Molecular & Structural Biology

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Researchers uncover microRNAs involved in the control of social behavior

The recent discovery of microRNAs as key regulators of biological processes has fueled an explosion of research activity into their function in health and disease.

14 Dec 2018

Geneticists discover how sex-linked disorders arise

Researchers have discovered a regulatory gene carried on the Y chromosome that determines whether a baby will be male or female and the risk of disease.

14 Dec 2018

Researchers reveal brain mechanism that drives itch-evoked scratching behavior

It's a maddening cycle that has affected us all: it starts with an itch that triggers scratching, but scratching only makes the itchiness worse.

14 Dec 2018

Parents and infants show similar brain activity when they play together, study shows

When infants are playing with objects, their early attempts to pay attention to things are accompanied by bursts of high-frequency activity in their brain.

14 Dec 2018

Exercise-induced hormone activates cells critical for bone remodeling in mice

Exercise has been touted to build bone mass, but exactly how it actually accomplishes this is a matter of debate. Now, researchers show that an exercise-induced hormone activates cells that are critical for bone remodeling in mice.

14 Dec 2018

Answering the Biggest Neurological Research Questions of Today

An interview with Dr. Peggy Taylor, discussing the biggest neurological research questions of today and how BioLegend is helping to develop new biomarkers for neurological disease.

From BioLegend 14 Dec 2018

Study unearths sensory switches controlling infanticide and parental behavior

Many species of mammals have evolved what appear to be paradoxical behaviors towards their young. Like humans, most exhibit nurturing, protective behaviors, and in some circumstances even act as surrogate parents.

14 Dec 2018

New discovery will improve the safety and predictability of CRISPR

Scientists have discovered a simple set of rules that can be used to precisely predict how DNA will be modified by the CRISPR gene editing technique.

13 Dec 2018

Salk professor receives $1.8 million from NOMIS Foundation for research on mechanisms to promote health

Associate Professor Janelle Ayres has been awarded $1.8 million over two years by the NOMIS Foundation to study health as an active process in which microbes--including the trillions of microorganisms that call the human body home--initiate interactions that promote the health of the host.

13 Dec 2018

New protein complex helps embryonic stem cells to maintain their indefinite potential

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are the very definition of being full of potential, given that they can become any type of cell in the body. Once they start down any particular path toward a type of tissue, they lose their unlimited potential.

12 Dec 2018

Microbiological analysis of bacteria that cause food poisoning could save lives

Researchers have made an important discovery that could help save patients with bacterial infections, particularly those suffering from food poisoning.

12 Dec 2018

Researchers develop new method to produce natural sweetener

A research group from Oulu University has developed a method capable of producing the natural sweetener brazzein. Production of brazzein as a good tasting sweetener has long been in development but until now, no solution for commercial production has been found.

12 Dec 2018

New computer model predicts prostate cancer progression

An international team of cancer researchers from Denmark and Germany have used cancer patient data to develop a computer model that can predict the course of disease for prostate cancer.

11 Dec 2018

Scientists use water molecules to track electrical activity of nerve cells

Researchers have discovered a new way to monitor electrical activity in nerve cells; by observing water molecules surrounding neuronal membranes.

11 Dec 2018

Sacrificial immune cells alert body to infection

Scientists have discovered a new mechanism by which immune cells burst to alert the body to infection with Yersinia pestis.

11 Dec 2018

Researchers uncover a number of previously unknown insecticide resistance mechanisms

Researchers at LSTM have used a bioinformatics approach to integrate information from multiple studies on insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and uncovered a number of important resistance mechanisms that had not previously been recognized.

11 Dec 2018

New method uses water molecules to unlock neurons' secrets

Neurons are brain cells that communicate with each other by sending electrochemical signals along axons. When a neuron is about to release a signal - in the form of an electric charge - it allows ions to pass through its membrane via ion channels.

11 Dec 2018

Researchers develop new system for efficiently producing human norovirus

An Osaka University-led research team has developed a system for simply and efficiently producing human norovirus. By coaxing human induced pluripotent stem cells to develop into a type of cell that usually lines the intestine, they created a cellular environment that can be used for producing the virus, studying how it interacts with human cells, and investigating potential vaccines.

11 Dec 2018

Lifespan extension at low temperatures depends on individual's genes, study shows

Why do we age? Despite more than a century of research (and a vast industry of youth-promising products), what causes our cells and organs to deteriorate with age is still unknown.

11 Dec 2018

Researchers develop biotechnological tool to produce antifungal proteins in plants

Researchers from the Spanish Research Council at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics and the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, in collaboration with the IATA, have developed a biotechnological tool to produce, in a very efficient manner, antifungal proteins in plants.

10 Dec 2018