Molecular & Structural Biology

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MPFI researchers identify synaptic logic for connections between two brain hemispheres

Researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have developed a new combination of technologies that allows them to identify the functional properties of individual synapses that link the two hemispheres and determine how they are arranged within a neuron's dendritic field.

21 Jan 2019

Newly discovered regulatory mechanism helps control fat metabolism

A newly discovered regulatory mechanism helps the body control the rate of fat metabolism, according to a new study publishing on January 17 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Ligong Chen of Tsinghua University in Beijing and colleagues.

18 Jan 2019

UC Riverside biologists study evolution of dorsal fin in molly and Limia fish

To female molly and Limia fish, nothing is hotter than a male with a large dorsal fin. But these fins aren't just decorations to attract females.

18 Jan 2019

The cytoskeleton of neurons found to play role in Alzheimer's disease

A researcher at the UPV/EHU has participated in a study describing what it is during the early stages of Alzheimer's that triggers the loss of dynamics and subsequent impairment of the dendritic spines, the compartments of the neurons responsible for receiving nerve impulses from other neurons.

17 Jan 2019

Research finds decline in ketone body utilization when coronary circulation is reduced

Ketone bodies are metabolites that can be used as energy sources like glucose and fatty acids. They can be converted into acetyl-CoA, which produces energy via the Krebs cycle in the mitochondria, and are typically used as an alternative energy source during starvation, fasting, or periods of high-intensity exercise.

17 Jan 2019

Researchers cultivate vascular organoids that perfectly mimic human blood vessels

For the first time, researchers have successfully cultivated “vascular organoids” in a petri dish that perfectly mimic real human blood vessels.

16 Jan 2019

Researchers develop novel viral identification method

Currently, influenza typing in clinical practice is performed using an immunochromatography method based on antigen-antibody interaction.

16 Jan 2019

Truncal mutations study suggests new direction in origins of cancer

Cancers most commonly arise because of a series of two to five mutations in different genes that combine to cause a tumor.

16 Jan 2019

LifeTime receives fund to develop a plan to embed its vision for healthier future

Our body's cells are constantly changing. But which of these changes are healthy developments and which lead to serious diseases? This is what LifeTime, a new transnational and interdisciplinary initiative of leading European researchers, aims to discover.

16 Jan 2019

Researchers identify MANF as a rejuvenating factor in parabiosis

Older mice who are surgically joined with young mice in order to share a common bloodstream get stronger and healthier, making parabiosis one of the hottest topics in age research. Publishing in Nature Metabolism, researchers from the Buck Institute report that MANF (mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor) is one of the factors responsible for rejuvenating the transfused older mice.

16 Jan 2019

Researchers discover how cancer cells avoid genetic meltdown

A team of scientists have shed light on how cancer cell populations avoid genetic meltdown, despite the rapid accumulation of harmful mutations.

15 Jan 2019

High Quality Purification of Proteins Through Liquid Chromatography

In this interview, AZoNetwork speaks to Knauer about the use of FPLC for purification of proteins and how their products enable scientists to get the most of liquid chromatography; conducted by Matthew Rafferty

From KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH 15 Jan 2019

New understanding in the evolution of human feet

Scientists have made a step forward in understanding the evolution of human feet.

14 Jan 2019

Scientists identify endogenous activator of sigma-1 receptors in human cells

Cells communicate through complex mechanisms that typically involve receptors and ligands that bind to them. Endogenous ligands, produced by the body, have been identified for the vast majority of cellular receptors, helping explain receptor existence and function. But in the case of sigma-1 receptors, which interact with a diverse array of psychoactive drugs, an endogenous ligand has remained elusive.

14 Jan 2019

Molecular hallmarks of tumor hypoxia across 19 cancer types discovered

Unlike healthy tissues, tumors thrive in low-oxygen environments, often acquiring the ability to resist treatment and spread to other sites in the body. Despite being a well-known cause of therapy resistance and metastasis, the impact of low oxygen, known as hypoxia, on tumor cells is poorly understood.

14 Jan 2019

Plan your Pittcon 2019 with the mobile app

The Pittcon marketing department is excited to announce the release of its official conference and exposition mobile app, Pittcon 2019.

From Pittcon 14 Jan 2019

Scientists discover mutational signatures of tumor hypoxia

Researchers have discovered mutational signatures of tumor hypoxia in 19 cancer types that could be used to identify patients who need higher treatment doses.

14 Jan 2019

Conducting ChIP-Seq with Low Cell Numbers

An interview with Dr. Kathyrn Cunningham at SfN 2018, providing advice on carrying out Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing (ChIP-seq) with low cell numbers.

From Active Motif 14 Jan 2019

CRISPR-Cas9 circular permutants can sense and respond to viral proteases

Using a technique called circular permutation, researchers at the University of California Berkeley have created a new suite of Cas9 variants called Cas9-CPs, which will simplify design of Cas9-fusion proteins for diverse applications beyond simple DNA cutting, such as base editing and epigenetic modifications.

11 Jan 2019

New method modifies blood stem cells to reverse genetic mutation that causes IPEX

UCLA researchers led by Dr. Donald Kohn have created a method for modifying blood stem cells to reverse the genetic mutation that causes a life-threatening autoimmune syndrome called IPEX.

11 Jan 2019