Cell Biology

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Scientists identify novel role for retrotransposons in shaping embryonic chromatin landscape

Retrotransposons are repetitive elements that form almost half of the mammalian genome. Even though they are so common, they have previously been considered to be fairly insignificant.

30 Aug 2017

Tiny tears in membranes of bone cells may be key to strong bones

The force gravity and physical activity put on our bones causes tiny tears in the membranes of the tiny cells that enable us to make or break down bone, scientists say.

29 Aug 2017

Study provides better understanding of how estrogen regulates gene expression

Estrogen hormones regulate gene expression. They achieve this by first binding to estrogen receptor in the cell nucleus, which triggers the recruitment of different molecules called coactivators in specific order.

24 Aug 2017

Scientists uncover stem cell response to prolonged irradiation

Researchers from several Russian institutes, including MIPT, have found out how prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation affects human stem cells.

24 Aug 2017

Zika suppresses immune system during pregnancy to harm baby, report researchers

Scientists from the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered that the Zika virus works by suppressing a pregnant woman’s immune system so that the virus can spread and increase the chance of harming an unborn baby.

22 Aug 2017

Stable vaccines using microscopic crystals from cypovirus

Scientists at Cell Guidance Systems, Cambridge University and Imperial College are exploiting microscopic crystals, made by a cypovirus, to produce stable vaccines for diseases that mostly affect the world's poorest people.

From Cell Guidance Systems 21 Aug 2017

Cardiac stem cells from young hearts can make older hearts young, study says

A new study from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, published by the European Heart Journal, forecasts the use of infusions of cardiac stem cells obtained from young hearts in reversing the process of aging in the human heart.

16 Aug 2017

Counteracting premature aging

Aging is the continuing process of such stress exposures, and with advancing age (normal aging), we must carry lots of senescent cells within our bodies. Senescent cells also often provide some ‘bad influences’ to surrounding healthy cells; such as chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis

14 Aug 2017

Salivary peptide promotes wound healing, research reveals

A study published online in The FASEB Journal delves into the mystifying fact that wounds in your mouth heal faster and more efficiently than wounds elsewhere.

7 Aug 2017

Pitt researcher aims to develop 'smart biomaterials' for reprogramming mammalian cell signaling

Through a process called cell signaling, cells collaborate on necessary functions such as responding to changes in the environment, fighting off threats to the body, or regulating the basic processes that keep the body alive.

4 Aug 2017

MIT engineers devise noninvasive way to assess cell's mechanical properties

The stiffness or elasticity of a cell can reveal much about whether the cell is healthy or diseased. Cancer cells, for instance, are known to be softer than normal, while asthma-affected cells can be rather stiff.

3 Aug 2017

TUM scientists provide new insights into development of T cells

When T cells encounter an antigen, they proliferate and produce various types of daughter cells. A team at the Technical University of Munich has now refuted the prevailing hypothesis that this immune response is largely predetermined by the individual structure of the T cell receptor.

2 Aug 2017

WPI researchers receive NIH grant to develop heart muscle patch using biopolymer microthreads

A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has been awarded a $452,000 National Institutes of Health grant to bioengineer a patch to help cardiac muscle beat more strongly and efficiently after a heart attack.

31 Jul 2017

Penn researchers discover how DNA damage turns immune cells against cancer

Cancer is essentially a disease of the cell replication cycle. The goal of treating the disease is to permanently kill off the cells that replicate with abandon without any molecular brakes.

31 Jul 2017

Bringing highly potent cell therapy products to market

There are two main challenges and both relate to manufacturing. The first one is to make sure you can manufacture therapies with reasonable costs and the second one is to make sure that you can balance the capacity you need with the demands.

31 Jul 2017

Researchers compare bone-healing effects of three low-dose growth factors

Researchers compared the effects of three bone growth factors to bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) -- the most commonly used agent for repair of large bone defects, which is not without risks at the doses required--and showed significant bone-healing effects including the formation of new blood vessels at low doses relative to BMP2.

28 Jul 2017

Estrogen uses certain cell type as 'mediator' for beneficial effects on the bone, research shows

The female sex hormone estrogen plays an important role in the structural stability of bones. To date, however, it had been unclear exactly which cells were involved in the hormone's protective function in preventing changes in bone density.

28 Jul 2017

Scientists uncover link between backup pathogen-fighting system and mutations in Crohn's patients

Genes that regulate a cellular recycling system called autophagy are commonly mutated in Crohn's disease patients, though the link between biological housekeeping and inflammatory bowel disease remained a mystery. Now, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered an intriguing clue.

28 Jul 2017

New approach may improve translation of immunological research findings

Mouse models have advanced our understanding of immune function and disease in many ways but they have failed to account for the natural diversity in human immune responses.

27 Jul 2017

Research shows key role of diffusion dynamics in stem cell differentiation and tissue development

Gradients of molecular signaling factors play an essential role in numerous events in embryonic development, from patterning limb and organ formation to the intricate shaping of the brain and neuroanatomical architecture.

27 Jul 2017