Microbiology

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MIT chemists determine molecular structure of SARS-CoV-2 protein

MIT chemists have determined the molecular structure of a protein found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This protein, called the envelope protein E, forms a cation-selective channel and plays a key role in the virus's ability to replicate itself and stimulate the host cell's inflammation response.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 16 Nov 2020

Researchers develop new method to produce artificial organelles in living yeast cells

Cells of higher organisms use cell organelles to separate metabolic processes from each other. This is how cell respiration takes place in the mitochondria, the cell’s power plants.

16 Nov 2020

Presence of microbes in the lung can modulate lung cancer pathogenesis

Enrichment of the lungs with oral commensal microbes was associated with advanced-stage disease, worse prognosis, and tumor progression in patients with lung cancer.

12 Nov 2020

Yale researchers discover protein that protect hosts from lyme disease

Yale researchers have discovered a protein that helps protect hosts from infection with the tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme Disease, a finding that may help diagnose and treat this infection, they report Nov. 11 in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

12 Nov 2020

Researchers identify key target to prevent viruses from disarming the human immune response

Viruses such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C evade or disrupt the immune system to create persistent infections.

11 Nov 2020

Researchers discover new 'hidden' gene in SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have discovered a new "hidden" gene in SARS-CoV-2--the virus that causes COVID-19--that may have contributed to its unique biology and pandemic potential.

11 Nov 2020

New strategy can speed up the development of bio-based products

Scientists have accomplished a major breakthrough by altering a microorganism to efficiently create a target compound using CRISPR-based gene editing.

10 Nov 2020

Low levels of hydrogen peroxide can slow down cell aging

High levels of reactive oxygen species, called oxidants, are detrimental to cells in all organisms and have been associated with ageing.

10 Nov 2020

Study shows deforestation affects the soil’s bacterial composition

A soil scientist from RUDN University studied the effect of forest conversion on the properties of the soil: its acidity, carbon and nitrogen resources, bacterial composition, and the activity of microorganisms.

10 Nov 2020

AM fungi can be grown asymbiotically through myristate

Scientists around the world have been working to grow arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi without their host plants because they can be used as organic fertilizer in agriculture and forestry.

10 Nov 2020

Specialist microscope allows scientists to make one-molecule measurements

Researchers have designed and constructed a single-molecule specialist microscope, and shared the build instructions to help make this system available.

9 Nov 2020

Diversification of crops and vegetation does not impact crop yields

Increasing diversity in crop production benefits biodiversity without compromising crop yields, according to an international study comparing 42,000 examples of diversified and simplified agricultural practices.

9 Nov 2020

Genetically edited form of herpes simplex virus outperforms key vaccine candidate

A genetically edited form of a herpes simplex virus -- rewired to keep it from taking refuge in the nervous system and eluding an immune response -- has outperformed a leading vaccine candidate in a new study from the University of Cincinnati, Northwestern University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

9 Nov 2020

Researchers show how encapsulated viruses hijack biosynthetic pathways in cells

Researchers from the Universities of Melbourne, York, Warwick and Oxford have shed light on how encapsulated viruses like hepatitis B, dengue and SARS-CoV-2 hijack the protein manufacturing and distribution pathways in the cell - they have also identified a potential broad spectrum anti-viral drug target to stop them in their tracks.

9 Nov 2020

Study shows how coronavirus block cells’ ability to produce protective proteins

One of the novel coronavirus' most insidious tricks is that it can block the ability of cells to produce protective proteins without hindering its own ability to replicate.

6 Nov 2020

Scientists use genomics to track the outbreak of Yellow fever virus in São Paulo

Yellow fever virus is normally confined to the Amazon region, but the virus circulated in the Southeast of Brazil between 2016 and 2018, causing the worst epidemic and epizootic outbreaks there for decades. The Ministry of Health confirmed 2,251 cases of yellow fever in humans and 1,567 cases in monkeys in Brazil between December 2016 and June 2019.

6 Nov 2020