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Soil Bacteria Use Umbrella Toxins to Fight Back

Scientists have found that soil bacteria called Streptomyces secrete toxic protein particles in the shape of umbrellas that are meant to suppress competitors, particularly those that belong to their species.

18 Apr 2024

Study Reveals How Cells Recycle Proteins in Response to Nutrient Starvation

A new study details how nutrient-starved cells divert protein transport stations to cellular recycling centers to be broken down, highlighting a novel approach cells use to deal with stressful conditions.

15 Apr 2024

Unraveling the Key to Suppressing Protein Misfolding in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Proteins known as oligomeric chaperones help suppress the formation of misshaped proteins that cause a variety of degenerative and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's.

13 Apr 2024

Unveiling Mechanisms to Block Tau Aggregation

The buildup of aberrant, misfolded tau proteins in the brain is the cause of a variety of neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Fronto Temporal Dementia (FTD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), and Cortico Basal Degeneration (CBD).

4 Apr 2024

Researchers Identify Protein Regulating Gas Vesicle Patterning in Bacteria

Gas vesicles are hollow structures made of protein found in the cells of certain microorganisms, and researchers at Rice University believe they can be programmed for use in biomedical applications.

30 Mar 2024

Cryo-EM Imaging Unveils Similar Protein Structures in Alzheimer's and Down Syndrome

More than 90% of people with Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal disorder in humans and the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability, are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease by ages 55-60.

30 Mar 2024

Electron Microscope Unlocks Secrets of the Commander Complex

Receptor molecules on the cell surface are essential for cellular communication. Periodically, these receptors must be absorbed and sorted for them to be broken down or recycled.

12 Mar 2024

Breakthrough Study Reveals Key Mechanism in Passing Epigenetic Information During Cell Division

A research team led by Professor Yuanliang ZHAI at the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong collaborating with Professor Ning GAO and Professor Qing LI from Peking University, as well as Professor Bik-Kwoon TYE from Cornell University, has recently made a significant breakthrough in understanding how the DNA copying machine helps pass on epigenetic information to maintain gene traits at each cell division.

11 Mar 2024

3D Visualizations of the Copying Machinery Found in Chloroplasts

Plants have to carry out photosynthesis and ultimately synthesize oxygen and chemical energy with the assistance of sunlight to support life on Earth.

4 Mar 2024

'Synthetic tongue' identifies and kills oral bacteria

From the discomfort of plaque buildup on the teeth to the unpleasant condition of halitosis, bacteria play a significant role in oral health.

27 Feb 2024

Research Reveals Conserved Neutralizing Epitope in Herpesvirus gB Protein

Human herpesviruses comprise the alpha, beta, and gamma subfamilies and are a widely prevalent group of DNA-enveloped viruses, capable of establishing lifelong latent infections in humans and causing various diseases.

27 Feb 2024

Bacteria Arrangement in Biofilm Influences Reaction to Antibiotics

Although bacteria are typically thought of as single-celled creatures suspended in liquids or dispersed sparsely across surfaces, their true mode of growth is in sticky clusters known as biofilms in many settings.

5 Feb 2024

Scientists Capture Microtubule Birth in Human Cells

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona and the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) in Madrid have captured the world's first high-resolution images of the earliest moments of microtubule formation inside human cells.

2 Feb 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

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