Molecular & Structural Biology

RSS

Research reveals noise-canceling mechanisms in developmental biology

Noise is usually considered a nuisance, for example when preventing us from clearly hearing what someone is saying. The general concept of noise applies more broadly. In biology, the physical differences between organisms of the same type, for example two humans, originate from so-called developmental noise -- ultimately stemming from probabilistic collisions between reacting molecules and environmental conditions in cells during the early stages of the organism's growth.

4 Sep 2018

Study reveals sex-specific differences in mice microglia

Researchers in Berlin have described significant differences in the brain immune cells (microglia) of male and female mice.

4 Sep 2018

Five microRNAs predict course, recurrence of HPV-negative head and neck cancer

A new method predicts the course of HPV-negative head and neck cancer after radiation chemotherapy.

4 Sep 2018

Gene editing could prevent the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria

Researchers have found a way of preventing the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a promising new discovery in the fight against deadly superbugs.

3 Sep 2018

Neutrophil nanosponges provide hope for rheumatoid arthritis

Scientists in San Diego have developed nanosponges coated in neutrophil membranes that can prevent rheumatoid arthritis.

3 Sep 2018

Breakthrough study sheds light on mechanism underlying Warsaw Breakage Syndrome

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University and the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology in Italy have uncovered a previously unknown function of the DDX11 helicase enzyme.

3 Sep 2018

A genetic signal-transmission system for the gut microbiome

More than 1,000 species of bacteria have been identified in the human gut, and understanding this incredibly diverse "microbiome" that can greatly impact health and disease is a hot topic in scientific research.

31 Aug 2018

Scientists shed light on how dangerous inflammations are caused in the brain

The so-called CB1 receptor is responsible for the intoxicating effect of cannabis. However, it appears to act also as a kind of “sensor” with which neurons measure and control the activity of certain immune cells in the brain.

31 Aug 2018

UQ researchers discover new immune defense pathway deployed against bacteria

A new understanding of one of the body’s immune defense mechanisms could lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets for conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, a University of Queensland study has revealed.

31 Aug 2018

Research shows proteomics can be used to predict evolution of triple negative breast cancer

The rarest, but also the most aggressive and hard to treat form of breast cancer, is known as triple negative. For this type of cancer, researchers have so far been unable to identify markers that can classify patients by prognosis or probability of responding to different treatments.

29 Aug 2018

Protein aggregates may play protection role against toxic stresses

Protein aggregates have a bad reputation in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, but in bacteria, inheritance of aggregates by daughter cells may help protect against the same toxic stresses that triggered them in parental cells, according to a new study publishing 28 August in the open access journal PLOS Biology, by Sander Govers, Abram Aertsen, and colleagues at KU Leuven, Belgium.

29 Aug 2018

New technique for mapping flow of biomolecules in tumor microenvironment

Cancer researchers struggle to identify tumor cells that are interspersed within nonmalignant tissues because tumor cells exploit the tissue environment and monopolize available resources to continue growing.

29 Aug 2018

Researchers report how Zika proteins hijack host cells

Most people infected with Zika never show symptoms. But the virus sometimes causes severe disability -- from microcephaly in babies to weakness or partial paralysis in adults -- and there is no treatment.

28 Aug 2018

Researchers develop 3D map of the human genome

Researchers have developed a way of mapping the positions of genes within cells to understand more about how the genome is organized.

28 Aug 2018

NorthShore University HealthSystem highlights utility of Streck ARM-D Kits for antimicrobial resistance detection

Streck, Inc., received great interest for Streck ARM-D Kits, used in the detection of antibiotic resistance, at ASM Microbe 2018 in Atlanta.

28 Aug 2018

Pancreas' network of enzyme ducts resembles formation of rivers

With methods used to analyze road systems and rivers researchers from the University of Copenhagen have studied the formation of the pancreas' network of ducts transporting digestive enzymes in mice.

27 Aug 2018

Discovery will allow scientists to target hypoxia in cancer

Researchers have discovered a new GPCR that will allow them to target hypoxia in cancer, offering a new, less harmful treatment for patients.

27 Aug 2018

Changes in TRPV3 genes may have helped mammoths withstand lower temperatures

Columbia University biomedical researchers have captured close-up views of TRPV3, a skin-cell ion channel that plays important roles in sensing temperature, itch, and pain.

25 Aug 2018

Researchers identify series of molecules involved in regeneration of damaged nerves

Researchers at Nagoya University have identified the series of molecules involved in the regeneration of damaged nerves in roundworm, showing that it largely overlaps with the signals used by the intrinsic removal system to take up and process dying cells.

24 Aug 2018

MSU researchers move one step closer to solving arthritic disease in teenagers

A new Michigan State University study has found that a malfunctioning gene associated with a common arthritic disease that often starts in teenagers is now directly linked to the loss of vital immune cells that may prevent it.

24 Aug 2018