Cell Biology

RSS

Atomic Snapshots of Human SMUG1 Unveil the Secrets of DNA Repair

Researchers have captured the first atomic structures of human SMUG1, an enzyme that helps cells repair damaged DNA.

3 Jun 2026

A New Non-Destructive Tool Maps Active Transcription Profiles in Living Tissue

Cell function is determined by how DNA is expressed into proteins. That process includes two main steps - transcription, when messenger RNA (mRNA) makes copies of active genes, and translation, when mRNA guides protein assembly.

2 Jun 2026

Cell Phase Separation Creates Droplets That Optimize and Activate Kinase Signaling

Within the past decade, biologists have discovered that one strategy cells use to keep their contents organized is a phenomenon known as phase separation.

2 Jun 2026

Researchers Map an Unprecedented Gene Journey From the X to Y Chromosome

The humble Y chromosome may be the smallest chromosome in the mammalian genome (and getting even smaller), but it is mighty: genes on the Y chromosome are critical for fertility in males.

2 Jun 2026

Live-Imaging Techniques Reveal How Stem Cells Collectively Suppress Tumors

It all starts with a single cell.

2 Jun 2026

Scientists Discover a Metabolic Switch That Regulates Ferroptosis

The loss of an enzyme can reprogram cellular metabolism in a way that protects cells from a specific form of cell death. Paradoxically, the presumed blockade of this enzyme has the opposite effect.

1 Jun 2026

Telomerase Protects Against Chronic Disease Beyond Cellular Aging

A protein long studied for its connection to aging may also play a key role in protecting the body from chronic disease, according to new research from the laboratory of Mikhail Kolonin, PhD, published in Aging Cell.

29 May 2026

Immune Cell Metabolism May Determine Tuberculosis Disease Progression

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have identified key differences in how immune cells generate and use energy, a process known as cellular metabolism, in people with latent versus active tuberculosis (TB).

29 May 2026

Scientists Transfer Nitrogen-Fixing Genes Into New Bacterial Strains

Most major crops, such as wheat and corn, require expensive nitrogen fertilizer to flourish. But what if bacteria could help those plants draw nitrogen from the atmosphere, as peas and beans do?

29 May 2026

Study Reveals Unique Heat Behavior Within Living Cells

Living cells cool much slower than our current understanding of heat conduction can explain, according to new research from the University of Tokyo. Researchers used two techniques - high-speed temperature mapping and artificial heating - to observe how heat dissipated from living cells and similar-sized artificial, fluid-filled sacs (liposomes).

29 May 2026

Identifying a Genetic Switch That Halts Human Nerve Regeneration

Researchers at Cambridge have created tiny circuits in the lab that replicate the connections between the brain and spinal cord, which control human movements.

29 May 2026

Researchers Identify Neural Pathway Governing Memory Organization

When a person has a new experience, their brain faces a subtle but critical decision: should this experience be categorized with other stored memories, or should it be filed away as its own new memory? Getting it right allows the brain to help people navigate the world.

28 May 2026

Motor Proteins Help Reshape Chromosomes During Cell Division

It's tricky to make an exact copy of yourself. Or at least it is for cells undergoing mitosis, where cells replicate everything inside of them, including their neatly packaged DNA, then split in half.

28 May 2026

OIST Scientists Uncover Key Mechanism Behind Regulated Cell Division

During animal cell division, a highly synchronized and tightly regulated dance of chromosomes takes place, ensuring the chromosomes split correctly into the two cells.

28 May 2026

Wireless Electric Fields Guide Immune Cells But Disorient Cancer Cells

Traditional electrotaxis assays place electrodes directly into the cell culture medium, which inevitably drives current through the sample.

27 May 2026

Cells Sense Abnormal RNA Patterns to Silence Jumping Genes

Transposons, DNA sequences that can self-replicate and move (jump) throughout the genome, are widespread and can affect cell survival if left unchecked. Cells control these "jumping genes" by silencing them, but little was known about how cells recognize and defend themselves from invading transposons.

27 May 2026