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Scientists identify key biological switch used in plant defense against animal attack

For decades, scientists have known that plants protect themselves from the devastation of hungry caterpillars and other plant-munching animals through sophisticated response systems, the product of millions of years of evolution.

25 Nov 2020

First functional analysis of cytokine IL-15L using rainbow trout

The cytokine family including interleukin-2 and -15 (IL-2 and IL-15) started out in a primitive vertebrate species with three related cytokines IL-2, IL-15, and IL-15-like (IL-15L), all sharing binding capacity for receptor chain IL-15Rα. IL-15L was conserved in fishes, reptiles, and some mammals but lost in humans and mice.

23 Nov 2020

Adipose tissue plays key role in the aggravation of COVID-19

There is growing evidence that adipose tissue plays a key role in the aggravation of COVID-19. One of the theories under investigation is that fat cells (adipocytes) act as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 and increase viral load in obese or overweight individuals.

23 Nov 2020

Vibrational motions of spike proteins correlate with infectivity, lethality of SARS-CoV-2 virus

When someone struggles to open a lock with a key that doesn't quite seem to work, sometimes jiggling the key a bit will help. Now, new research from MIT suggests that coronaviruses, including the one that causes Covid-19, may use a similar method to trick cells into letting the viruses inside.

20 Nov 2020

Study reveals metabolic signaling pathways that influence key immune cells

Effector regulatory T cells, also known as eTreg cells, are a specialized subset of white blood cells that maintain the immune system.

18 Nov 2020

Discovery of 'Achilles heel' in protein crucial to HIV virulence paves way for new drugs

The discovery of a potential "Achilles heel" in Nef, the protein that is crucial to HIV virulence and its capacity to trigger AIDS, paves the way for the development of a new class of drugs against the virus.

17 Nov 2020

CRISPR technique reveals genes that regulate physiological, behavioral changes

In social hierarchy, rank is a condition that is not exclusively claimed by human beings. In the animal world, male peacocks have vividly colored plumes to show dominance, while underwater, male fish exhibit an array of vivid colors to do the same.

11 Nov 2020

Researchers investigate role of sweet taste receptor in the regulation of satiety

The sweet taste of sugar is very popular worldwide. In Austria and Germany, the yearly intake per person adds up to about 33 and 34 kilograms, respectively. Thus, sugar plays an increasingly role in the nutrition and health of the population, especially with regard to body weight.

11 Nov 2020

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein may improve monoclonal antibody resistance

A recent paper examines a mutation of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 that has been observed to have arisen independently twice.

10 Nov 2020

New method to improve preclinical evaluation of CAR-T cell therapies

Ludwig Cancer Research scientists have developed a method to significantly improve the preclinical evaluation of chimeric antigen-receptor (CAR) T cell therapies.

9 Nov 2020

Researchers discover how tomato plants identify Cuscuta as a parasite

Working together with researchers from the University of Tübingen, the University of Tromsø, the UC Davis and the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, biologists from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have discovered how tomato plants identify Cuscuta as a parasite.

5 Nov 2020

Researchers use new technology to design promising vaccine for COVID-19

A new nanoparticle vaccine candidate developed for the novel coronavirus creates virus-neutralizing antibodies in mice at levels that are 10 times higher than is observed in individuals, who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease.

4 Nov 2020

Study shows memory T cells are formed earlier than previously thought

A person will acquire immunity to a specific disease when T cells develop into memory cells after making contact with pathogens.

4 Nov 2020

Mature SARS-CoV-2 particle development by host-protein interactions

The proteins of SARS-CoV-2 play a key role in self-arrangement and particle formation, and current work suggests that an assembly is formed in the lipid bilayer of the endoplasmic reticulum.

3 Nov 2020

New method sheds light on the neuronal mechanisms of fly motion vision

Where in a nerve cell is a certain receptor protein located? Without an answer to this question, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the function of this protein.

3 Nov 2020

Pancreatic cancer cells avert starvation by signaling to nerves, shows study

Pancreatic cancer cells avert starvation by signaling to nerves, which grow into dense tumors and secrete nutrients. This is the finding of a study with experiments in cancer cells, mice, and human tissue samples published online on November 2 in Cell.

3 Nov 2020

'Training’ the innate immunity may improve the success of immunotherapy

Immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitor drugs, have made worlds of difference for the treatment of cancer. Most clinicians and scientists understand these drugs to act on what's known as the adaptive immune system, the T cells and B cells that respond to specific threats to the body.

30 Oct 2020

Genetic predispositions affect the efficacy of COVID-19 drugs

A paper recently uploaded to bioRxiv* aimed to utilize genome-wide CRISPR screening to identify genes involved in modulating the activity of COVID-19 drugs.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers map molecular structure of CV30 antibody to neutralize coronavirus

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have shown that a potent antibody from a COVID-19 survivor interferes with a key feature on the surface of the coronavirus's distinctive spikes and induces critical pieces of those spikes to break off in the process.

28 Oct 2020