Molecular & Structural Biology

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New Computer-Driven Strategy Reveals How Membrane Proteins Maintain Stability

Cellular membrane proteins play many important roles throughout the body, including transporting substances in and out of the cell, transmitting signals, speeding up reactions and helping neighboring cells stick together.

8 Oct 2025

Wasatch Biolabs Expands Service Portfolio with Oxford Nanopore Assays in Pharmacogenomics, Telomere Sequencing, and mRNA Vaccine Quality Control

Wasatch BioLabs (WBL), a Renew Biotechnologies subsidiary, and the largest U.S. sequencing service provider dedicated exclusively to long-read sequencing, today announced the addition of three Oxford Nanopore-developed research-use-only (RUO) assays to its service portfolio: a Pharmacogenomics (PgX) panel, Telomere Sequencing, and mRNA Vaccine Quality Control.

7 Oct 2025

Chromosome Zippers Rely on DNA Junctions to Safeguard Fertility

Every new life begins after a genetic shuffle. When organisms make eggs or sperm, maternal and paternal chromosomes pair up and swap pieces of DNA in a process called crossing over.

26 Sep 2025

Cryo-EM Study Uncovers Hidden Steps in NMDA Receptor Activation

When it comes to brain proteins, small changes can make a dramatic difference. Researchers studying NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, which are essential for learning, memory and moment-by-moment consciousness, know that even slight changes in their activity level can mean the difference between normal function and serious neurological disorders.

25 Sep 2025

Picoquant Invests in Fluobrick Solutions to Simplify Access to Single Molecule Research

PicoQuant GmbH announces its investment in FluoBrick Solutions GmbH, a newly founded Berlin-based start-up focused on giving life science researchers in academia and pharma diagnostics access to the power of single molecule techniques.

25 Sep 2025

Molecular Fossils Offer Fresh Insights into the Dawn of Biology

The questions of how humankind came to be, and whether we are alone in the universe, have captured imaginations for millennia. But to answer these questions, scientists must first understand life itself and how it could have arisen.

24 Sep 2025

New Research Challenges the Static View of Chromosome Shape

An international team of researchers from the Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London, Waseda University, and the Cancer Institute of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research has reshaped the concept of chromosome shape, discovering that they are not always stable X-shaped structures but are constantly in flux as cell division occurs.

24 Sep 2025

Lipids Play a Regulatory Role in LC3-Associated Phagocytosis

LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) is a specialized process for degrading dead cells, microbes or other particles.

23 Sep 2025

Chromatin Accessibility Shapes Growth and Stress Response in Blue Mold

Blue mold, caused by Penicillium expansum, is one of the most destructive postharvest diseases, leading to economic losses across fruit supply chains.

23 Sep 2025

Targeting Two Key Proteins to Weaken Pancreatic Cancer's Defenses

Indiana University School of Medicine scientists have identified a new way to weaken pancreatic cancer's defenses by targeting two key proteins that help the deadly disease resist treatment.

22 Sep 2025

Deciphering the Genetic Logic of Terpene Diversity in Plants

Angiosperms, representing nearly 90% of all plant species, dominate terrestrial ecosystems thanks in part to their sophisticated chemical communication systems.

22 Sep 2025

Editing SlVI Gene Enhances Sugar Content and Disease Resistance in Tomato Fruit

Tomato fruit development relies on complex sugar metabolism, including the conversion of stored starch into sucrose, glucose, and fructose.

22 Sep 2025

Integrative Genomic Approaches Reveal Mechanisms of Garlic Storability

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is one of the world's most widely consumed spices and health supplements, with China producing 80% of the international supply.

22 Sep 2025

Study Uncovers the Molecular Basis of Synapse Development

A team of scientists from the University of Cologne’s Institute of Biochemistry has discovered a significant finding about the molecular basis of synapse development in the central nervous system.

22 Sep 2025

Modified Cas9 Proteins Dramatically Lower Error Rates in Prime Editing

A genome-editing technique known as prime editing holds potential for treating many diseases by transforming faulty genes into functional ones.

18 Sep 2025

Tracing Evolutionary Roots of the Genetic Code

Genes are the building blocks of life, and the genetic code provides the instructions for the complex processes that make organisms function.

17 Sep 2025

Reconstructing Human Mitochondrial Transcription in Unprecedented Detail

Aging, neurological diseases and our bodies' stress response are all linked to the tiny power plants inside each cell known as mitochondria.

17 Sep 2025

Study Reveals Stabilizing Effect of Small Molecules on Proteins

For decades, amino acids have been added to medical formulations like insulin as stabilizers: these small molecules keep proteins (i.e. larger particles) from interacting in undesirable ways.

16 Sep 2025

A Molecular Magnifying Glass for Tracking Protein Misfolding in Living Cells

A novel strategy developed at Rice University allows scientists to zoom in on tiny segments of proteins inside living cells, revealing localized environmental changes that could indicate the earliest stages of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer.

15 Sep 2025