Cell Membrane News and Research

RSS

How have new SARS-CoV-2 strains become more transmissible?

A new study discusses the effect of specific mutations on the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein to elastase, and on the intramolecular conformational changes.

22 Jan 2021

Magnetic nanoparticles guide neurite growth in dopaminergic cells

Magnetic nanoparticles raise hopes of treatments for Parkinson’s.

19 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

Even as the rollout of vaccines all over the world brings a glimmer of hope that the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may end in the near future, new variants continue to emerge, some with the potential to escape vaccine-induced or therapeutic antibodies. Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes a new American variant that may have become the dominant strain in the USA.

18 Jan 2021

Study reports promising new monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein

An encouraging new study describes a promising new therapeutic antibody that shows potent neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19.

15 Jan 2021

Newly discovered biochemical pathway can protect cells from ferroptosis

The hallmarks of cancer include rapid cell-reproduction and metabolic activity. But these processes also lead to increased cellular stress and oxidation, and the risk of cell death.

15 Jan 2021

Study reveals cardiac protein as a new target for different types of heart disease

Like a failing fuel pump that causes a loss of engine power in a car, a diseased heart can take a serious toll on the body's performance. For some patients, tasks like walking up a flight of stairs or walking across a room eventually turn into exhausting endeavors.

13 Jan 2021

New results help understand biological phenomena mediated by cell membrane integrin receptors

Researchers at Tampere University, Finland, have published new results in collaboration with an international research network that help to understand the biological phenomena mediated by cell membrane integrin receptors and contribute to the development of methods for the treatment of cancer.

13 Jan 2021

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 cytoplasmic tail uncovered

The virus's cytosolic tail also interacts with the host cell to promote its entry into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A new study appearing on the bioRxiv preprint server elucidates the conformation of this region of the virus, which will help understand how its form is related to its function in viral entry.

12 Jan 2021

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have defined an antigenic “supersite” within the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have important implications for the design of vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

Hypoxia signaling pathway could lead to COVID-19 treatments

Researchers in Spain have demonstrated that studying the hypoxia signaling pathway could provide opportunities for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

OXGENE introduces SLIM platform for discovery of antibodies against membrane proteins

OXGENE™ announces the introduction of its self-labelling integral membrane (SLIM™) protein discovery system.

12 Jan 2021

Vimentin could be a major co-factor that aids SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study has found that extracellular vimentin can bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro, and antibodies against vimentin can decrease virus infectivity by up to 80%. This suggests vimentin could aid the virus’s binding to host cells and help in infection.

11 Jan 2021

Tetherin downregulation by SARS-CoV-2 enhances viral spread

A new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes the role of a host protein called tetherin in the spread of the novel coronavirus.

10 Jan 2021

Researchers pinpoint spike protein regions as targets for passive and active COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have identified regions of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that have relatively few mutations and might therefore serve as important targets for prophylactic agents against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

10 Jan 2021

New approach to tame botulinum toxin for drug delivery

While rare, botulism can cause paralysis and is potentially fatal. It is caused by nerve-damaging toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum -- the most potent toxins known.

8 Jan 2021

Scientists gain new insight into how the immune system can be better used to destroy cancer cells

Scientists at the University of Southampton's Centre for Cancer Immunology have gained new insight into how the immune system can be better used to find and kill cancer cells.

8 Jan 2021

Study shows how new antibiotic resistance genes arise from random DNA sequences

An important and still unanswered question is how new genes that cause antibiotic resistance arise. In a new study, Swedish and American researchers have shown how new genes that produce resistance can arise from completely random DNA sequences. The results have been published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

8 Jan 2021

High-affinity SARS-CoV-2 RBD drives mutation spread, forms basis of new COVID-19 inhibitor

Now, an intriguing recent study appeared on the bioRxiv * preprint server describes the use of in vitro evolution to elicit affinity maturation of the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein to bind the host cell angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with greater affinity.

7 Jan 2021

Researchers develop detailed map of protein-protein interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and the host

By conducting a state-of-the-art interactome study between SARS-CoV-2 and host cells, researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston identified 437 human proteins as the high-confidence interacting proteins – with substantial implications for understanding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathology and potential treatments.

5 Jan 2021

Sugar-binding protein could promote inflammation and worsen sepsis

A sugar-binding protein could fuel terrible inflammation and worsen sepsis, a disease that kills more than 270,000 people every year in the US alone, reports a team of researchers led by UConn Health in the 4 January issue of Nature Immunology.

4 Jan 2021

Cell Membrane News and Research

How have new SARS-CoV-2 strains become more transmissible?

Magnetic nanoparticles guide neurite growth in dopaminergic cells

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

Study reports promising new monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein

Newly discovered biochemical pathway can protect cells from ferroptosis

Study reveals cardiac protein as a new target for different types of heart disease

New results help understand biological phenomena mediated by cell membrane integrin receptors

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 cytoplasmic tail uncovered

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Hypoxia signaling pathway could lead to COVID-19 treatments

OXGENE introduces SLIM platform for discovery of antibodies against membrane proteins

Vimentin could be a major co-factor that aids SARS-CoV-2 infection

Tetherin downregulation by SARS-CoV-2 enhances viral spread

Researchers pinpoint spike protein regions as targets for passive and active COVID-19 vaccines

New approach to tame botulinum toxin for drug delivery

Scientists gain new insight into how the immune system can be better used to destroy cancer cells

Study shows how new antibiotic resistance genes arise from random DNA sequences

High-affinity SARS-CoV-2 RBD drives mutation spread, forms basis of new COVID-19 inhibitor

Researchers develop detailed map of protein-protein interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and the host

Sugar-binding protein could promote inflammation and worsen sepsis

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Latest News