Molecular & Structural Biology

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Characterizing SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 15 endoribonuclease variants

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* pre-print server, researchers characterized the mutations in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) non-structural protein 15 (Nsp-15).

16 May 2022

New discovery has potential to stop inflammation at the "growing end"

Redness, swelling, pain - these are signs of inflammation. It serves to protect the body from pathogens or foreign substances.

13 May 2022

Mitochondrial respiratory chain is essential for NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Northwestern Medicine investigators recently discovered that the mitochondrial respiratory chain — a series of protein complexes essential for a cellular respiration and energy production — is necessary for the activation of another protein complex linked to inflammation and the progression of chronic diseases, according to a study published in Nature Immunology.

12 May 2022

Researchers pursue a new way to use milk for delivering cancer-fighters to the brain

In health care, perhaps no word sends a more chilling message than "cancer." Brain tumors, for example, prove especially resistant to current treatments. Only 5% of patients with that condition survive more than three years and the median survival time is 10 to 14 months.

12 May 2022

Deficiency of YWHAZ gene alters neurodevelopmental process in zebrafish

An article published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry reveals the molecular mechanisms to explain how the YWHAZ gene –related to psychiatric and neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia– can alter the neurodevelopmental process.

10 May 2022

UCLouvain discovery could counter SARS-CoV-2 virus independently of the mutations

Despite the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns worldwide, the threat posed by Covid-19 still exists. First of all, a new SARS-CoV-2 variant could very well emerge that may not respond to current vaccines.

10 May 2022

Better understanding of hybrid parasite strains could improve Chagas disease diagnosis

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have mapped how the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi forms new variants that are more effective at evading the immune system and causing disease.

10 May 2022

Using virtual reality headsets to instruct UTSA students about protein structures

Francis Yoshimoto, assistant professor in the UTSA College of Sciences' Department of Chemistry, is introducing his Biochemistry II laboratory students to a new way of learning-; using virtual reality headsets to observe and analyze protein structures.

10 May 2022

Gene therapy effectively reduces neuropathic pain in mice with spinal cord injuries

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, report that a gene therapy that inhibits targeted nerve cell signaling effectively reduced neuropathic pain with no detectable side effects in mice with spinal cord or peripheral nerve injuries.

9 May 2022

Love is in the air...detected by PTR-TOF

Scientists from the German Max Planck Gesellschaft found out that a characteristic signature of volatile molecules is found in the breath of sexually aroused people. The test subjects exhaled less isoprene and carbon dioxide, while the concentration of degradation products of certain neurotransmitters increased.

From Ionicon Analytik Ges.m.b.H. 9 May 2022

Mitosis in moss plants could be far more similar to animal cell division than previously thought

For a new plant to grow from a seed, cells need to divide numerous times. Daughter cells can each take on different tasks and sometimes vary in size. How plants determine the plane of cell division in this process, known as mitosis, is being researched by Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski and Dr. Elena Kozgunova from the University of Freiburg in a joint effort with Prof. Dr. Gohta Goshima from Nagoya University.

6 May 2022

Applying a form of AI to sift through large amounts of biological data

Researchers at the University of Missouri are applying a form of artificial intelligence (AI) -; previously used to analyze how National Basketball Association (NBA) players move their bodies -; to now help scientists develop new drug therapies for medical treatments targeting cancers and other diseases.

6 May 2022

miRNAs associated with varying clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2

A recent article published in the journal iSCIENCE demonstrated different micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) linked with various presentations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections.

5 May 2022

New technique can accurately detect viruses in tumors from clinical next-generation sequencing

Researchers have developed a method to accurately detect viruses from clinical next-generation sequencing and describe novel associations between specific tumors and viruses that warrant further investigation.

5 May 2022

Viral microRNA acts as a master regulator to induce the reactivation of dormant herpesviruses

Dormant herpesviruses induce their reactivation via a previously unknown cellular mechanism mediated by a viral microRNA. Würzburg researchers show this in the journal "Nature".

5 May 2022

New insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of absence seizures

Bochum researchers have gained new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of absence seizures and potential therapy options.

4 May 2022

New Machine Learning model draws a map of proteins with special properties

The biotech industry is constantly searching for the perfect mutation, where properties from different proteins are synthetically combined to achieve a desired effect.

4 May 2022

Researchers create models to study brain metastases that recapitulate the disease

The spreading of different types of cancer cells to the brain, forming brain metastases, is the main cause of morbidity and mortality associated to cancer. Now, a new study led by Cláudia C. Faria, principal investigator in the group of João Taborda Barata at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM; Portugal) and neurosurgeon at the Hospital Santa Maria (HSM, CHULN, Portugal), and published today in the scientific journal Cell Reports Medicine* created a library of models to study brain metastases that recapitulate the disease in humans. These models can be a relevant tool to understand the disease and discover new therapeutical approaches tailormade to each patient.

4 May 2022

Proximity labeling to identify high-confidence SARS-CoV-2 interactors

A recent report published in the STAR Protocols journal depicted a protocol for an antibody-based proximity labeling to discover biotinylated interactors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

3 May 2022

New method enables the structural analysis of RNA molecules

We live in a world made and run by RNA, the equally important sibling of the genetic molecule DNA. In fact, evolutionary biologists hypothesize that RNA existed and self-replicated even before the appearance of DNA and the proteins encoded by it.

3 May 2022

Molecular & Structural Biology

Characterizing SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 15 endoribonuclease variants

New discovery has potential to stop inflammation at the "growing end"

Mitochondrial respiratory chain is essential for NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Researchers pursue a new way to use milk for delivering cancer-fighters to the brain

Deficiency of YWHAZ gene alters neurodevelopmental process in zebrafish

UCLouvain discovery could counter SARS-CoV-2 virus independently of the mutations

Better understanding of hybrid parasite strains could improve Chagas disease diagnosis

Using virtual reality headsets to instruct UTSA students about protein structures

Gene therapy effectively reduces neuropathic pain in mice with spinal cord injuries

Love is in the air...detected by PTR-TOF

Mitosis in moss plants could be far more similar to animal cell division than previously thought

Applying a form of AI to sift through large amounts of biological data

miRNAs associated with varying clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2

New technique can accurately detect viruses in tumors from clinical next-generation sequencing

Viral microRNA acts as a master regulator to induce the reactivation of dormant herpesviruses

New insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of absence seizures

New Machine Learning model draws a map of proteins with special properties

Researchers create models to study brain metastases that recapitulate the disease

Proximity labeling to identify high-confidence SARS-CoV-2 interactors

New method enables the structural analysis of RNA molecules

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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