Cell Biology

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N-terminal acetylation shields proteins from degradation and inhibits programmed cell death

A new study shows that proteins called IAPs, which can trigger programmed cell death, are inhibited by a specific chemical modification, and reveals that they play a wider role in protein quality control than previously assumed.

11 Feb 2021

Seasonal human coronavirus antibodies not associated with protection against SARS-CoV-2

Past exposure to seasonal coronaviruses (CoVs), which cause the common cold, does not result in the production of antibodies that protect against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, according to a study led by Scott Hensley, PhD, an associate professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

11 Feb 2021

Inherited genetic variation plays a role in how patients respond to cancer immunotherapy

For all their importance as a breakthrough treatment, the cancer immunotherapies known as checkpoint inhibitors still only benefit a small minority of patients, perhaps 15 percent across different types of cancer. Moreover, doctors cannot accurately predict which of their patients will respond.

11 Feb 2021

Research may help better understand the biochemistry underlying catalysis in cells

Investigators from the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University, together with the Hiroshima Institute of Technology, have announced the discovery of a new protein that allows an organism to conduct an initial and essential step in converting amino acid residues on a crosslinked polypeptide into an enzyme cofactor.

From Osaka University 11 Feb 2021

Scientists use new approach to avert drug resistance in glioblastomas

In far too many cases over the years, scientists have discovered promising new cancer treatments, only to report later that the tumor cells found ways to become resistant. These disappointing results have made overcoming drug resistance a major goal in cancer research.

11 Feb 2021

Researchers identify tumor suppressor gene involved in stress response

Even the larvae of the Drosophila fly contain adult progenitor cells. And these cells are the only ones that are preserved throughout the growth and are responsible for the development of adult tissues and organs.

11 Feb 2021

Light-activated protein can be used to study single synapses of neurons

Neurons are the primary cells of the nervous system, and the signals that are transmitted between them are responsible for all our actions and our cognitive ability.

10 Feb 2021

Researchers discover new molecular mechanism that promotes cell migration

Research groups at the University of Helsinki and Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, discovered a new molecular mechanism that promotes cell migration. The discovery sheds light on the mechanisms that drive the uncontrolled movement of cancer cells and also revises the 'textbook view' of cell migration.

10 Feb 2021

New therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells

Prompted by the need to improve conventional treatments for people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), a team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has identified a therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells.

10 Feb 2021

New platform may accelerate genomic medicine research, drug therapies

A research team, headed by Cleveland Clinic, has designed a novel personalized genomic medicine platform that would help speed up genomic medicine studies as well as genome-informed drug discovery. The results of the new study have been recently published in the Genome Biology journal.

9 Feb 2021

Study uncovers how cells actively seek information to make better collective decisions

Cells, like humans, cast votes to make decisions as a group. But how do they know what to vote for? Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and King's College London have uncovered how cells actively seek information in order to make faster and better collective decisions to coordinate the growth of new blood vessels. This provides a new basis for understanding intelligence in cells.

9 Feb 2021

Researchers study how membraneless organelles form and organize themselves

In cells, numerous important biochemical functions take place within spherical chambers made from proteins and RNA.

9 Feb 2021

Study reveals molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells

The molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 enters cells and infects them are still not clear. Researchers at Uppsala University have tested the bioinformatic predictions made by another research group and have identified receptors that could be important players in the process.

9 Feb 2021

Blocking autophagy could help treat certain cancers

Recycling cans and bottles is a good practice. It helps keep the planet clean. The same is true for recycling within cells in the body. Each cell has a way of cleaning out waste in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. This "cell recycling" is called autophagy.

9 Feb 2021

New insights into the biology of chytrid fungus responsible for deadly skin infection

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have gained new insight into the biological processes of a chytrid fungus responsible for a deadly skin infection devastating frog populations worldwide.

9 Feb 2021

Researchers identify three genes regulating stemness of gastric tissue stem cells

Tissue stem cells can self-renew and differentiate, supplying cells necessary for tissues at various developmental stages.

9 Feb 2021

Scientists implicate disruption in prenatal neurogenesis in the development of autism

A new study of autism risk genes by UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley scientists implicates disruption in prenatal neurogenesis - a process in which specialized "progenitor" cells give rise to new brain cells - in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

9 Feb 2021

$1.8 million NIH grant supports research on extracellular vesicles

Scientists have known for decades that our cells constantly shed tiny pieces known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), but until relatively recently they believed that this process was merely a way for cells to rid themselves of material that was no longer needed.

8 Feb 2021

AI analyzes tissue scans to identify cancer patients at risk of hyperprogressive disease

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University, using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze simple tissue scans, say they have discovered biomarkers that could tell doctors which lung cancer patients might actually get worse from immunotherapy.

5 Feb 2021

Fecal microbiota transplant helps cancer patients respond to immunotherapy

For patients with cancers that do not respond to immunotherapy drugs, adjusting the composition of microorganisms in the intestines--known as the gut microbiome--through the use of a stool, or fecal, transplants may help some of these individuals respond to the immunotherapy drugs, a new study suggests.

From National Cancer Institute (NCI) 5 Feb 2021

Cell Biology

N-terminal acetylation shields proteins from degradation and inhibits programmed cell death

Seasonal human coronavirus antibodies not associated with protection against SARS-CoV-2

Inherited genetic variation plays a role in how patients respond to cancer immunotherapy

Research may help better understand the biochemistry underlying catalysis in cells

Scientists use new approach to avert drug resistance in glioblastomas

Researchers identify tumor suppressor gene involved in stress response

Light-activated protein can be used to study single synapses of neurons

Researchers discover new molecular mechanism that promotes cell migration

New therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells

New platform may accelerate genomic medicine research, drug therapies

Study uncovers how cells actively seek information to make better collective decisions

Researchers study how membraneless organelles form and organize themselves

Study reveals molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells

Blocking autophagy could help treat certain cancers

New insights into the biology of chytrid fungus responsible for deadly skin infection

Researchers identify three genes regulating stemness of gastric tissue stem cells

Scientists implicate disruption in prenatal neurogenesis in the development of autism

$1.8 million NIH grant supports research on extracellular vesicles

AI analyzes tissue scans to identify cancer patients at risk of hyperprogressive disease

Fecal microbiota transplant helps cancer patients respond to immunotherapy

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