Molecular & Structural Biology

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New insights into the distribution and regulation of meiotic DSB hotspots

A new method, DNA End tailing and sequencing (DEtail-seq), for meiotic DNA double-strand break (DSB) profiling was developed recently.

3 Mar 2023

Novel way to block the death of nerve cells in MND

Scientists have found a novel way to block the transportation of mutant RNA and subsequent production of toxic repeat proteins which lead to the death of nerve cells in the most common subtypes of motor neurone disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

2 Mar 2023

New model, C. elegans, helps pursue research on Parkinson's disease

A tiny worm called the C. elegans is enabling scientists to explore the emerging theory that Parkinson's disease starts in the gut.

1 Mar 2023

Elaborating how amino acids shaped the genetic code of ancient microbes

Researchers discovered that without specific amino acids, ancient proteins would not have identified how to evolve into anything alive on the planet today, including plants, animals, and humans, by mimicking early Earth conditions in the lab.

28 Feb 2023

RNA modification plays a vital role in TDP-43-related neurodegeneration in ALS

Nearly 100% of cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-the progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease known as ALS or Lou Gherig's disease-involve the buildup of a protein called TDP-43.

28 Feb 2023

Nanosatellite paves the way for developing RNA-based medicines

Researchers from Aarhus University and Berkeley Laboratory have designed RNA molecules, that folds into nanoscale rectangles, cylinders, and satellites, and have studied their 3D structure and dynamics with advanced nanotechnological methods.

28 Feb 2023

Study reveals why the FMO5 gene produces an enzyme with a different activity

Our body produces lots of enzymes that break down toxic substances. One class of such enzymes are the flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs), which are present in all tetrapods. Humans have five different FMO genes, of which the first four display the same activity. However, the fifth FMO gene triggers a different breakdown reaction. University of Groningen biochemists have succeeded in resurrecting the ancestral genes of all tetrapod FMOs to show how this divergence has occurred. Their results appear on 24 February in Nature Communications.

28 Feb 2023

Study elucidates the cellular changes caused by exposure to adversity during childhood

A new brain connection discovered by University of California, Irvine researchers can explain how early-life stress and adversity trigger disrupted operation of the brain's reward circuit, offering a new therapeutic target for treating mental illness. Impaired function of this circuit is thought to underlie several major disorders, such as depression, substance abuse and excessive risk-taking.

28 Feb 2023

New molecular understanding of how head injury may contribute to glioma risk

Researchers from the UCL Cancer Institute have provided important molecular understanding of how injury may contribute to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumor called a glioma.

27 Feb 2023

Study shows why a specific gene mutation has opposite effects on mice and human cancers

A small but significant metabolic difference between human and mouse lung tumor cells, has been discovered by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers, explaining a discrepancy in previous study results, and pointing toward new strategies for developing cancer treatments.

27 Feb 2023

New model simplifies the understanding of vascular malformations

Our bodies are made up of 60,000 miles of complex pipes that play a vital role in transporting nutrients throughout our bodies, performing waste disposal, and supplying our organs with fresh oxygen and blood.

27 Feb 2023

Researchers tease apart the molecular components involved in abdominal aneurysms

When the artery that supplies the stomach and the liver forms a bulge that ruptures, this medical emergency results in the deaths of 50 percent of patients before they reach the hospital.

24 Feb 2023

New model describes the enormous range of DNA in nature

Why neutral sequences, frequently referred to as “junk DNA,” are not removed from the genomes of living things in nature and persist there even millions of years later is a scientific mystery that could have a possible answer according to a new model created at Tel Aviv University.

23 Feb 2023

Monitoring bovine meat and milk factor protein expression could enable colorectal cancer detection

Bovine meat and milk factors (BMMFs)-; initially identified by de Villiers et al. in 2014-; represent a class of infectious agents in beef and cow's milk that have been linked to the development of cancer.

23 Feb 2023

New insights into the mechanism underlying the immunomodulatory effects of polyphenols

PCB2DG, a polyphenol with anti-inflammatory properties, works by targeting and directly interacting with the major glutamine transporter protein, alanine serine cysteine transporter 2 (ASCT2), to inhibit the uptake of glutamine, an important amino acid found in the blood.

22 Feb 2023

DNA methylation for precise gene expression regulation

If the genome is viewed as a guidebook for how a cell should operate, then annotations, highlights, and bookmarks are included on every page.

21 Feb 2023

Analyzing the existence of unknown miniproteins

Evolutionarily young miniproteins are unique in humans, and scientists have recently found thousands of them.

21 Feb 2023

Accelerating the structure-guided discovery of chemogenetic tools

In order to more fully understand how diseases arise in the brain, scientists must unravel the intricate way neurons relay messages (either chemical or electrical) along a complex web of nerve cells. One way is by using a tool called DREADDs, which stands for Designer Receptors Activated by Designer Drugs.

21 Feb 2023

Revealing a novel form of ferroptosis that may be implicated in diseases caused by acute injury

This study is led by Dr. Anjian Xu (Beijing Clinical Research Institute, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University), Dr. Min Cong (Liver Research Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University) and Dr. Junying Ding (Beijing Key Laboratory of Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Infectious Diseases, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University).

20 Feb 2023

Scientists unravel the secrets of polydopamine coatings

Dopamine is best known as a neurotransmitter. What is rather unknown, however, the underwater glue used by mussels contains large amounts of L-Dopa molecules, an analog of dopamine.

17 Feb 2023

Molecular & Structural Biology

New insights into the distribution and regulation of meiotic DSB hotspots

Novel way to block the death of nerve cells in MND

New model, C. elegans, helps pursue research on Parkinson's disease

Elaborating how amino acids shaped the genetic code of ancient microbes

RNA modification plays a vital role in TDP-43-related neurodegeneration in ALS

Nanosatellite paves the way for developing RNA-based medicines

Study reveals why the FMO5 gene produces an enzyme with a different activity

Study elucidates the cellular changes caused by exposure to adversity during childhood

New molecular understanding of how head injury may contribute to glioma risk

Study shows why a specific gene mutation has opposite effects on mice and human cancers

New model simplifies the understanding of vascular malformations

Researchers tease apart the molecular components involved in abdominal aneurysms

New model describes the enormous range of DNA in nature

Monitoring bovine meat and milk factor protein expression could enable colorectal cancer detection

New insights into the mechanism underlying the immunomodulatory effects of polyphenols

DNA methylation for precise gene expression regulation

Analyzing the existence of unknown miniproteins

Accelerating the structure-guided discovery of chemogenetic tools

Revealing a novel form of ferroptosis that may be implicated in diseases caused by acute injury

Scientists unravel the secrets of polydopamine coatings

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