Molecular & Structural Biology

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New Protein Superfamily Redefines Bacterial Interactions

A newly identified bacterial protein, PopA, reveals complex interactions in bacteria, challenging existing models of membrane protein formation.

9 Jul 2025

Cryo-EM Uncovers How Tiny Protein Enzyme Precisely Trims tRNA

To build proteins, cells rely on a molecule called transfer RNA, or tRNA. tRNAs act like protein-building couriers, where they read the genetic instructions from messenger RNA, mRNA, and deliver the right amino acids to ribosomes, the cell's protein-making factories.

8 Jul 2025

Mediterranean Bacteria Offer New Weapon Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Mosquito-borne diseases kill more than 700,000 people every year, according to the World Health Organization, and the mosquitos that spread the disease are difficult to control.

8 Jul 2025

Study Links Cell Surface Receptor Pairing to Proper Embryonic Body Shape

During animal development, cells divide and arrange themselves in a coordinated way, eventually forming the embryo.

4 Jul 2025

UChicago Team Receives Grant to Study RNA Splicing and Cell Stress

During the first step of converting genetic information into functional proteins, cells transcribe the double-stranded helix of DNA into single strands of RNA.

3 Jul 2025

Flavoproteins Become Built-in Sensors for Studying Cellular Processes

Cornell researchers have found a new and potentially more accurate way to see what proteins are doing inside living cells - using the cells' own components as built-in sensors.

3 Jul 2025

ColdBrew Enhances Accuracy of Protein Water Mapping for Drug Design

Every protein in the body is encased in a water shell that directs protein structure, provides vital stability and steers function.

30 Jun 2025

VIRMA Protein Identified as Key Regulator of Ribosome Biogenesis in Brain Development

Ribosomes are tiny molecular machines inside all living cells that build proteins, and ribosome biogenesis is the complex, multi-step process by which they are made.

30 Jun 2025

Yeast Model Offers Insight Into Proteasome and Mitochondria Interplay

A study by the Center for Redox Processes in Biomedicine (Redoxoma) led by Marilene Demasi from the Butantan Institute (São Paulo, Brazil) presents a valuable new experimental model for investigating the interaction between the proteasome and mitochondrial function.

30 Jun 2025

Study Finds Protein Cleavage Essential for Healthy Cilia and Cell Signaling

New research by Sumeda Nandadasa, PhD, reveals how a key protein associated with Meckel-Gruber syndrome, nephronophthisis, Joubert syndrome and other ciliopathies is cut in half to perform two separate functions, both of which are fundamental to the healthy development of children.

30 Jun 2025

Natural Compound from Propolis Alters Membrane Fluidity

A new study by Professor José Villalaín, Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), provides a detailed description of how nymphaeol A - a compound found in propolis - behaves when interacting with cell membranes.

26 Jun 2025

Genetically Similar Bacteria Show Unexpected Diversity in Shape and Behavior

Genetically similar bacteria can differ in shape and behavior, even in lab settings. A recent study shows that this variability impacts microbial fitness, virulence, and our understanding of gut microbiota.

26 Jun 2025

Scientists Reveal Molecular Battle Between Maternal and Paternal Genes in Bees

Despite having identical genetic instructions, female honey bee larvae can develop into either long-lived reproductive queens or short-lived sterile workers who help rear their sisters rather than laying their own eggs.

23 Jun 2025

Targeting iRhom2 to Control ADAM17-Related Diseases

The atomic structures of ADAM17 and iRhom2, revealed by UC researchers, offer new avenues for developing precise treatments for chronic inflammatory conditions.

16 Jun 2025

Femtosecond Crystallography Reveals Cryptochrome Mechanisms

Research on cryptochromes using femtosecond crystallography uncovers rapid structural changes, enhancing our understanding of light-driven biological processes.

11 Jun 2025

Study Identifies Key Yield Traits in Complex Banana Genome

Banana breeding is notoriously difficult. Most cultivated bananas are sterile triploids with limited recombination and long growth cycles.

11 Jun 2025

A New Strategy for High-Fidelity CRISPR Editing in Tomatoes

Gene targeting (GT) via homologous recombination (HR) is a powerful tool for precise genome editing, but its application in plants is limited due to the dominance of canonical non-homologous end-joining (cNHEJ) in double-strand break (DSB) repair.

10 Jun 2025

Cryo-EM Structures Reveal How IVD Mutations Cause Isovaleric Acidemia

IVD is a key enzyme in leucine catabolism, catalyzing the conversion of isovaleryl-CoA to 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA.

10 Jun 2025

Novel RNAs from Jumping Genes Produce Reverse Transcriptase Activity in Aging Neurons

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and affects more than a tenth of Americans aged 65 and older.

5 Jun 2025

Unlocking the Secrets of Synaptic Transmission

The reconstructed vesicle cycle model provides critical insights into synaptic transmission, advancing neuroscience and potential therapeutic applications.

30 May 2025