Molecular & Structural Biology

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Ancient environmental DNA used to map a two-million-year-old ecosystem

Around 2 million years ago climate in Greenland resembled that forecasted under future warming containing trees such as poplars and birch and animals like hare, lemmings, mastodons and reindeer.

9 Dec 2022

FSU study shows the transgenerational transmission of aspartame-induced anxiety in mice

Florida State University College of Medicine researchers have linked aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in nearly 5,000 diet foods and drinks, to anxiety-like behavior in mice.

9 Dec 2022

Revealing the unappreciated role of POLQ in responding to DNA replication stress

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, in partnership with Artios, have discovered how an enzyme involved in DNA repair (POLQ) becomes critical to the survival of some tumors when the cancer cells lose the ability to employ a more frequent way of DNA repair.

1 Dec 2022

Three-year interval appropriate between screening for colorectal cancer

Three years after the first negative multi-target stool DNA test, according to a scientific investigation into the best time to screen for colorectal cancer using non-invasive methods for detecting the disease’s targets in the stool, there were no colorectal malignancies discovered.

1 Dec 2022

Bats use distinct laryngeal structures to generate echolocation and social calls

Bats use distinct structures in the larynx to produce high-frequency echolocation calls and lower-frequency social calls, according to a study by Coen Elemans at the University of Southern Denmark and colleagues, publishing November 29th in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

30 Nov 2022

Discovery provides insights into how invertebrates have evolved complex nervous systems

Octopuses are not much like humans -; they are invertebrates with eight arms, and more closely related to clams and snails.

29 Nov 2022

AI creates artificial DNA to control cell protein production

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed synthetic DNA that uses artificial intelligence to control the production of proteins in cells.

25 Nov 2022

RNA-targeting strategy to repair the genetic cause of ALS and dementia

Researchers at UF Scripps Biomedical Research have created a potential treatment for a major factor in the development of ALS and dementia that functions by removing disease-causing RNA segments.

24 Nov 2022

Novel approach increases the protein production efficiency of synthetic mRNAs

A group of synthetic biologists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently figured out a way to improve the efficiency of synthetic mRNA protein production by up to tenfold.

24 Nov 2022

The influence of genes and small molecules on personal disease risk

Each individual has a unique chemical fingerprint. Small molecules in the blood, like fats or sugars, have a significant impact on how the human body responds to stress, which diseases people are predisposed to, and how serious an illness will be.

23 Nov 2022

Molecular motion of “undruggable” proteins reveals drug-binding sites

“Undruggable” proteins, whose structures and roles in disease are known but who appear unable to be targeted by drugs that will bind to them, present some of the hardest problems in disease treatment.

23 Nov 2022

Chemically attenuated live DNA virus vaccine prevents viral infection

Rutgers researchers have devised a new way to prevent viral infections: a live-attenuated, replication-defective DNA virus vaccine that utilizes the substance centanamycin to create an altered virus for vaccine development.

From Rutgers University 22 Nov 2022

Revealing the functional significance of DDX41 in great detail

The DDX41 gene encodes the nuclear enzyme DEAD-box-type RNA helicase. Hematopoietic malignancies are caused by DDX41 mutations. However, the mechanism behind the development of this malignancy remains unknown.

21 Nov 2022

Applying “programmable molecular scissors” to combat COVID-19 infection

As an approach that could be used to create a new class of antiviral drugs, synthetic biology was used by Cambridge scientists to artificially create enzymes programmed to attack the genetic code of SARS-CoV-2 and eliminate the virus.

17 Nov 2022

Enzymes hold the answer to understanding how DNA mutates

According to recent research from the University of Surrey, enzymes, which are essential for regulating how cells replicate in the human body, could be the very component that encourages DNA to spontaneously mutate, leading to potentially permanent genetic errors.

From University of Surrey 17 Nov 2022

Revealing cancer development in people carrying inherited BRCA1 mutations

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered that people who inherit a mutant copy of the BRCA1 gene may develop mutations and cancer due to error-prone DNA replication and repair.

16 Nov 2022

European project promotes top-notch research in biochemistry and biophysics

TWIN2PIPSA, a new European project funded with €1.2 million, will support leading research and intensive training in the biochemistry and biophysics of protein folding, with implications and applications in biomedicine and biotechnology.

15 Nov 2022

Researchers create genetic 'devices' to perform computations like artificial neural circuits

Bringing together concepts from electrical engineering and bioengineering tools, Technion and MIT scientists collaborated to produce cells engineered to compute sophisticated functions – "biocomputers" of sorts.

15 Nov 2022

NIH funds research on mRNA vaccines to stop cancer development

The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health has awarded a multidisciplinary team of Weill Cornell Medicine researchers a five-year $5.7 million grant to support a center dedicated to creating messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to prevent the development of cancer in at-risk groups.

15 Nov 2022