Molecular & Structural Biology

RSS

Researchers develop new system that creates 'virtual taste realities'

The fly hasn't eaten for an entire day and it's starving. Finally, it finds a pile of edible gelatinous goo. It begins eating when suddenly a green light appears, and the food, which was far from delicious a moment ago, becomes irresistibly sweet.

24 Jun 2019

Study reveals how basic structure of the brain is formed

The human brain consists of neurons arranged into microscopic columns. The cortex, which is the seat of most cerebral functions and forms the largest part of the brain, is divided into uncountable micro-columns.

23 Jun 2019

New mutation discovered in the leptin gene

The global obesity epidemic is so far-reaching it now has an overarching name: globesity. Texas Biomed Staff Scientist Raul Bastarrachea, M.D., is part of a team that discovered a new mutation in the gene that regulates the key hormone suppressing hunger called leptin.

22 Jun 2019

Molecular virologist receives nearly $2 million NIH grant renewal to study hepatitis E virus

For decades, University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Virology X.J. Meng and his lab at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine have studied hepatitis E virus (HEV), the causative agent of hepatitis E in humans.

21 Jun 2019

McMaster researchers map toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's

A team of researchers from McMaster University has mapped at atomic resolution a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, allowing them to better understand what is happening deep within the brain during the earliest stages of the disease.

20 Jun 2019

Highlights and key takeaways from the 2019 Boston Bacterial Meeting (BBM)

Missed out on the 2019 Boston Bacterial Meeting (BBM)? Read our round-up of the key takeaways, areas of discussion, speakers and more.

19 Jun 2019

ChIP-seq kit maximizes chromatin-antibody binding and capture

Optimizing protein orientation for maximum chromatin-antibody binding and capture enables Chromatrap® ChIP-seq kits to offer market leading sensitivity.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 19 Jun 2019

Metabolic engineering of cannabinoids – are we there yet?

There has recently been a surge in research into the biosynthetic pathways of cannabinoids and the potential for commercialized metabolic engineering.

19 Jun 2019

FACS-based CRISPR screening shows how Chlamydia bacterium invades host cells

Using FACS-based CRISPR screening, scientists have identified three candidate genes that may facilitate the invasion of Chlamydia trachomatis into host cells.

19 Jun 2019

Novel microfluidic device captures and isolates circulating tumor cell clusters

Cancer touches nearly everyone in one way or another, and regrettably, it will claim another 600,000 lives in the U.S. in 2019, according to the American Cancer Society. Researchers from San Diego State University, TumorGen MDx Inc., and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute set out to explore a seemingly basic question: What is it about cancer that kills?

19 Jun 2019

Study links high number of copies of chromosomal region to chemotherapeutic drug resistance

Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, with the participation of collaborators from the Baylor College of Medicine and the University Institute of Oncology of Asturias, publish today in Cancer Research a study where they relate the high number of copies of a chromosomal region with the appearance of resistance to a chemotherapeutic drug.

19 Jun 2019

The basal forebrain may hold clues to food avoidance behavior

After fasting for 24 hours the typical laboratory mouse spends much time eating. Surprisingly, this is not what Jay M. Patel saw when he was studying basal forebrain circuits in mice.

18 Jun 2019

Researchers discover redundancies in immune cells

Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered redundancies in the biochemical signaling pathways of immune cells. This finding has important implications for advances in cancer immunotherapy, among other areas.

18 Jun 2019

Researchers develop technique to track proteins on the surfaces of endoplasmic reticulum in cells

Researchers from Kanazawa University on the development of a technique to closely track a specific protein on the surfaces of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in cells. Their findings are published in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry.

17 Jun 2019

Researchers examine transport mechanism of bacterial membrane protein

An international research team has investigated the transport mechanism of a bacterial membrane protein using an artificially produced antibody fragment.

17 Jun 2019

Researchers develop new 3D tissue imaging technique to study disease at cellular level

To diagnose and treat diseases like cancer, scientists and doctors must understand how cells respond to different medical conditions and treatments.

14 Jun 2019

Mutant bacterial receptor could help identify therapeutic compounds that inhibit quorum sensing

Researchers have developed a new mutant version of a receptor used by a bacterial pathogen for a chemical communication process called quorum sensing, according to a study published June 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Bonnie Bassler of Princeton University, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 14 Jun 2019