Molecular & Structural Biology

RSS

Seeing the Unexpected: Regulatory T Cells and Basophils

Dr. Jagadeesh Bayry from INSERM discusses his recent research in the field of immunology, and how T regulatory cells activate, rather than suppress, basophils.

4 Jul 2018

Specific type of satellite RNA induces breast cancer, shows study

Only some of us have satellite TV in our homes, but all of us have satellite DNA in cells in our bodies. Working copies of satellite DNA are high in certain types of cancer, such as breast and ovarian.

4 Jul 2018

Researchers develop switch that can control genome editing

Researchers have developed a biological switch that reliably triggers protein expression and enables the control of genome editing tools.

3 Jul 2018

Mayo researchers determine how DNA repair protein gets to the site of damage

Damage to DNA is a daily occurrence but one that human cells have evolved to manage. Now, in a new paper published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Mayo researchers have determined how one DNA repair protein gets to the site of DNA damage. The authors say they hope this discovery research will help identify new therapies for ovarian cancer.

3 Jul 2018

Novel sensing technology enables live and super-sensitive monitoring of biomarkers

The human body is an extremely complex molecular machine, the details of which can be followed through certain substances; so-called biomarkers.

2 Jul 2018

New biomarker paves way for personalized bladder cancer treatments

Researchers have identified a potential new target for the treatment of a particularly aggressive form of bladder cancer, in the form of microRNA.

2 Jul 2018

Lamin proteins organize a cell's genetic material from the sidelines

A tremendous amount of genetic material must be packed into the nucleus of every cell--a tiny compartment.

29 Jun 2018

Scientists discover how the flu virus resets its trap

For the first time, scientists have directly visualized in real-time structural changes in the surface protein of the influenza virus that may help the virus to fuse with and enter target cells before hijacking their functions.

29 Jun 2018

Genes associated with autism interact to modulate variable symptoms of disease

Genes located in a large chromosomal aberration associated with autism interact with each other to modulate the variable symptoms of the disease, according to new research.

29 Jun 2018

Molecular brake on cell proliferation prevents DNA damage and cancer development

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and the University of Sussex, England, have discovered that the process of copying DNA generates a brake signal that stalls cell division.

28 Jun 2018

DNA methylation predicts survival outcome in patients with glioma

A new study has shown that survival rates among patients with glioma double if the tumor carries a methylated MGMT gene.

28 Jun 2018

Rethinking current method paves way for new, personalized cancer diagnostics

All diseases have a genetic component. Advances in understanding the genetic mechanisms behind these disease enables the development of early diagnostic tests, new treatments, or interventions to prevent disease onset or minimize disease severity.

28 Jun 2018

Study describes new mechanism involved in memory loss associated with aging

A study led by Luísa Lopes, Group Leader at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes and published today in the prestigious journal Molecular Psychiatry, describes a new mechanism involved in memory loss associated with aging.

28 Jun 2018

Texas A&M research paves way for more DNA studies

Dr. Wonmuk Hwang, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is researching the mechanics of DNA, the blueprint of the human body.

27 Jun 2018

Mice study opens new avenues to develop therapies for growth disorders

Maintaining equal growth rates in opposing limbs is crucial for animals to achieve a symmetrical adult form; what happens if something goes wrong with one limb during development?

27 Jun 2018

Scientists create microparticles that mimic human T cells

Researchers have developed synthetic microparticles with properties and behaviors that closely mimic human T cells.

27 Jun 2018

Error in most widely used method in epigenetics can cause misleading results

An error in one of the most widely used methods in epigenetics, DIP-seq, can cause misleading results, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have shown. This may have major significance in the research field, where "big data" and advanced methods of DNA analysis are used to study vast amounts of epigenetic data.

26 Jun 2018

MIT researchers decode structure of molecule that gives tissues their elasticity

The stretchiness that allows living tissues to expand, contract, stretch, and bend throughout a lifetime is the result of a protein molecule called tropoelastin. Remarkably, this molecule can be stretched to eight times its length and always returns back to its original size.

26 Jun 2018