Molecular & Structural Biology

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Novel 3D Structure can Serve as Blueprint to Engineer New BoNT/E Variants

A team of researchers from the University of California, Irvine, have revealed the first crystal structures of the receptor-binding domain of botulinum neurotoxin E (BoNT/E) in complex with its human neuronal receptors, synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A).

28 Apr 2023

Neuronal Activity Necessary and Sufficient to Drive Astrocyte Development

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have unraveled the processes that give astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell in the brain, their special bushy shape, which is fundamental for brain function.

27 Apr 2023

Modulation of ERK Signaling Could be Used to Stimulate Regeneration

Why do some animals regenerate lost tissues after injury while others don't? Researchers from the lab of Kerstin Bartscherer (Osnabrück University and formerly Hubrecht Institute) and Ashley Seifert (University of Kentucky) studied spiny mice, which have a remarkable regenerative capacity, to answer this question.

26 Apr 2023

Membrane-Remodeling Proteins in Cyanobacteria are Similar to Protein Found in Higher Organisms

The cells of living organisms are equipped with proteins that are involved in the shaping and remodeling of cellular membranes, thereby performing important tasks.

26 Apr 2023

New Genome Editing Technology Achieves Precise Targeted Insertion of DNA Segments

A new genome editing technology was developed by GAO Caixia’s group from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). This technology achieves successful and accurate targeted insertion of large DNA segments in plants.

26 Apr 2023

A Rapid Method for the Quantitative Detection of miRNA

Researchers investigating the growth of a roundworm discovered a tiny RNA molecule that controlled the expression of specific genes in the early 1990s. This resulted in the discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are now known to exist in all forms of life. These molecules, it turns out, play vital functions in a variety of biological processes.

26 Apr 2023

Previously Unknown Protein Reveals RNA Repair Mechanism in Humans

Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are single-stranded molecules that are found in all living organisms’ cells. As “transcripts” of human genes, mRNAs, for instance, play a role in the translation of genetic information by bearing the instructions for the production of a protein in their own sequence.

26 Apr 2023

Interpretable Machine Learning Framework Helps Optimize Chromosome Design and Synthesis

Artificially synthesizing genomes has numerous applications, including medical research and industrial strains. Scientists are continuously progressing in the depth and breadth of genome design and synthesis, from Craig Venter’s team’s synthesis of the artificial life JCVI-syn1.0 in 2010 to the rewriting and synthesis of the prokaryotic E. coli genome, and the Sc2.0 project’s artificial synthesis of the yeast genome.

26 Apr 2023

Generating the Landscape of m6A in a Mouse Embryo

RNA, particularly mRNA, has recently received some attention as the major component of the COVID-19 vaccines.

26 Apr 2023

Antibacterial Biologic Agent Effective Against Staphylococcus Aureus Infections in Early Tests

Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Janssen Biotech, Inc. have shown in early tests that a bioengineered drug candidate can counter infection with Staphylococcus aureus – a bacterial species widely resistant to antibiotics and a major cause of death in hospitalized patients.

25 Apr 2023

Universal Mechanism by Which Cells Determine DNA Shape Uncovered

We finally know why our DNA has an X shape. This finding by researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute may have much broader implications for how our cells behave.

21 Apr 2023

Food-Poisoning Bacteria Create Syringe-Like Structures to Inject Toxins Into Intestinal Cells

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how a bacterium that infects people after they eat raw or undercooked shellfish creates syringe-like structures to inject its toxins into intestinal cells.

21 Apr 2023

Spatial Organization of Chromosomes and the Role of DNA Tension

Two protein complexes are primarily responsible for chromosomal spatial organization in human cell nuclei. DNA tension has an unanticipated function in this. Together with Austrian colleagues, nanoscientist Cees Dekker and his PhD candidate Roman Barth of TU Delft’s Kavli Institute of Nanoscience published their detailed visualization in Nature on April 19th, 2023.

21 Apr 2023

Unveiling the Molecular Structure of the Ssp Toxin from Serratia marcescens

A multinational research group has uncovered how the bacterial toxin Ssp may penetrate and kill a wide variety of living cells, including human cells.

21 Apr 2023

A Previously Unknown Mechanism for DNA Folding Revealed

A hitherto unknown mechanism for DNA folding is described in a study in Nature published by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics.

20 Apr 2023

Mind-Body Connection is More Than Just an Abstraction

Calm body, calm mind, say the practitioners of mindfulness. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that the idea that the body and mind are inextricably intertwined is more than just an abstraction.

20 Apr 2023

Researchers Identify Novel Role of a Protein in the Development of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), a complex disorder that occurs in some patients who have engaged in excessive alcohol use, is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease among veterans and liver transplant patients in the United States.

19 Apr 2023

Molecular & Structural Biology

Novel 3D Structure can Serve as Blueprint to Engineer New BoNT/E Variants

Neuronal Activity Necessary and Sufficient to Drive Astrocyte Development

Modulation of ERK Signaling Could be Used to Stimulate Regeneration

Membrane-Remodeling Proteins in Cyanobacteria are Similar to Protein Found in Higher Organisms

New Genome Editing Technology Achieves Precise Targeted Insertion of DNA Segments

A Rapid Method for the Quantitative Detection of miRNA

Previously Unknown Protein Reveals RNA Repair Mechanism in Humans

Interpretable Machine Learning Framework Helps Optimize Chromosome Design and Synthesis

Generating the Landscape of m6A in a Mouse Embryo

Antibacterial Biologic Agent Effective Against Staphylococcus Aureus Infections in Early Tests

Universal Mechanism by Which Cells Determine DNA Shape Uncovered

Food-Poisoning Bacteria Create Syringe-Like Structures to Inject Toxins Into Intestinal Cells

Spatial Organization of Chromosomes and the Role of DNA Tension

Unveiling the Molecular Structure of the Ssp Toxin from Serratia marcescens

A Previously Unknown Mechanism for DNA Folding Revealed

Mind-Body Connection is More Than Just an Abstraction

Researchers Identify Novel Role of a Protein in the Development of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease

The Function of ANKLE1 in the Prevention of DNA Damage and Autoimmunity

UH Researcher Designs New Model Expressing the Most Common Disease Mutation in USH2A

The Implications of Biological Clock on Lung Health

Driving Support for Pharmaceutical Testing Through Continuous Innovation

From Memory to Metaplasticity: Unraveling the Brain's Secrets

Revolutionizing Mass Spectrometry: A Deep Dive into Plasmion’s SICRIT® Technology

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