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How do methanogens grow on toxic sulfite?

Methanogens are microbes that produce methane when there is little or no oxygen in their surroundings.

From The Max Planck Institute 20 Jan 2023

Potential to rectify various disease-causing mutations enhanced by CRISPR-based enzymes

Designing genome editing strategies for each patient’s mutation would be impractical and expensive because many genetic diseases are induced by diverse mutations spread across an entire gene.

18 Jan 2023

Study suggests new strategies for controlling plant biochemistry

Plant biochemists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a new level of regulation in the biochemical "machinery" that plants use to convert organic carbon derived from photosynthesis into a range of ring-shaped aromatic molecules.

12 Jan 2023

Analyzing the regulatory mechanisms of enzyme production in mold

Filamentous fungi have long been a close ally of sake brewers, but they may soon become associates of environmentalists as well. Scientists from Osaka Metropolitan University discovered the regulatory mechanisms of enzyme synthesis in a filamentous fungus, allowing for the effective degradation of plant biomass, an alternative energy resource to petroleum.

11 Jan 2023

New gene helps drive the development of the common lung cancer type

At the NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, a team headed by scientists has determined a gene that forces the development of the second most common type of lung carcinoma.

From New York University (NYU) 11 Jan 2023

Effective anticancer strategy for selective killing of cancer cells

A study team headed by Dr Yuanliang Zhai from The University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) School of Biological Sciences and his associates from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Institut Curie in France discovered a new mechanism of the human MCM2-7 complex in controlling replication initiation, which can be employed as a unique and effective anticancer method with the potential for selective death of cancer cells.

11 Jan 2023

Marine plankton samples can help understand the link between ocean pollution and chronic illnesses

Using samples from an almost century-old, ongoing survey of marine plankton, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine suggest that rising levels of manmade chemicals found in parts of the world's oceans might be used to monitor the impact of human activity on ecosystem health, and may one day be used to study the connections between ocean pollution and land-based rates of childhood and adult chronic illnesses.

9 Jan 2023

Novel insights into the elongation dynamics of eukaryotic cells

The proper functioning of numerous proteins generated in cells by ribosomes is essential for life. This diversified variety of proteins, called proteome, is sustained by the ribosomes’ vigorous translation elongation of amino acid sequences.

6 Jan 2023

Molecular regulation underlying emergency hematopoiesis uncovered

If the body’s emergency hematopoiesis program activates, it signifies an alert state of the immune system and serves two functions: In comparison to “normal mode” hematopoiesis, the emergency program results in enhanced replacement of immune cells consumed during infections or inflammations.

12 Dec 2022

Scientists identify the long-sought CO2 sensor in Arabidopsis plants

More than 50 years, ago researchers discovered that plants can sense carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. As CO2 levels change, "breathing" pores in leaves called stomata open and close, thus controlling evaporation of water, photosynthesis and plant growth.

8 Dec 2022

High-dose green tea extract may create liver damage in people with certain genetic variations

Long-term use of high-dose green tea extract may provide some protection against cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, but it also may create liver damage in a small minority of the population.

2 Dec 2022

Revealing the unappreciated role of POLQ in responding to DNA replication stress

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, in partnership with Artios, have discovered how an enzyme involved in DNA repair (POLQ) becomes critical to the survival of some tumors when the cancer cells lose the ability to employ a more frequent way of DNA repair.

1 Dec 2022

Revealing the mechanism that ensures genome stability in normal cells

To create new cells, the old cells must divide. This is a constant, frequent, and pervasive process that begins with conception and culminates with death.

30 Nov 2022

Newly developed tool helps snip out faulty genes in a safe manner

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come up with a new tool that has the potential to detach faulty genes and exchange them with new ones in a highly safe and effective way.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 25 Nov 2022

Tankyrase protein plays an important role in helping drive bowel cancer

The inner workings of the main protein involved in an extensive range of cellular processes have been disclosed by researchers. This possibly sets the stage for improved and less toxic cancer drugs.

25 Nov 2022

The influence of genes and small molecules on personal disease risk

Each individual has a unique chemical fingerprint. Small molecules in the blood, like fats or sugars, have a significant impact on how the human body responds to stress, which diseases people are predisposed to, and how serious an illness will be.

23 Nov 2022

Study offers insight into the working and importance of Fd/Trx pathway in plants

Photosynthesis is one of the most important chemical reactions, not just for plants but also for the entire world.

22 Nov 2022

Mitochondria play a crucial role in the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway

Mitochondria are highly regarded as the cell's powerhouse. However, these cellular organelles are essential for more than only energy production: Professor Konstanze Winklhofer and her colleagues at Ruhr University Bochum’s Faculty of Medicine have found that mitochondria play an essential role in signal transduction in innate immune pathways.

21 Nov 2022

Revealing the functional significance of DDX41 in great detail

The DDX41 gene encodes the nuclear enzyme DEAD-box-type RNA helicase. Hematopoietic malignancies are caused by DDX41 mutations. However, the mechanism behind the development of this malignancy remains unknown.

21 Nov 2022

Applying “programmable molecular scissors” to combat COVID-19 infection

As an approach that could be used to create a new class of antiviral drugs, synthetic biology was used by Cambridge scientists to artificially create enzymes programmed to attack the genetic code of SARS-CoV-2 and eliminate the virus.

17 Nov 2022