Molecular Biology News and Research

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Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated.

Immune System's Standby Mode: Healthy Tissue Keeps Defenses Ready

When pathogens invade the body, the immune system must react immediately to prevent or contain an infection.

25 Apr 2024

Ancient Gene Holds Key to Mammalian Gliding

People say "When pigs fly" to describe the impossible. But even if most mammals are landlubbers, the ability to glide or fly has evolved again and again during mammalian evolution, in species ranging from bats to flying squirrels.

25 Apr 2024

Small RNA-Binding Protein Promotes Prime Editing Efficiency

Through years of engineering gene-editing systems, researchers have developed a suite of tools that enable the modification of genomes in living cells, akin to 'genome surgery'.

23 Apr 2024

U of T Scientists Make Breakthrough Discovery in DNA Repair Mechanism

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging.

18 Apr 2024

New Method Reveals Dynamic Protein Structures in Real Time

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a powerful, new technique to generate "movies" of changing protein structures and speeds of up to 50 frames per second.

17 Apr 2024

Research Uncovers Genetic Basis of Macroalgae Multicellularity

A deep dive into macroalgae genetics has uncovered the genetic underpinnings that enabled macroalgae, or "seaweed," to evolve multicellularity.

15 Apr 2024

New Tool Predicts How Proteins Interact with RNA Structures

Scientists at the Italian Institute of Technology and Aarhus University have figured out how specific proteins can bind to G-quadruplexes, which are unique RNA structures.

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

Chickadees' Brain Activity Reveals Unique Memory Barcodes

Your ability to remember and recall moments in time is important for recording life-defining moments and everyday information like where you parked the car.

30 Mar 2024

Nanoparticle-Based Therapy Shows Promise in Eradicating Tumors

A nanoparticle-based therapy developed by UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists stimulated an immune pathway that eradicated tumors in mouse models of various cancer types.

28 Mar 2024

AI Predicts Multiple Protein Shapes, Boosting Drug Development

By understanding protein dynamics and functions, a group of academics at Brown University have devised a method for quickly predicting various protein configurations using machine learning.

28 Mar 2024

New International Master's Degree Program in Evolutionary Biology

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) will launch a new international Master's degree program in Evolutionary Biology, starting in the 2024/2025 winter semester.

25 Mar 2024

Latest CRISPR-Cas Gene Editing Can Eliminate All Traces of HIV Virus From Infected Cells

New research presented early ahead of this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, 27-30 April) from a team of researchers in the Netherlands shows how the latest CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology can be used to eliminate all traces of the HIV virus from infected cells in the laboratory, raising hopes of a cure.

20 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

Scientists Discover Dual Challenges in DNA Replication Process

Half a century ago, scientists Jim Watson and Alexey Olovnikov independently realized that there was a problem with how our DNA gets copied.

29 Feb 2024

Study Provides Insights Into Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Healthy Aging in Drosophila

A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 3, entitled, "The anti-aging effect of vitamin D and vitamin D receptor in Drosophila midgut."

28 Feb 2024

Newborn T Cells Excel in Immune Response Compared to Adults

Scientists have long believed that a newborn's immune system was an immature version of an adult's, but new research from Cornell University shows that newborns' T cells – white blood cells that protect from disease – outperform those of adults at fighting off numerous infections.

26 Feb 2024

Unraveling Lenacapavir's Impact on the HIV Life Cycle

A new anti-retroviral medication for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections was licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Union just over a year ago.

14 Feb 2024

New Microbe Offers Economical Solution for Synthetic Biological Experiments

Cornell University researchers have created a new version of a microbe to compete economically with E. coli – a bacteria commonly used as a research tool due to its ability to synthesize proteins – to conduct low-cost and scalable synthetic biological experiments.

14 Feb 2024