Molecular & Structural Biology

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Scientists Uncover New Activation Mechanism of the Human Sweet Taste Receptor

Sweet taste receptors are proteins in taste buds that detect sugar and other sweeteners, but the mechanism underlying how they elicit a sweet response has been unclear.

5 Aug 2025

Researchers Identify Key Gene for Restoring Fertility in Hybrid Peppers

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems have revolutionized hybrid seed production by eliminating the need for manual pollen removal.

30 Jul 2025

Bacterial Battle Strategies Involve Durable Amyloid Armor

Amyloids are perhaps best known as a key driver of Alzheimer's disease.

30 Jul 2025

PD-1 Guides T Cells to Become Long-Term Immune Defenders in the Skin

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have discovered that PD-1—a molecule best known for putting the brakes on immune cells—also plays a critical role in helping T cells become long-term immune defenders in the skin.

30 Jul 2025

Proteins as a Natural Weapon Against Predatory Bacteria

Amyloids are perhaps best recognized as a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

30 Jul 2025

AI-Designed Proteins Offer New Hope for Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy

Precision cancer treatment on a larger scale is moving closer after researchers have developed an AI platform that can tailor protein components and arm the patient's immune cells to fight cancer.

29 Jul 2025

Stability in Proteins Is More Like Lego Than Jenga

Proteins are life's molecular workhorses, doing everything from turning sunlight into food to fighting viruses.

29 Jul 2025

dpMIG-seq Enables Efficient Genetic Analysis of Tetraploid Blueberry

Polyploid crops, such as blueberries, often exhibit complex inheritance patterns that complicate genetic analysis and hinder breeding efforts.

29 Jul 2025

Rewriting rRNA Alters the Architecture of the Nucleolus

Ribosomes carry out the cell's most essential function-translating genetic information into proteins.

28 Jul 2025

How DNA Packaging Shapes p53 Activity

Each cell in our bodies carries about two meters of DNA in its nucleus, packed into a tiny volume of just a few hundred cubic micrometers-about a millionth of a milliliter.

28 Jul 2025

New Insights into How Cilia Move and Power Cellular Motion

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has uncovered the atomic structure of a protein complex pivotal to the function of motile cilia, the hair-like structures extending from the surfaces of many cell types that generate their movement.

23 Jul 2025

Misfolded Proteins in Mitochondria Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

Aging-related diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders and type 2 diabetes, are associated with defects in protein synthesis and folding.

23 Jul 2025

New Method Enables Precise Fatty Acid Delivery Without Albumin

Fatty acids (FAs) are essential to cell membrane formation, energy storage, and lipid metabolism. Yet, delivering them for research remains a challenge due to their insolubility in water and the reliance on albumin to facilitate transport.

23 Jul 2025

New Chemical Tool Protects Mitochondrial DNA from Environmental Damage

When environmental stress harms DNA, it can set off a cascade of failures linked to heart conditions, neurodegeneration, and chronic inflammation.

22 Jul 2025

Researchers Combine AI and CRISPR to Rejuvenate Ovarian Function

Ovarian aging, characterized by diminishing egg reserves and quality, affects millions of women worldwide, often leading to infertility.

21 Jul 2025

Liquid “Shock Absorber” Protecting DNA During Cell Division

According to a recent study, mitotic chromosomes are coated in a liquid-like coating that could enable them to bounce off one another like dodgem cars, preventing harm during cell division.

18 Jul 2025

Amino Acids Guide Cell Responses to Drugs Through a Complex Network

Amino acids play a fundamental role in regulating how cells respond to drugs. These molecules, which form proteins, act like bricks that communicate with each other within a structure.

17 Jul 2025

Hormone-Sensitive Brain Circuit Drives Mating Behaviors in Mice

In animals with social structures, the drive to reproduce is a complex process; governed by the brain, it's influenced by both internal cues such as hormones and external factors such as interactions with potential mates.

17 Jul 2025

New Metabolic Map Reveals How Blood Stem Cells Age and Become Diseased

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg and ETH Zürich have created the first integrated map detailing the metabolic and molecular changes in human blood stem cells as they age, specialize, or turn cancerous.

16 Jul 2025

MiROM Uses Infrared Light to Detect Protein Changes in Single Cells

MiROM identifies proteins by using mid-infrared light to detect molecular vibrations – essentially the natural "dance" of molecules within protein structures.

16 Jul 2025