Molecular & Structural Biology

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New X-ray technique reveals metal ion role in antibiotic efficacy

Researchers from City St George's, University of London have used a new ultra-high precision x-ray scattering technique to unveil the location and identity of metal ions in bacteria that are crucial for antibiotics to work optimally.

4 Oct 2024

Researchers unveil complete neuronal map of fruit fly brain

Researchers map the whole brain of Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, which comprises about 140,000 neurons and over 50 million synapses.

4 Oct 2024

Understanding the brain’s process of dividing experiences into events

The moment a person steps off the street and into a restaurant - to take just one example - the brain mentally starts a new "chapter" of the day, a change that causes a big shift in brain activity. Shifts like this happen all day long, as people encounter new environments, like going out for lunch, attending their kid's soccer game, or settling in for a night of watching TV.

3 Oct 2024

Unlocking the mystery of the fruit fly's internal compass

For decades, researchers had a theory about how an animal's brain keeps track of where it is relative to its surroundings without outside cues – like how we know where we are, even with our eyes closed

3 Oct 2024

Dietary zinc may reduce plasmid transfer in gut microbes

Genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can spread from microbe to microbe through circular genetic material called plasmids, and this lateral transfer occurs in the gut.

3 Oct 2024

New pathway linking neuron selectivity to cognitive disorders uncovered

Neuroscientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have determined how a brain cell surface molecule shapes the way certain neurons behave.

3 Oct 2024

Study highlights the role of genetic factors in COVID-19 thrombosis and inflammation

Despite global vaccination efforts, COVID-19 continues to pose significant risks, leading to severe complications and fatalities. These risks are driven by disrupted coagulation, impaired fibrinolysis, which is the process of breaking blood clots, and heightened inflammatory responses.

3 Oct 2024

Inflammatory proteins linked to higher risk of endometrial cancer

Study identifies key inflammatory and immune response proteins linked to endometrial cancer risk through both observational and Mendelian Randomization analyses, revealing the roles of IL-6 and HSD11B1.

1 Oct 2024

Discovery of antibodies that boost complement activation against K. pneumoniae

Researchers investigate antibody-dependent complement activation during Klebsiella pneumoniae infection.

30 Sep 2024

Novel mechanism enhances bacteria's defense against environmental threats

Researchers from Umeå University, Sweden, and Cornell University, USA, have discovered a widespread mechanism in bacteria that enhances the bacteria's defense against environmental threats.

26 Sep 2024

Scientists identify new trigger for autophagy

An international research team led by Osaka University has identified a new mechanism crucial for the initiation of autophagy, a self-degradation process cells use to eliminate unneeded or damaged components. In recent years, autophagy has also been recognized for its roles in aging and lifespan regulation.

24 Sep 2024

Enhanced TnpB protein offers new possibilities for gene editing

CRISPR-Cas is used broadly in research and medicine to edit, insert, delete or regulate genes in organisms. TnpB is an ancestor of this well-known "gene scissor" but is much smaller and thus easier to transport into cells.

23 Sep 2024

Brain scans reveal link between SSRI use and cognitive function

Researchers have found that SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) antidepressants have the potential to improve certain cognitive functions, such as verbal memory. They measured brain function in patients before and after taking the SSRI escitalopram and correlated this to a drop in the level of one of the serotonin receptors in the brain and to cognitive improvements during treatment.

22 Sep 2024

Dietary antigens reduce small intestine cancer by boosting immune T-cells

Study shows that dietary antigens can suppress small intestine carcinogenesis by activating T-cells through Peyer's patches. Adding bovine serum albumin (BSA) or ovalbumin (OVA) to antigen-free diets restored immune function and reduced tumor growth in mice.

22 Sep 2024

An evolutionary ancient brain region drives modern-day cognition

The superior colliculus is a midbrain region that is traditionally thought to help animals orient themselves toward important locations in space, like directing their eyes and head toward a bright flash of light. New research from the University of Chicago shows that this part of the brain also plays a role in complex cognitive tasks like visual categorization and decision making.

19 Sep 2024

Cellular sludge around hunger neurons linked to worsening diabetes and obesity

Investigating ECM changes in the hypothalamus reveals mechanisms behind insulin resistance, offering insights into obesity and metabolic disease treatment.

19 Sep 2024

Direct breastfeeding boosts microbial transfer to very-low-birth-weight infant guts

Researchers found that 30-40% of the very-low-birth-weight infant's gut microbiota came from the mother’s milk, and direct breastfeeding enhances microbial transmission despite antibiotic exposure.

18 Sep 2024

Study paves way for revolutionizing the management of muscle disorders

The type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) is an important calcium release channel in skeletal muscles essential for muscle contraction.

18 Sep 2024

Discovery of 5-formylcytosine as an activating epigenetic switch

The team of Professor Christof Niehrs at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, Germany, has discovered that a DNA modification called 5-formylcytosine (5fC) functions as an activating epigenetic switch that kick-starts genes in early embryonic development.

18 Sep 2024

A novel approach to biomolecule engineering

Thanks to a serendipitous discovery and a lot of painstaking work, scientists can now build biohybrid molecules that combine the homing powers of DNA with the broad functional repertoire of proteins - without having to synthesize them one by one, researchers report in a new study. Using a naturally occurring process, laboratories can harness the existing molecule-building capacities of bacteria to generate vast libraries of potentially therapeutic DNA-protein hybrid molecules.

18 Sep 2024