Molecular & Structural Biology

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New AI Model Predicts Protein-DNA Binding Specificity with High Accuracy

A new artificial intelligence model developed by USC researchers and published in Nature Methods can predict how different proteins may bind to DNA with accuracy across different types of protein, a technological advance that promises to reduce the time required to develop new drugs and other medical treatments.

12 Aug 2024

Scientists Develop AI-Powered Tool to Optimize Gene Delivery

Gene therapy could potentially cure genetic diseases but it remains a challenge to package and deliver new genes to specific cells safely and effectively. Existing methods of engineering one of the most commonly used gene-delivery vehicles, adeno-associated viruses (AAV), are often slow and inefficient.

9 Aug 2024

New Findings Shed Light on ATM Activation in DNA Repair

New research from a team of genome scientists and DNA damage response experts breaks new ground in understanding the function of a protein currently limited in clinical trials for cancer treatments.

9 Aug 2024

UCL Scientists Uncover New Role of Ribosomes in Protein Folding

Scientists at UCL have discovered a novel role played by ribosomes during the folding of new proteins in cells, described in their paper in Nature.

8 Aug 2024

Detailed Analysis of Cucumber Centromeres Uncovers Key DNA Sequences and Retrotransposons

Centromeres are crucial for chromosome segregation during cell division and consist of repetitive DNA sequences.

8 Aug 2024

Mini-Gut Model Unlocks Secrets of COVID-19 Diarrhea

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine claim to have identified multiple molecular pathways linked to diarrhea caused by COVID-19, offering possible therapeutic interventions utilizing human stem cells to create a sort of “mini intestine-in-a-dish.

7 Aug 2024

The Importance of Antioxidant Therapy in Preventing Parkinson's Disease

The neurodegenerative condition known as Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of neurons that generate dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for both motor control and cognitive function.

6 Aug 2024

Unveiling the Roots of Deadly Infant Leukemia

Researchers at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute have identified the genetic foundation for newborn B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (B-ALL) glucocorticoid resistance through MLL gene rearrangements.

6 Aug 2024

Breakthrough in Understanding Brain's Master Protein

Proteins engage in intricate molecular movements to fulfill their biological roles. The NMDAR protein, crucial for brain function, performs a particularly complex dance.

1 Aug 2024

Revealing the Spatial Dynamics of Sebum Production

Changes in gene expression in sebaceous glands have been spatially mapped for the first time in a collaborative project between Leipzig University's Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics (IZBI) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

1 Aug 2024

Study Challenges Current Understanding of Parkinson's and Lewy Body Disease Onset

Early detection of Alzheimer's disease-related changes in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies could be made possible by monitoring the amyloid-β (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) proteins.

1 Aug 2024

Researchers Uncover Unique Protective Mechanism in Pancreatic Cells

Researchers from the University of Cologne have revealed a mechanism protecting pancreatic β-cells, which are crucial for insulin production from inflammatory cell death. The study investigated the role of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) in regulating β-cell survival.

1 Aug 2024

Cryo-EM Reveals Structural Differences in Fetal and Adult Muscle Receptors

The connections between the nervous system and muscles develop differently across the kingdom of life. It takes newborn humans roughly a year to develop the proper muscular systems that support the ability to walk, while cows can walk mere minutes after birth and run not long after.

1 Aug 2024

New Model Reveals Underlying Similarity in Mammalian Brain Shapes

A novel method for characterizing the cerebral cortex's shape has been devised by researchers, who also present evidence that cortices in all mammalian species share a common, fractal design.

31 Jul 2024

Transposable Elements Influence Genome Size and Gene Expression in Rosaceae Plants

Transposable elements are mobile DNA sequences that play a crucial role in plant genome architecture and gene regulation.

30 Jul 2024

Scientists Find Way to Regulate Bacterial Mutation Rates to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Scientists have discovered a way to control mutation rates in bacteria, paving the way for new strategies to combat antibiotic resistance.

29 Jul 2024

Plant-Based Diet Slows Down Biological Aging Markers

Eating a vegan diet for eight weeks is associated with reductions in biological age estimations based on levels of DNA methylation -; a type of chemical modification of DNA (known as an epigenetic modification) that alters gene expression but not DNA itself. Previous research has reported that increased DNA methylation levels are associated with aging. The findings, which are based on a small randomized controlled trial of 21 pairs of adult identical twins, are published in BMC Medicine.

29 Jul 2024

Enhancing Laboratory Performance with Comprehensive HIL Monitoring

The release of the new version of ISO 15189 (2022), introduced increased focus on risk stratification and mitigation for patients and laboratory stakeholders as well as more emphasis on quality control to improve accuracy and validity of results. Interference caused by hemolysis, icterus and lipemia is responsible for many rejected results and incorrect diagnosis. It is therefore of the upmost importance to accurately capture the presence of interfering substances in samples before quantitative analysis is carried out.

29 Jul 2024

Unraveling the Complexities of X Chromosome Inheritance

A new study published in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences has reveals that the contribution of cells expressing maternal or paternal X chromosomes can be selectively skewed in different parts of the body.

26 Jul 2024

Antisense Therapy Shows Promise Against Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease (PD), as well as many other neurodegenerative disorders, has shown a link between the abnormal aggregation of a protein called α-synuclein (aSyn) and neuronal death. These aggregates, known as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites depending on their subcellular localization, can spread by continuously causing normal endogenous aSyn to misfold.

26 Jul 2024