Protein News and Research

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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

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

Chilling tolerance trait in rice with the codon repeats at a single site

A recent study performed by Professor Chong Kang’s group from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has disclosed a fact that a novel cold domesticated repair mechanism for DNA damage in rice.

11 Jan 2023

Analyzing the success rate of cell-cell metabolite exchange

It is said that when there is an exchange of metabolic products of the cells with other cells, their lifespan gets longer. This discovery has been given by a research group at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, which made the breakthrough in a study with the help of yeast cells.

11 Jan 2023

Argonne scientists awarded DOE funding to study plant-microbe communication

Argonne scientists awarded funding for bioimaging project to study communication between plants and microbial symbionts.

10 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

Elucidation of mitochondrial membrane pore formation

Human metabolism depends on mitochondria, which are regarded as the power plants of cells. But since 40% of the proteins in the mitochondria are dysfunctional and are linked to human diseases, mitochondria also play a significant role in medical research.

6 Jan 2023

Researchers expand the known defensive abilities of CRISPR–Cas systems

Viruses can infect bacteria and archaea, just as they can humans. These microbes have evolved their own immune defense mechanisms to combat their pathogens. Bacterial defenses, like CRISPR-Cas systems, contain a variety of proteins and functions that aid bacteria in protecting themselves from foreign intruders.

5 Jan 2023

Emerging viruses could be easily detected with a simple nasal swab

As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, potentially harmful new viruses can spread throughout the population long before the system for monitoring global public health can catch them.

5 Jan 2023

Discovery of a new cellular element crucial to sense of smell

Researchers at Umeå University have found an organelle, a previously unidentified cellular component, inside the neurons that are responsible for the ability to smell. The finding might have repercussions for future studies on COVID-19 symptoms like impaired smell sense.

5 Jan 2023

Performing grafting and mobile CRISPR for genome editing in plants

An innovative twist to the CRISPR tool—also known as “genetic scissors”—is being utilized to edit plant genomes by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, signaling a methodology change.

4 Jan 2023

New technologies reveal cross-cutting breakdowns in Alzheimer’s disease

A figure from the paper depicts pathways perturbed in Alzheimer's disease. Below examples are listed for each pathway by major brain cell type. Image Credit: The Picower Institute.

4 Jan 2023

The detrimental effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy

For the first time, researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland examined the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the epigenome and gene function of the placenta. The epigenome is a molecular coating on a DNA strand that controls how genes are expressed.

4 Jan 2023

Uncovering new function for small RNAs in Salmonella infections

Millions of people get sick from Salmonella each year because they are food-borne pathogens. These bacteria rely on a sophisticated network of genes and gene products that give them the ability to sense environmental conditions to do this.

4 Jan 2023

Ultrafast, highly sensitive detection of proteins using simple laser irradiation

Protein detection based on antigen–antibody reaction is vital in early diagnosis of a wide range of diseases. How to effectively detect proteins, however, has frequently bedeviled researchers.

4 Jan 2023

Structure of the complete virion of S. epidermidis–infecting phage revealed

Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham used cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the structure of a bacterial virus in extraordinary detail.

20 Dec 2022

Key immune alarm protein that regulates inflammation identified

Trinity researchers have made a significant advance in understanding how inflammation is controlled. They recently discovered that a crucial immunological alarm protein that was previously thought to quiet the immune response apparently performs the opposite.

20 Dec 2022