Connectivity

Across all species, the functioning of the brain relies on a complex network of connections that enables neurons to exchange information, governing both thought processes and physical activities.

18 Jan 2024

Investigating the Functional Mechanisms of RNA Replicase

It has long been a mystery how the complex molecular machinery of life sprang from modest beginnings.

17 Jan 2024

Honeybees Directly Provide Nutrients to Gut Bacteria

Bacteria have adapted to all terrestrial environments. Some have evolved to survive in the gut of animals, where they play an important role for their host; they provide energy by degrading indigestible food, they train and regulate the immune system, they protect against invasion by pathogenic bacteria, and they synthesize neuroactive molecules that regulate the behavior and cognition of their host.

16 Jan 2024

Unlocking the Gut's Metabolic Secrets

The variety of enzymes that microbes employ to make energy in the low-oxygen environment of the gut is highlighted by a survey of bacterial genomes.

8 Jan 2024

Zipping Up Chromosomes: The Synaptonemal Complex Revealed

We have two copies of each chromosome in every cell in our bodies except in our reproductive cells. Sperm and egg cells contain a single copy of each chromosome with a unique mix of genes from our parents, an evolutionary trick to give our offspring genetic variability.

4 Jan 2024

ADSC-Exos and BMSC-Exos Protect Retinal Ganglion Cells From Hydrostatic Pressure Damage

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have protective effects on the cornea, lacrimal gland, retina, and photoreceptor cell damage, which may be mediated by exosomes (exos) released by MSCs.

27 Dec 2023

Scientists Unravel the Mystery of Parkinson's Disease With 3D Protein Structures

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital revealed the complex structure of two Parkinson's disease-related proteins, both of which are implicated in late-onset cases.

26 Dec 2023

Structural Insights Unmask Novel Adaptations and Functions of Human LINE-1 ORF2

Martin Taylor, MD, PhD, a physician investigator in the Department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in Pathology at Harvard Medical School, is the lead corresponding author of a new study in Nature, Structural Analysis and Inhibition of Human LINE-1 ORF2 Protein Reveals Novel Adaptations and Functions.

20 Dec 2023

Revealing the Molecular Machinery of Virus Warriors Against Bacterial Infections

The term “virus” is frequently linked with negative implications. Nevertheless, it is crucial to recognize that not all viruses are detrimental.

18 Dec 2023

Cryo-EM Analysis Uncovers Unexpected Enzymatic Switch in Bacterial Anti-Phage System

Scientists have revealed a never-before-seen phenomenon in a protein: Alone, the enzyme processes DNA and RNA but, when bound to another protein as part of a defense system, interacts with a completely different type of compound to help bacteria commit suicide.

14 Dec 2023

Structural Insights Into Coronavirus Spike Proteins

Coronaviruses employ protein “spikes” to latch onto and infect cells. Contrary to their name, these spikes do not have a rigid and pointed structure. Instead, they resemble chicken drumsticks, with the meaty portion facing outward.

27 Nov 2023

Where Does the Light Come From? Optical Properties Allow Plants to “See” Light

An innovative study led by Professor Christian Fankhauser at UNIL and colleagues at EPFL has combined expertise in biology and engineering to reveal that a light-sensitive plant tissue uses the optical properties of the air-water interface to create a light gradient that is ‘visible’ to the plant.

24 Nov 2023

Unraveling the Mystery of L-Cry: A Distinctive Cryptochrome Protein

In a recent release in Nature Communications, a collaborative research group comprising Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the University of Cologne, and the University of Oldenburg has disclosed their discoveries regarding the operation of a distinctive cryptochrome protein (Cry).

16 Nov 2023

Dinosaur Reproductive Strategies Uncovered Through Fossil Analysis

The last three decades have witnessed the discovery of several remarkably well-preserved dinosaur specimens related to reproduction, significantly advancing the understanding of dinosaur reproductive biology.

16 Nov 2023

Unlocking the Secrets of Bacterial Transcription

Bacterial transcription serves as an assembly line for duplicating genetic directives from double-stranded DNA into RNA molecules.

7 Nov 2023

CRISPR-Cas9 Enzyme's Magnesium Role Unraveled in DNA Cutting

The gene-editing technology known as CRISPR has led to revolutionary changes in agriculture, health research and more.

6 Nov 2023

Exploring Z-RNA’s Role in Immune Response

Quentin Vicens, an Assistant Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston, has been granted $1.2 million by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to investigate the enigmatic Z-RNA structure found within human cells.

3 Nov 2023

Scientists Unlock the Structure of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2

Neurons talk to each other using chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have drawn on structural biology expertise to determine structures of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), a key component of neuronal communication.

2 Nov 2023