Biochemistry

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Researchers discover how a microRNA protects vascular integrity

Ludwig-Maximilian-Universitaet in Munich researchers have discovered a hitherto unknown molecular function of a specific microRNA that preserves integrity of the endothelium and reduces the risk of atherosclerosis.

5 Jun 2020

‘Terminator’ protein halts tumorigenesis

Essential processes in mammalian cells are controlled by proteins called transcription factors. For example, the transcription factor HIF-1 is triggered by a low-oxygen situation to cause the cell to adapt to decreased oxygen.

4 Jun 2020

Synthetic red blood cells mimic favorable properties of natural ones

Scientists have tried to develop synthetic red blood cells that mimic the favorable properties of natural ones, such as flexibility, oxygen transport and long circulation times.

4 Jun 2020

Building blocks of DNA and RNA could have co-existed in the primordial Earth

Scientists have long debated which genetic information carrier - DNA or RNA - started life on Earth, but a new study suggests life could have begun with a bit of both.

4 Jun 2020

ETH researchers uncover a complex plant-bacteria interaction

Plants need nitrogen in the form of ammonium if they are to grow. In the case of a great many cultivated plants, farmers are obliged to spread this ammonium on their fields as fertilizer.

4 Jun 2020

Study takes important step forward to understand the chemical origins of life

Researchers have long sought to understand the origins of life on Earth. A new study conducted by scientists at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), and the University of New South Wales, among other participating institutions, marks an important step forward in the effort to understand the chemical origins of life.

3 Jun 2020

Research suggests new possibility for how glucose transporters operate

Some of the most essential processes on the planet involves water and energy entering and leaving cells.

2 Jun 2020

New method imitates how plants produce hormones

Plants produce the hormone jasmonic acid as a defense response when challenged. This is how they ensure that their predators no longer like the taste of their leaves.

1 Jun 2020

Toxic tau may spread in the brain via connected neurons

Toxic versions of the protein tau are believed to cause the death of neurons of the brain in Alzheimer's disease.

1 Jun 2020

Study reveals a new method for efficient production of proteins

Researchers have studied over 30,000 variants of genetic sequences to determine which traits of mRNA can enhance translational efficiency.

1 Jun 2020

Sheep poo could hold the key to developing new antiparasitics

Sheep poo could hold the key to developing the next generation of antiparasitic treatments that could protect Australian livestock and save the industry millions of dollars a year.

29 May 2020

Biophysicists shed light on how optogenetic tool works

An international research team has for the first time obtained the structure of the light-sensitive sodium-pumping KR2 protein in its active state.

29 May 2020

New methodology could help differentiate between healthy and cancer cells

Scientists have pioneered the use of whole living cells (that is, human lung adenocarcinoma) in dynamic combinatorial chemistry systems.

29 May 2020

Warwick researchers discover how cells respond to fasting and activate autophagy

As modern life-styles and high-calorie diets drive the UK's obesity levels up, researchers from the University of Warwick have found how cells respond to fasting and activate the process called autophagy, which means a healthier lifestyle can be promoted to help people maintain a healthy body weight.

From The University of Warwick 28 May 2020

Scientists explain why cold-adapted enzymes stop functioning at room temperature

Enzymes from cold-loving organisms that live at low temperatures, close to the freezing point of water, display highly distinctive properties.

28 May 2020

Study shows how ocean virus captures the metabolism of carbon-storing bacteria

Below the surface of the ocean, a virus is stealing the metabolism of the most abundant organism present on Earth. That might be attractive to those who breathe above the ocean’s surface.

28 May 2020

Nanodevices give unprecedented peek into how cells change with time

For the first time, scientists have introduced minuscule tracking devices directly into the interior of mammalian cells, giving an unprecedented peek into the processes that govern the beginning of development.

From University of Bath 27 May 2020

Researchers design antibody to identify pathogens of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have found a way to design an antibody that can identify the toxic particles that destroy healthy brain cells - a potential advance in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

26 May 2020

Fruit fly study helps explain why it is so hard to wake up on a winter morning

Winter may be behind us, but do you remember the challenge of waking up on those cold, dark days? Temperature affects the behavior of nearly all living creatures, but there is still much to learn about the link between sensory neurons and neurons controlling the sleep-wake cycle.

26 May 2020

Compounds in Brazilian shrub can reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Researchers have discovered that the Brazilian peppertree—an invasive, weedy shrub found in Florida—contains specific compounds that lower the virulence of Staphylococcus bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

25 May 2020