Molecular & Structural Biology

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Research Shows How Sleep Clears Brain Waste

A good night's sleep does more than just help you feel rested-it might literally clear your mind. A new study published January 8 in the Cell Press journal Cell shows how deep sleep may wash away waste buildup in the brain during waking hours, an essential process for maintaining brain health.

10 Jan 2025

Illuminating RNA Function with Innovative Bioluminescent Probes

The molecule that reads the genetic data contained in DNA is called RNA. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have found a method to tag RNA with a glowing bioluminescent molecule, which enables them to track RNA in real time as it travels throughout the body.

10 Jan 2025

New Insights into How Nitrogenase Enzyme Survives Oxygen Exposure

Nitrogen is an essential component in the production of amino acids and nucleic acids - both necessary for cell growth and function.

9 Jan 2025

New Discovery Sheds Light on How Monoamines Regulate Brain Rhythms

A collaborative effort between Mount Sinai and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has shed valuable light on how monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and now histamine help regulate brain physiology and behavior through chemical bonding of these monoamines to histone proteins, the core DNA-packaging proteins of our cells.

9 Jan 2025

Identifying PRIMER Cells and their Role in Defense Signaling

A diverse population of immune cells that move from one organ to another and react to anything from cuts to colds to cancer is how human bodies protect themselves. However, this luxury is not available to plants.

9 Jan 2025

Weak Molecular Interactions Trigger Autophagy in Cells

Recycling takes place in our cells at all times: in a process called autophagy, cell components that are no longer needed are enclosed by membranes and broken down into their basic building blocks.

8 Jan 2025

New Mechanism Revealed for Immune Response to DNA Damage

A research team from the University of California, Irvine has revealed a previously unknown mechanism that triggers an inflammatory immune response in cells when their DNA is damaged.

7 Jan 2025

CryoSCAPE Enables Accurate Single-Cell Profiling in Diverse Populations

Human blood is a complex and delicate mixture, often used by researchers and clinicians to understand the body’s inner workings.

7 Jan 2025

Uncovering Key Differences Between Humans and Mice in Cancer Immunotherapy Targets

“Programmed cell death protein 1,” or PD-1, has been considered a key target in cancer therapies since its discovery in the 1990s.

6 Jan 2025

RNA on Plant Leaves May Shape Microbial Interactions

Biologists at Indiana University Bloomington have shown that the surfaces of plant leaves are coated with a diverse array of RNA molecules.

6 Jan 2025

Unveiling the Impact of Antigen History on CAR-T Cell Function

The memory of previous interactions with bacteria, viruses, and other antigens is carried by some CAR-T cells that have been engineered to fight cancer and other conditions, according to research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

3 Jan 2025

Zebrafish Protein Promotes Cardiac Repair in Mice

Researchers from the Hubrecht Institute's Bakkers group have used a zebrafish protein to successfully repair damaged mouse hearts.

3 Jan 2025

New Study Reveals DNA’s Role in Stabilizing Cellular Structures

In a discovery that could redefine how we understand cellular resilience and adaptability, scientists at Scripps Research have unlocked the secret interactions between a primordial inorganic polymer of phosphate known as polyphosphate (polyP), and two basic building blocks of life: DNA and the element magnesium.

26 Dec 2024

Plant Research Reveals Unexpected Function for Key Cellular Protein

A cell protein previously believed only to provide a scaffolding for DNA has also been shown to directly influence DNA transcription into RNA – the first step of the process by which an organism's genetic code expresses itself. The fundamental breakthrough was discovered in apple cells but is relevant to all living organisms made of nucleus-containing cells, including humans.

24 Dec 2024

Researchers Create 3D Atlas of Brain-Spinal Cord Connections

Signals relayed to motor neurons from the brain enable muscle movement, but these signals typically pass through spinal interneurons before they reach their destination. How the brain and this highly diverse group of "switchboard operator" cells are connected is poorly understood.

24 Dec 2024

New Treatment Targets Tumor Microenvironment to Fight Breast Cancer

"Build your enemy a golden bridge to retreat across" is a piece of advice offered by Sun Tzu in his ancient military treatise, The Art of War. It turns out that cancerous growths adopt this strategy in their battle against the immune system.

24 Dec 2024

New Synthetic Biology Tool Improves Genetic Circuit Integration and Functionality

The research team led by Professor Jongmin Kim from the Department of Life Sciences at POSTECH, along with graduate students Hyunseop Goh and Seungdo Choi, has successfully developed the 'Synthetic Translational Coupling Element (SynTCE),' significantly enhancing the precision and integration density of genetic circuits in synthetic biology.

23 Dec 2024

ALS Stem Cell Model Reveals Increased Susceptibility to Cell Death

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fast-progressing neurodegenerative disease with an average survival time of three years. In ALS, certain types of neurons called motor neurons that are required for muscle contractions die off, leading to progressive paralysis affecting most muscles of the body. The molecular causes of ALS are poorly understood, and effective treatments are missing.

20 Dec 2024

SMART Software Unlocks New Insights into Cellular Dynamics

Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed and tested a new software package, called Spatial Modeling Algorithms for Reactions and Transport (SMART), that can realistically simulate cell-signaling networks -; the complex systems of molecular interactions that allow cells to respond to diverse cues from their environment.

20 Dec 2024

High-Resolution Technique Maps Ribosome Elongation Cycle

At one time or another, most of us have played with a flipbook, using our thumbs to rapidly flip a series of pictures to create an illusion of movement.

20 Dec 2024