Molecular & Structural Biology

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Structural Insights into uMtCK Offer New Pathways for Targeting Cancer Energy Mechanisms

Cancer cells have an insatiable appetite for energy as they multiply more rapidly than normal cells. Greedy cancer cells hijack various cellular functions to find and exploit energy and other resources, including a group of enzymes that help normal cells maintain a balance of energy.

8 Mar 2025

New Brain-Mapping Technique Pinpoints Cell Types Linked to Alzheimer's Progression

Researchers from The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of California–San Francisco have employed a novel brain-mapping technique to pinpoint memory-related brain cells that are susceptible to protein accumulation, a significant contributor to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible and progressive neurological disorder that gradually impairs memory and cognitive abilities.

7 Mar 2025

Cryo-ET Reveals Retrotransposon Replication Inside Cells

An arms race is occurring within human cells: Transposons, also known as jumping genes or mobile genetic elements, can replicate and reintegrate themselves into the genome, posing a threat to genomic integrity by inducing DNA rearrangements and mutations.

6 Mar 2025

Light-Driven Protein Isolation Replaces Affinity Chromatography

Proteins are essential in the life sciences, playing a crucial role in fundamental research, biotechnological applications, and the development and production of pharmaceuticals.

6 Mar 2025

Scientists Unveil Molecular Process of Polymerase Theta in Cancer Cells

DNA repair proteins act like the body's editors, constantly finding and reversing damage to our genetic code.

4 Mar 2025

Unlocking the Secrets of Fertilization Inhibition

A research team headed by Yale scientists has elucidated the workings of a natural biological process that blocks the interaction between sperm and egg, thus inhibiting fertilization.

4 Mar 2025

Unlocking the Role of lncRNAs in MASLD and Liver Fibrosis

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously termed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), represents a widespread health concern, impacting approximately 30% of the global adult population.

3 Mar 2025

Scientists Use DNA Barcodes to Track Banana Skipper Butterfly's Global Spread

CABI has led a team of scientists who have used DNA barcodes to narrow down the possible sources of introductions of an invasive banana skipper butterfly, with implications as to the threat of it spreading to Africa and tropical America.

28 Feb 2025

Novel Genetic Mechanism Controlled by Leaf Microbiota

A recent investigation has uncovered a genetic network within plants that regulates the growth of individual leaves and enables adaptation to environmental conditions. This discovery holds the potential for creating crops with enhanced drought tolerance.

28 Feb 2025

Unveiling the Role of NUDIX Hydrolase in Fungal Infection

Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU), in partnership with scientists from Germany and the United States, have identified a potent “weapon” employed by numerous pathogenic fungi to infect staple food crops like rice and corn. This discovery may lead to novel approaches for enhancing global food security.

28 Feb 2025

Study Reveals How Evolving DNA Powers Human Brain Development

A study of artificial human and chimpanzee nerve cells revealed how faster-evolving DNA gives neurons the ability to build increasingly complex brain power.

27 Feb 2025

Regulating T Cell Volume and Proliferation via Water Influx

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have demonstrated that the influx of water is a requirement for the activation and proliferation of immune cells, such as T cells when they encounter a threat.

27 Feb 2025

New Visualization Technique Reveals Geometric Patterns in Brain Activity

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have applied a visualization technique to depict the brain's activity related to visual perception as geometric patterns.

24 Feb 2025

LUC7 Proteins Play Key Role in RNA Splicing Control

RNA splicing is a cellular process that is critical for gene expression. After genes are copied from DNA into messenger RNA, portions of the RNA that don't code for proteins, called introns, are cut out and the coding portions are spliced back together.

21 Feb 2025

New Discoveries Challenge Textbook Knowledge of Mitochondrial Respiration

In an article published in the journal Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Alicia Kowaltowski, full professor at the University of São Paulo's Institute of Chemistry (IQ-USP) in Brazil, advocates the "rewriting" of textbooks on the location of the electron transport chain in mitochondria and the role of sodium in mitochondrial respiration.

20 Feb 2025

Immunotherapy Breakthrough Targets Jumbled Proteins in Glioma

Immune therapy has transformed how cancer is treated, but many tumors continue to evade these treatments, thanks to their resemblance to healthy tissue.

20 Feb 2025

New Insights into How MicroRNA Affects Bird Flu in Wildlife

Previously, researchers thought that microRNA was a kind of useless residue in cells and blood. But these tiny threads are far more important than some imagined. Also for those who study wildlife.

19 Feb 2025

Unlocking the Genetic Secrets Behind Human Vocal Communication

The origins of human language remain mysterious. Are we the only animals truly capable of complex speech? Are Homo sapiens the only hominids who could give detailed directions to a far-off freshwater source or describe the nuanced purples and reds of a dramatic sunset?

19 Feb 2025

MARBLE Method Uncovers Shared Brain Dynamics Across Animals

In the parable of the blind men and the elephant, several blind men each describe a different part of an elephant they are touching – a sharp tusk, a flexible trunk, or a broad leg – and disagree about the animal's true nature.

18 Feb 2025

Single-Cell Sequencing Maps Pregnancy's Early Stages

Recent research has produced the first high-resolution molecular image of the equine endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus, before and after embryo implantation.

18 Feb 2025