Microbiology

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Study reveals how some antibodies can effectively disable ebolaviruses

Some survivors of ebolavirus outbreaks make antibodies that can broadly neutralize these viruses--and now, scientists at Scripps Research have illuminated how these antibodies can disable the viruses so effectively. The insights may be helpful for developing effective therapies.

16 Apr 2021

Ebola virus protein changes shape by using human RNA

The human genome contains the instructions to make tens of thousands of proteins. Each protein folds into a precise shape--and biologists are taught that defined shape dictates the protein's destined function. Tens of thousands of singular shapes drive the tens of thousands of needed functions.

15 Apr 2021

Scientists discover how immune response to TB differs in adults and newborn babies

The immune response to tuberculosis (TB) differs in adults and newborn babies due to the way immune cells use energy to kick into gear in a bid to kill the bacteria. This fresh discovery - just published in leading journal, Frontiers in Immunology - offers hope for improving treatments for what remains a deadly disease.

15 Apr 2021

Novel method to activate and visualize protein channels that keep bacteria alive

Almost all bacteria rely on the same emergency valves--protein channels that pop open under pressure, releasing a deluge of cell contents.

15 Apr 2021

Novel test detects HIV reservoir in patients more accurately

An innovative test that determines the quality and quantity of inactive HIV viruses in the genes of HIV patients may ultimately give scientists a better idea of effective drugs.

14 Apr 2021

New simpler, faster system for analyzing mutations in SARS-CoV-2

Although it is known that mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome occurred and spread, the effect of those mutations is not yet clear.

From Osaka University 14 Apr 2021

New technique improves single-cell transcriptomics

With the help of single-cell transcriptomic techniques, researchers can study an unlimited number of individual cells from living organisms one at a time.

8 Apr 2021

Researchers discover new species of bumblebee through genome sequencing

Scientists have discovered a new species of bumblebees while investigating genetic diversity in bumblebees in the Rocky Mountains, United States.

8 Apr 2021

Study shows autism spectrum disorder is related to changes in the gut microbiome

According to a new study, autism spectrum disorder is associated with changes in the gut microbiome.

7 Apr 2021

Dopamine-releasing brain cells shed light on Parkinson’s disease

Scientists have found that botulinum toxin—commonly known as Botox—can expose the inner workings of the brain, in addition to smoothing out wrinkles.

From New York University (NYU) 7 Apr 2021

Low K777 concentrations inhibit cathepsin L and reduce SARS-CoV-2’s ability to infect host cell lines

For a long time, James McKerrow, MD, PhD, dean of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego, has investigated neglected tropical diseases, which are chronic, disabling parasitic infections mainly affecting the poor and underserved communities in developing nations.

From UC San Diego 5 Apr 2021

Study reveals the evolution of the human gut microbiota

The gut microbiota in human beings mostly evolves into an adult-like composition five years after birth, but significant differences continue to persist.

1 Apr 2021

Key protein could block the most common cause of food poisoning

Scientists have identified a protein that could be crucial for inhibiting the most common human food poisoning, caused by bacteria, in the United States.

1 Apr 2021

Supercomputer simulations help uncover the mechanism for HIV replication

Viruses lurk in the grey area between the living and the nonliving, according to scientists. Like living things, they replicate but they don't do it on their own. The HIV-1 virus, like all viruses, needs to hijack a host cell through infection in order to make copies of itself.

1 Apr 2021

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreading quickly in the United States

The faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in the United Kingdom, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is quickly on its way to becoming the dominant variant of the virus in the United States, according to a study from scientists at Scripps Research and the COVID-19 test maker Helix.

31 Mar 2021

Plants influence how their bacterial and fungal neighbors react to climate change

University of California, Irvine, biologists have discovered that plants influence how their bacterial and fungal neighbors react to climate change.

31 Mar 2021

Salivary gland cells could play role in SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission

Scientists have shown that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can infect specific cells in the salivary gland in the mouth.

26 Mar 2021

Antibody used for COVID-19 therapy can no longer inhibit new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Cell culture studies show that mutated viruses are less susceptible to inhibition by antibodies from recovered or vaccinated individuals.

26 Mar 2021

Xylem filters from native trees help purify drinking water

The interiors of nonflowering trees such as pine and ginkgo contain sapwood lined with straw-like conduits known as xylem, which draw water up through a tree's trunk and branches. Xylem conduits are interconnected via thin membranes that act as natural sieves, filtering out bubbles from water and sap.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 26 Mar 2021

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 antibodies wane at different rates

Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Infectious Diseases Labs have discovered that antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 decline at different speeds, and these antibodies last for only a few days in some people but remain for many years in other individuals.

24 Mar 2021