Molecular & Structural Biology

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Scientists develop faster, easier method for making amino acid chains

Scientists often build new protein molecules by stringing groups of amino acids together. These amino acid chains, called polypeptides, are the building blocks needed in drug development and the creation of new biomaterials.

7 Jun 2019

Study: Smoking does not shorten the length of telomeres

A new study has surprised the medical world, finding that smoking does not shorten the length of telomeres - a marker at the end of our chromosomes that is widely accepted as an indicator of aging.

6 Jun 2019

A novel approach to intraplaque mast cell characterization in atherosclerosis

Researchers have devised a new flow-cytometric method to identify a subpopulation of intraplaque mast cells, the primary immune mediators of atherosclerosis.

6 Jun 2019

Scientists successfully carry out gene editing in vivo

Scientists at Harvard University have successfully proven that stem cells can be edited inside the body, rather than in a petri dish.

5 Jun 2019

Researchers investigate how antibiotic produced by the microbiome kills bacteria

A research team from the Universities of Tübingen and Göttingen as well as from the German Center for Infection Research has investigated the mode of action of a new class of antibiotics that is highly effective against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

4 Jun 2019

Scientists 'on the right track' toward universal flu vaccine

New research could bring scientists a step closer to developing an effective, universal flu vaccine.

4 Jun 2019

Study uncovers pigment cells that change their identity during normal development

A new study by researchers at the University of Virginia and other institutions has discovered a type of pigment cell in zebrafish that can transform after development into another cell type.

4 Jun 2019

Snapshot of chikungunya could help find new ways to prevent or treat viral arthritis

Chikungunya virus, once confined to the Eastern Hemisphere, has infected more than 1 million people in the Americas since 2013, when mosquitoes carrying the virus were discovered in the Caribbean.

4 Jun 2019

Study identifies promising cancer target for liposarcoma

A study conducted by a team of researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore has revealed a close association between liposarcoma (LPS), a type of cancer that develops from fat cells, and the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) protein family.

3 Jun 2019

Scientific discovery may lead to a treatment for lupus

A team of scientists has uncovered the structure of a regulatory complex that is involved in the release of cytokines and can be inhibited to treat lupus.

31 May 2019

African rodents immune to pain caused by wasabi

A new report in Science provides the first evidence of a mammal - the highveld mole-rat - being immune to pain from exposure to allyl isothiocyanate, or AITC, the active ingredient of wasabi.

31 May 2019

New studies from UCI shine light on circadian clocks

Can your liver sense when you're staring at a television screen or cellphone late at night? Apparently so, and when such activity is detected, the organ can throw your circadian rhythms out of whack, leaving you more susceptible to health problems.

30 May 2019

Newly discovered mechanism of enzyme links circadian clock and fat metabolism

The enzyme Nocturnin, which governs daily tasks such as fat metabolism and energy usage, works in an entirely different way than previously thought, reported a team of researchers at Princeton University.

30 May 2019

Researchers find new molecular targets for fighting autoimmunity

BRCA--the family of DNA-repair proteins associated with breast, ovarian prostate, and pancreatic cancers--interacts with a multipart, molecular complex that is also responsible for regulating the immune system.

30 May 2019

UC Santa Cruz researchers determine structure of a 'master switch' for cell division

Unregulated cell division is a hallmark of cancer, and one of the key proteins involved in controlling cell division is called FoxM1.

29 May 2019

Scientists unmask stem cell identity using gene-sequencing technology

Scientists from The University of Queensland's Diamantina Institute have revealed the difference between a stem cell and other blood vessel cells using gene-sequencing technology.

29 May 2019

Research could lead to new treatments for people with autoimmune disorders

The immune system is programmed to rid the body of biological bad guys--like viruses and dangerous bacteria--but its precision isn't guaranteed. In the tens of millions of Americans suffering from autoimmune diseases, the system mistakes normal cells for malicious invaders, prompting the body to engage in self-destructive behavior.

29 May 2019

Lugdunin in the human nose has strong antimicrobial properties against S. aureus

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an increasing health threat, making new antibiotics essential. German researchers have recently had a breakthrough: they discovered lugdunin in the human nose--a new kind of cyclic peptide that comes from the bacterium Staphylococcus lugdunensis and has strong antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, among others.

29 May 2019

Epigenetic research provides new approaches to cancer combination therapies

Epigenetic processes enable cells to respond to changes in their environment by regulating the activity of their genes.

28 May 2019

Researchers discover unexpected survival mechanism of a subset of cancer cells

Embedded at the end of chromosomes are structures called "telomeres" that in normal cells become shorter as cells divide. As the shortening progresses it triggers cell proliferation arrest or death. Cancer cells adopt different strategies to overcome this control mechanism that keeps track of the number of times that a cell has divided.

28 May 2019