Molecular & Structural Biology

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Insights into the evolution of banana domestication

People on the island of New Guinea are said to have domesticated bananas 7,000 years ago. However, the history of banana domestication is convoluted, and their categorization is widely discussed, as the boundaries between species and subspecies are frequently ambiguous.

10 Oct 2022

Making synthetic biology applications feasible using RNA origami

Synthetic biology aims to acquire comprehensive control over biological functions to produce designer organisms for a range of commercial, diagnostic, and therapeutic uses.

6 Oct 2022

Cell illumination and targeted cell editing using RNA-based editing technology

An RNA-based editing tool has been developed by Duke University researchers, which targets specific cells rather than genes. Any cell type can be precisely targeted, and any protein of interest can be added only to that cell type.

6 Oct 2022

New insight into human genome evolution

Researchers discovered that in one out of every 4,000 births, some of the genetic code from the mitochondria—the “batteries” that power human cells—inserts itself into the DNA, giving a startling new insight into how humans evolve.

6 Oct 2022

Research team outlines three-step technique that lets human body defend against Hep B

A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has unraveled the precise operation of this defensive mechanism after finding a crucial protein complex that is active when our body is infected by the virus, paving the path for novel treatment targets.

5 Oct 2022

Novel molecules alleviate pain, avoid sedating effect

According to new research headed by UC San Francisco scientists, a newly found group of molecules relieved pain in mice whilst preventing the sedating effect that limits the usage of opiates.

3 Oct 2022

Using in vivo self-assembled siRNA as part of combination therapy for ulcerative colitis

There is still a large unmet medical need for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, despite recent improvements in the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of ulcerative colitis.

30 Sep 2022

“Junk” DNA could provide access to innovative treatments for neurological conditions

The breakthrough study from the University of Sheffield’s Neuroscience Institute and Healthy Lifespan Institute offers critical new insights into the so-called junk DNA, or DNA that was previously believed to be unimportant to the coding of the genome, and how it affects neurological disorders like Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and Alzheimer’s.

29 Sep 2022

New insights into the regulatory mechanisms of cell fate decisions

The Babraham Institute’s Reik lab’s study has improved the understanding of the function of DNA methylation during the early stages of development.

29 Sep 2022

Radical theory examines how charged macromolecules self-assemble

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that uniformly charged macromolecules, or molecules like proteins or DNA, which contain a large number of atoms all with the same electrical charge, can self-assemble into very large structures.

27 Sep 2022

The master regulator behind the fungal infection of wheat identified

The most damaging fungal disease of wheat farmed in temperate regions worldwide, Septoria tritici blotch, is brought on by the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici.

From University of Exeter 27 Sep 2022

Tiny DNA strand net in a low-cost test platform traps COVID-19 virus

According to a new study, tiny nets made of DNA strands can capture the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, illuminating it for a quick yet accurate diagnostic test and preventing it from infecting cells, suggesting a new potential path to antiviral treatment.

26 Sep 2022

Novel means to prevent and treat gonorrhea

According to scientists from the Georgia State University’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences, producing a mutation that impedes the way the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae transmits gonorrhea might provide a novel means to prevent and treat the disease.

26 Sep 2022

Rutgers researchers seek to develop technology for protein editing

Rutgers researchers are seeking to develop the technology to modify or "edit" protein molecules in the body-;an advance that could spur major breakthroughs in human health.

From Rutgers University 26 Sep 2022

Understanding the structure of the nucleus inside a cell using mathematics

Recent work shows a novel mathematical approach to start comprehending how a cell’s nucleus is structured.

21 Sep 2022

Chromosome restructuring suppresses meiotic recombination

The use of CRISPR/Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) molecular scissors enables targeted editing, insertion, or suppression of genes in plants.

21 Sep 2022

Native 3D structure of the ciliary base witnessed for the first time

Because flaws in the cilia transport system can result in, for example, blindness or cystic kidneys, findings reported in Science offer new understandings of the molecular basis for different diseases.

20 Sep 2022

Novel molecular mechanism of focal adhesion kinase inhibition in HD

Principal researchers at the Brain Science Institute (BSI) of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology were said to have discovered substantially decreased activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) proteins that play a significant role in neurite motility and proper synapse formation in HD patients’ brain tissues.

19 Sep 2022

New study supports bradykinin storm theory of COVID-19's viral pathogenesis

A new paper published in Nature Communications adds further evidence to the bradykinin storm theory of COVID-19's viral pathogenesis -; a theory that was posited two years ago by a team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

19 Sep 2022

Interactions between plasma miRNAs and cognitive performance in males

Cognitive decline brought on by aging is a precursor to dementias like Alzheimer’s and can have a significant impact on a person’s ability to carry out essential daily tasks.

16 Sep 2022