Molecular & Structural Biology

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Research shows how a fly’s brain learns to focus on more important odors

Quantitative biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSH) have discovered how the brain of a fly learns to focus on more significant odors by ignoring tremendously prevalent, ordinary ones.

12 May 2020

New technique gives reliable assessment of avocado fruit ripeness

A technique for measuring the ripeness of avocados could reduce waste by up to 10% and help fulfill consumer demand for ready-to-eat fruit.

12 May 2020

New sampling method can more accurately detect genetic alterations in tumors

A wholistic tumor sampling method that more accurately detects genetic alterations in tumors, which are critical in allowing treatment to be personalized to each and every patient, has been developed by researchers from the Crick, Roche and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and published in Cell Reports.

12 May 2020

Gene therapy builds muscle mass, reduces fat in mice

Exercise and physical therapy often are recommended to help people who have arthritis. Both can strengthen muscle - a benefit that also can reduce joint pain.

12 May 2020

Selectively eliminating leukemic and hematopoietic stem cells

Acute myeloid leukemia is an aggressive cancer of the blood-forming system. It affects the hematopoietic stem cells, or blood stem cells, of various white blood cells and of the red blood cells and platelets.

11 May 2020

Study shows protein shredder also regulates fat metabolism indirectly

A protein shredder takes place in the cell membranes of brain cells. A new study has demonstrated that this protein shredder also controls fat metabolism.

11 May 2020

New algorithm links large-scale membrane changes to molecular level simulations

Researchers have devised a new technique that integrates different levels of resolution in a computer simulation of biological membranes.

11 May 2020

Lipid metabolism enzyme regulates brain stem cell activity

Neural stem cells play a major role in the early development of the brain and they also continue to remain active throughout the lifetime.

11 May 2020

Research provides new insight into how molecular machines are built in living cells

New findings about critical cellular structures have upended common assumptions about their formation and composition and provided new insight how molecular machines are built in living cells.

8 May 2020

New open-source software tool aims to analyze lipid behavior

Lipids are essential building blocks of cell membranes, which control the exchange of substances and energy between a cell and its environment.

8 May 2020

Foxg1 gene works like a molecular knob to modulate electrical activity of the neurons

It works like a very fine "molecular knob" able to modulate the electrical activity of the neurons of our cerebral cortex, crucial to the functioning of our brain.

8 May 2020

New technique reveals the proliferation and genetic exchange of bacteria

Researchers have made a breakthrough interpretation of the way bacteria move and carry out genetic exchange—that may possibly result in the development of novel antimicrobial drugs.

From University of Exeter 7 May 2020

Junk food consumed by U.S. adults is associated with inflammatory bowel disease

Foods like cookies, cheese, soda, and French fries are often present in the diets of U.S. adults suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.

7 May 2020

Study shows how human sleep is influenced by genetic variations in the brain waves

Why do humans sleep? This has been an unresolved question of the 21st century.

6 May 2020

Study reveals new gene that regulates cholesterol levels

Precision medicine is capable of customizing treatments according to the unique genetic sequence of a patient.

6 May 2020

Study shows how mutational signatures are shaped by DNA repair pathways

A research team has examined more than 2700 genomes from C. elegans worms to gain a better understanding on the causes responsible for mutations.

4 May 2020

Faulty mRNA in gene expression may contribute to neurodegenerative disorders

Complex organisms experience growth, followed by the transcription of these genes into RNA, and subsequently the translation of that transcript into proteins.

4 May 2020

Molecular basis of rare neurodevelopmental condition reveals possible treatment

Like people, neurons need to talk to one another. But instead of turning thoughts into words, these cells convert electrical signals into chemical ones. For nearly 30 years, biochemist Edwin Chapman has studied how one protein triggers this crucial conversion.

4 May 2020

New antimicrobial peptide proves more effective in fighting drug-resistant bacteria

Through serendipity, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health considerably reduced the toxicity of a potential antibiotic against the most feared drug-resistant bacteria, while also improving its stability in fighting infections.

4 May 2020