Molecular & Structural Biology

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Scientists unravel the physics of a cellular process linked to aggregation diseases

Researchers from Princeton University have uncovered the physics of a cellular process linked to aggregation diseases including Huntington's disease, paving the way to a deeper understanding of neurodegenerative disorders at the molecular level.

3 Feb 2023

RNA-G quadruplexes in living cells: A real-time study

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes referred to as Stephen Hawking’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease is a neurological condition that causes the body’s muscles to gradually lose control.

2 Feb 2023

Scientists define four cancer molecular subtypes using PDX models

Metastasis, the process by which cancer cells leave the primary tumor and spread to other tissues to seed new cancerous growth, causes most cancer deaths.

2 Feb 2023

Study uncovers a link between the genetic instructions for production and perception of sex pheromones

It's almost Valentine's Day, and love is in the air. Or in the waxy coating on your skin, if you are a vinegar fly. That's where flies encounter pheromones that play an important role in regulating sexual attraction.

1 Feb 2023

Learning about cellular proteins through “snapshots” of translation

Pep-tRNAs, nascent polypeptides inside the ribosome that are covalently connected to transfer RNA, are engaged in a variety of cell processes, including gene expression, according to advances in molecular biology.

1 Feb 2023

Tweezers illustrate how chemotherapy affects DNA

A recent study from Cornell University offers a new perspective on how the chemotherapy agent etoposide delays and kills vital enzymes that support the growth of cancer cells.

31 Jan 2023

Novel, more accurate computational tool for long-read RNA sequencing developed

On the journey from gene to protein, a nascent RNA molecule can be cut and joined, or spliced, in different ways before being translated into a protein.

31 Jan 2023

Molecular staple: The DNA repair mechanism impeding cancer treatment

Due to the continuous cellular activity, malfunctions frequently occur, making error-correcting systems crucial for cells. However, it serves the cancer cells’ best interests to cause errors when it comes to destroying them.

30 Jan 2023

Novel protein degradation technology provides functional insights into how CTCF regulates transcription

CTCF is a critical protein known to play various roles in key biological processes such as transcription.

30 Jan 2023

Cryo-EM helps visualize the detailed structure of viral genome replication machinery

RNA viruses, such as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, are in a life-and-death race the moment they infect a cell.

30 Jan 2023

Evolution of mint plants' chemistry could lead to new medicines, pesticides

The mint family of herbs, which includes sage, rosemary, basil, and even woody plants like teak, offers an invigorating jolt to our senses of smell and taste.

27 Jan 2023

Scientists receive $10 million from HHMI for research on using viruses as therapeutic agents

Taking a bold step into a new era of biology, a team of scientists from the University of California San Diego, the J. Craig Venter Institute and Yale University has been awarded $10 million by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support research on using viruses as new therapeutic agents.

27 Jan 2023

MicroRNA’s influence on lupus disease inflammation

Researchers from Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Medicine in Japan have uncovered how microRNA (miRNA) affects inflammation in mice with lupus. They discovered two downregulated miRNAs in the disease along with a rare circumstance where several miRNAs control the same set of genes.

27 Jan 2023

Unboxing the mystery genome black box with the DNA sequencing method

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have described a new DNA sequencing technique that can find out where and how small molecule drugs interact with the targeted genome in a study that was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

26 Jan 2023

Revealing the propagation of singlet oxygen along double stranded DNA

Nucleic acid-targeting photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative type of targeted therapy that is currently being studied. This treatment is based on photosensitizers, which are drugs that attach to specific regions in a cell’s DNA.

26 Jan 2023

Figuring out how cells safeguard their genomes during replication

Cells zealously protect the integrity of their genomes, because damage can lead to cancer or cell death. The genome, a cell’s complete set of DNA, is most vulnerable while it is being duplicated before a cell divides.

26 Jan 2023

New insights into cell health and disease

Scientists from Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered a protein that not only prepares DNA for replication but also controls the replication process. The research, which was published on January 5th, 2023, in the journal Molecular Cell, resolves a puzzle that has long-baffled biologists.

26 Jan 2023

New genetic condition that raises vulnerability to opportunistic infections

An international consortium co-led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center immunogeneticist Rubén Martínez-Barricarte, PhD, has discovered a new genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency and profound susceptibility to opportunistic infections including life-threatening fungal pneumonia.

24 Jan 2023

New computational tool for long-read RNA sequencing

An evolving RNA molecule can be cut and joined, or spliced, in various ways on the path from gene to protein before being translated into a protein. Using a technique called alternative splicing, multiple proteins can be encoded by a single gene.

24 Jan 2023

Potential to rectify various disease-causing mutations enhanced by CRISPR-based enzymes

Designing genome editing strategies for each patient’s mutation would be impractical and expensive because many genetic diseases are induced by diverse mutations spread across an entire gene.

18 Jan 2023

Molecular & Structural Biology

Scientists unravel the physics of a cellular process linked to aggregation diseases

RNA-G quadruplexes in living cells: A real-time study

Scientists define four cancer molecular subtypes using PDX models

Study uncovers a link between the genetic instructions for production and perception of sex pheromones

Learning about cellular proteins through “snapshots” of translation

Tweezers illustrate how chemotherapy affects DNA

Novel, more accurate computational tool for long-read RNA sequencing developed

Molecular staple: The DNA repair mechanism impeding cancer treatment

Novel protein degradation technology provides functional insights into how CTCF regulates transcription

Cryo-EM helps visualize the detailed structure of viral genome replication machinery

Evolution of mint plants' chemistry could lead to new medicines, pesticides

Scientists receive $10 million from HHMI for research on using viruses as therapeutic agents

MicroRNA’s influence on lupus disease inflammation

Unboxing the mystery genome black box with the DNA sequencing method

Revealing the propagation of singlet oxygen along double stranded DNA

Figuring out how cells safeguard their genomes during replication

New insights into cell health and disease

New genetic condition that raises vulnerability to opportunistic infections

New computational tool for long-read RNA sequencing

Potential to rectify various disease-causing mutations enhanced by CRISPR-based enzymes

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