Molecular Biology News and Research

RSS

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.

Leveraging Nature's Blueprint: The Impact of Directed Evolution in Protein Engineering

In this interview conducted at SLAS EU 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, we spoke to Miguel Alcalde, a Research Professor at the CSIC, about directed evolution in enzymology and the wider biotechnology sector.

From Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 4 Aug 2023

Do Host Social Interactions Influence Gut Bacteria Evolution?

A recent study demonstrates how host social interactions can have a significant influence on the development of gut bacteria in the gut microbiome. The study, carried out by a group of researchers from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, sought to investigate the impact of host-to-host bacterial transmission on Escherichia coli (E. coli) evolution in mammalian guts.

3 Aug 2023

New Gene Editing Technique Reduces Chalkiness in Rice

As global temperatures continue to rise, maintaining the quality and yield of crops adapted to lower temperatures will increasingly become a challenge.

31 Jul 2023

Analyzing DNA Damage-Induced NF-κB Targeted by Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy aim to destroy cancer cells by inducing DNA double-strand breaks – damage that, once inflicted, usually causes the cells to die. But damage to a cell's genetic material also activates a signaling pathway called IKK/NF-κB that helps prevent cell death, thus limiting the success of these treatments in patients.

28 Jul 2023

New Method Creates Embryo-Like Structure That Mimics Gastrulation

Gastrulation, the process where an embryo reorganizes itself from a hollow sphere into a multilayered structure, is considered a "black box" of human development.

21 Jul 2023

Gene Recognition of CRISPR-Cas Visualized With New Method

A novel technique has been devised by researchers from the University of Leipzig and the University of Vilnius in Lithuania to monitor the smallest twists and torques of molecules in milliseconds.

13 Jul 2023

First 'Living Digital Camera' Stores Images in DNA

In a world first, a 'biological camera' bypasses the constraints of current DNA storage methods, harnessing living cells and their inherent biological mechanisms to encode and store data.

12 Jul 2023

Researchers Uncover Astonishing Diversity of Protein Structures Previously Unexplored

The astounding variety of protein structures and their folds in nature has been further illuminated by a ground-breaking discovery. Researchers wanted to know how much of the huge range of potential protein structures nature had examined.

12 Jul 2023

New Insights Into How Genes Are Activated

Genetic information contained within DNA has to be read by specific proteins that enable the process of gene activation to begin – but in many cases, these proteins can't access their targets because DNA strands are bundled up to control what genes are used in the wide range of different cell types.

12 Jul 2023

Cryo-EM Reveals Structure of GABA Transporter

Using Cryo-EM, a powerful microscopy technique, researchers at IISc and collaborators have decoded the molecular architecture of a transporter protein controlling the movement of a key neurotransmitter.

7 Jul 2023

Novel Peptide may be Key to Understanding Skin Aging

A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 12, entitled, "A novel peptide 'T14' reflects age and photo-aging in human skin."

6 Jul 2023

Deep Learning Model Accurately Predicts RNA-Targeting CRISPR Activity

According to new research published in Nature Biotechnology, artificial intelligence can predict on- and off-target behavior of CRISPR tools that target RNA rather than DNA.

5 Jul 2023

New AI Tool Tracks Complex Fruit Fly Behavior

What is the easiest way to know if a fruit fly is hungry? Ask a computer.

3 Jul 2023

Analyzing the Role of Pyroptosis in Improving the Treatment of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide. Although several new therapies have been developed for this disease, it has a poor prognosis in its advanced stages.

29 Jun 2023

Novel Drug Slows Development of Antibiotic Resistance

At the Baylor College of Medicine, a research group is gaining ground in its quest for solutions to the global concern of bacterial antibiotic resistance, which was accountable for almost 1.3 million deaths in 2019.

26 Jun 2023

Newly Found Disease Links Disruptions of Blood Formation, Immune System and Inflammation

In the quest to find the origin of the puzzling symptoms in four children, researchers from St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), and the Medical University of Vienna have discovered a completely new disease, linking disruptions of blood formation, the immune system, and inflammation.

22 Jun 2023

Stem Cell Zoo Uncovers Scaling Laws Governing Species-Specific Development

Pregnancy last around nine months in humans, only 20 days in mice, and up to 17 months in rhinoceroses. Even though many mammalian species go through the same phases of embryo development, the rate of development varies greatly between animals.

21 Jun 2023

Review: Role of Alternative Splicing Defects in Major Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alternative splicing, a clever way a cell generates many different variations of messenger RNAs -; single-stranded RNAs involved in protein synthesis -; and proteins from the same stretch of DNA, plays an important role in molecular biology.

21 Jun 2023

Investigating the Neandertal Origin of Dupuytren’s Disease

Recent research published by Oxford University Press in Molecular Biology and Evolution demonstrates that Dupuytren’s disease is partially Neandertal in origin.

15 Jun 2023

Study Provides Evidence for Involvement of p53/p16/RB-E2F-DREAM Repressional Targets in Cellular Senescence

A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 10, entitled, "Key elements of cellular senescence involve transcriptional repression of mitotic and DNA repair genes through the p53-p16/RB-E2F-DREAM complex."

14 Jun 2023