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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

Genetic Twist in Tiny Protein Protects Against Parkinson's

A previously unidentified genetic mutation in a small protein provides significant protection against Parkinson's disease and offers a new direction for exploring potential treatments, according to a new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology study.

3 Jan 2024

P10K Database: A Comprehensive Genetic Resource Database for Protists

Protists are single-celled eukaryotic creatures that live in aquatic settings. They include unicellular algae and protozoans.

2 Jan 2024

Study Provides a Systematic View of the Diversity and Function of Supraglacial DNA Viruses

Supraglacial environments mainly consist of four main types of habitats for microbes and viruses, including snow, ice, meltwater, and cryoconites (the granular sediment on glacier surfaces).

2 Jan 2024

Xeno-Free Monkey PSC Culture System Enables Deriving, Tracking, and Differentiating Stem Cells

Non-human primates (NHPs) have a high degree of similarity to humans compared to other animal models.

26 Dec 2023

New Technique Revolutionizes the Construction of Synthetic Chromosomes

A groundbreaking new technique invented by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science may revolutionize the field of synthetic biology.

26 Dec 2023

Simultaneous Production of Bioplastics and High-Value Carotenoids by Multifunctional Bacteria

We often look to the smallest lifeforms for help solving the biggest problems: Microbes help make foods and beverages, cure diseases, treat waste and even clean up pollution.

26 Dec 2023

Study Reveals Tissue-Specific Effects of JAK1 Signaling in Inflammation

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have gained a deeper understanding of the nuanced roles of JAK inhibitors, or modulators, in inflammation across various cell types and tissues.

26 Dec 2023

Specialized Proliferative Cells Contribute to Epithelial Regeneration in Jellyfish

At about the size of a pinkie nail, the jellyfish species Cladonema can regenerate an amputated tentacle in two to three days -; but how? Regenerating functional tissue across species, including salamanders and insects, relies on the ability to form a blastema, a clump of undifferentiated cells that can repair damage and grow into the missing appendage.

26 Dec 2023

Researchers Discover How Microbes Enhance Fruit Fly Reproduction

For many of us, when we think of microbiomes, our first thoughts are probably about the beneficial microorganisms that live in our guts.

26 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

The Adrenaline Puzzle Solved: Scientists Untangle Key Cell Receptor's Inner Workings

Through an international collaboration, scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital leveraged data science, pharmacology and structural information to conduct an atomic-level investigation into how each amino acid in the receptor that binds adrenaline contributes to receptor activity in the presence of this natural ligand.

26 Dec 2023

New Technique Reveals Secrets of Protein Partnerships

Proteins are building blocks of our bodies, but they do not work solo. They form partners to facilitate in different biological processes that keep us going.

22 Dec 2023

NEMO Protein Promotes Degradation of Harmful Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates in Parkinson's Disease

Researchers have identified a mechanism that promotes the breakdown of harmful protein deposits. If it malfunctions, it can lead to Parkinson’s disease.

21 Dec 2023

How 3D DNA Architecture Shapes Cell Fate in Early Embryos

The intricate process of duplicating genetic information, referred to as DNA replication, lies at the heart of the transmission of life from one cell to another and from one organism to the next. This happens by not just simply copying the genetic information; a well-orchestrated sequence of molecular events has to happen at the right time.

21 Dec 2023

New Insights Into the Microbiome's Influence on Kidney Stone Risk

A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University published in the journal Microbiome has found changes in the microbiome in multiple locations in the body are linked to the formation of kidney stones.

21 Dec 2023

Deciphering the Structure and Function of PLD3 in Cellular Waste Disposal

If we don't take out the trash regularly, our homes become unpleasant and even a danger to our health.

21 Dec 2023

Researchers Discover Core Genes for Bacteria Colonizing Plants

Using a novel experimental approach, Max Planck researchers have discovered a core set of genes required by commensal bacteria to colonize their plant hosts.

20 Dec 2023

Unmasking the Energy Secrets of a Marine Bacterial Giant

Not all bacteria are created equal. Most are single-celled and tiny, a few ten-thousandths of a centimeter long. But bacteria of the Epulopiscium family are large enough to be seen with the naked eye and 1 million times the volume of their better-known cousins, E. coli.

19 Dec 2023

How Next-Gen Sequencing is Revolutionizing Infection Diagnosis

Scientists from Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital (AP-HP), the Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, Université Paris-Est Créteil and the Alfort National Veterinary School, coordinated by Professor Marc Eloit and Dr. Anne Jamet in collaboration with Dr. Jacques Fourgeaud and Beatrice Regnault, studied the role of global genetic characterization of samples (or non-targeted metagenomics) using next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in diagnosing infections.

19 Dec 2023