Molecular & Structural Biology

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New studies examine links between fatty liver disease and mitochondrial dysfunction

Researchers at Northeast Ohio Medical University studied the lifespan of mitochondrial proteins in a mouse model of fatty liver disease. Comparing the amount of protein between healthy mice and a mouse model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease gave them an estimate of each protein's half-life.

17 Sep 2018

Salk research in yeast leads to serendipitous finding about hypomyelinating leukodystrophy

Studying the fundamental aspects of biology can sometimes lead to unexpected findings that directly relate to human disease. In one of the latest examples of scientific serendipity, researchers from the Salk Institute found that an important quality control mechanism in baker's yeast is closely connected to hypomyelinating leukodystrophy, a debilitating disease found in children.

17 Sep 2018

Red bull ant venom study could lead to better treatments for pain

Venom from the giant red bull ant is helping University of Queensland scientists understand the evolution of animal toxins in work that could lead to better treatments for pain.

14 Sep 2018

People display clear signs of confirmation bias when judging on sensory input

People have a tendency to interpret new information in a way that supports their pre-existing beliefs, a phenomenon known as confirmation bias.

14 Sep 2018

Study could pave way for new therapies to reverse aging in human cells

Research has shed new light on genetic processes that may one day lead to the development of therapies that can slow, or even reverse, how our cells age.

14 Sep 2018

Blood serum induces spontaneous movement and growth of skin cells

What happens to skin cells when they are confronted with blood? A team of researchers from Oslo University Hospital, led by Emma Lång and Stig Ove Bøe, performed experiments on blood-deprived cells that were subsequently exposed to blood serum.

13 Sep 2018

Mitochondrial pathway found to be involved in breast cancer

Researchers have discovered a molecular pathway that controls the movement of mitochondria within breast cancer cells and influences invasiveness.

12 Sep 2018

Targeting pathway controlling mitochondria may reduce cancer invasiveness

Targeting a pathway that controls the movement of mitochondria, the powerhouses of all cells, could reduce cancer invasiveness and resistance to radiotherapy.

12 Sep 2018

New insight on mechanics of rotavirus could open up avenues for effective treatments

Researchers have provided new insight on the mechanics of a virus that causes severe diarrhea and sickness in young children, according to a report published in eLife.

12 Sep 2018

Researchers find neural network that helps control babies' brain activity in response to pain

Researchers from the Department of Paediatrics and Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging at the University of Oxford, UK, have identified the neural network that helps control babies' brain activity in response to pain in a similar way to adults.

12 Sep 2018

Prenatal cannabinoid use can cause behavioral and neuronal deficits in male offspring

Taking cannabinoids during pregnancy can cause behavioral and neuronal deficits in adult male offspring, while females remain unaffected, says new research published in eLife.

12 Sep 2018

Discovery of unusual biosynthetic pathways could aid in the search for new natural products

Bacteria are master engineers of small, biologically useful molecules. A new study in Nature Communications has revealed one of the tricks of this microbial trade: synthesizing and then later inserting a nitrogen-nitrogen bond, like a prefabricated part, into a larger molecule.

12 Sep 2018

Molecular switches are far more complex than previously assumed

The GTPases constitute a very large protein family, whose members are involved in the control of cell growth, transport of molecules, synthesis of other proteins, etc. Despite the many functions of the GTPases, they follow a common cyclic pattern.

10 Sep 2018

BAP1 protein serves as tumor suppressor gene in kidney, eye, bile duct and mesothelioma cancers

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have shown how BRCA-associated protein 1 (BAP1) serves as a tumor suppressor gene in kidney, eye, bile duct, mesothelioma and other cancers by regulating a form of cell death called ferroptosis, opening up a potential new area of therapy research.

10 Sep 2018

Researchers develop the first interactive model of cell division

Researchers have developed an interactive atlas of human cell division, that shows the effect of protein misfolding on mitosis.

10 Sep 2018

Family genetic background essential for understanding autism progression

Whether an individual develops a neurodevelopmental disorder like autism or ADHD and the severity of that disorder depends on genetic changes beyond a single supposedly disease-causing mutation.

7 Sep 2018

A joint effort to provide new insights into how gene activity drives cartilage development

Anyone with arthritis can appreciate how useful it would be if scientists could grow cartilage in the lab. To this end, Keck School of Medicine of USC scientists in the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Denis Evseenko, MD, PhD, collaborated with colleagues at several institutions to provide new insights into how gene activity drives the development of cartilage.

7 Sep 2018

Mimicking Human Brain Development Using Organoids

Dr. Paul Tesar from the Tesar Laboratory at Case Western University, Ohio, discusses the importance of organoids in biological research and the development of organoids which are capable of simulating the early stages of human myelin.

7 Sep 2018

Stress can permanently and profoundly impact connectivity of developing nerves

Scientists stunted the puberty of male worms by starving them before they underwent sexual maturation. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, the scientists suggested that stress from starvation even days before sexual maturation prevented normal changes in the wiring patterns of key neuronal circuits, which caused adult male worms to act immature.

7 Sep 2018

Researchers find new gene in brown fat cells that may help in treatment of obesity

A team of researchers, led by Professor Jan-Wilhelm Kornfeld from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Elena Schmidt from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany and Martin Bilban from the Medical University, Vienna, Austria, have made a groundbreaking discovery in obesity research.

7 Sep 2018

Molecular & Structural Biology

New studies examine links between fatty liver disease and mitochondrial dysfunction

Salk research in yeast leads to serendipitous finding about hypomyelinating leukodystrophy

Red bull ant venom study could lead to better treatments for pain

People display clear signs of confirmation bias when judging on sensory input

Study could pave way for new therapies to reverse aging in human cells

Blood serum induces spontaneous movement and growth of skin cells

Mitochondrial pathway found to be involved in breast cancer

Targeting pathway controlling mitochondria may reduce cancer invasiveness

New insight on mechanics of rotavirus could open up avenues for effective treatments

Researchers find neural network that helps control babies' brain activity in response to pain

Prenatal cannabinoid use can cause behavioral and neuronal deficits in male offspring

Discovery of unusual biosynthetic pathways could aid in the search for new natural products

Molecular switches are far more complex than previously assumed

BAP1 protein serves as tumor suppressor gene in kidney, eye, bile duct and mesothelioma cancers

Researchers develop the first interactive model of cell division

Family genetic background essential for understanding autism progression

A joint effort to provide new insights into how gene activity drives cartilage development

Mimicking Human Brain Development Using Organoids

Stress can permanently and profoundly impact connectivity of developing nerves

Researchers find new gene in brown fat cells that may help in treatment of obesity

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