Molecular & Structural Biology

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SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptides play distinct roles according to neutron scattering

A new study determines the physical and thermodynamic events associated with the interactions that lead to the fusion between SARS-CoV-2 and the host.

5 Sep 2021

Scientists identify a critical checkpoint in transcription elongation

Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a critical checkpoint in transcription elongation, the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template, according to findings published in Molecular Cell.

4 Sep 2021

Stanford researchers engineer an efficient, multi-purpose, mini CRISPR system

The common analogy for CRISPR gene editing is that it works like molecular scissors, cutting out select sections of DNA. Stanley Qi, assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, likes that analogy, but he thinks it's time to reimagine CRISPR as a Swiss Army knife.

4 Sep 2021

Novel molecular device exhibits exceptional computing prowess

In a discovery published in the journal Nature, an international team of researchers has described a novel molecular device with exceptional computing prowess.

2 Sep 2021

Uppsala researchers find solution to long-standing biological search enigma

How the cell can mend broken DNA using another DNA copy as template has puzzled researchers for years. How is it possible to find the correct sequences in the busy interior of the cell? Researchers from Uppsala university have now discovered the solution; it is easier to find a rope than a ball if you are blindfolded.

1 Sep 2021

Structure-based model of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals opportunity to halt virus transmission

Scientists have simulated the transition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein structure from when it recognizes the host cell to when it gains entry, according to a study published today in eLife.

1 Sep 2021

Researchers show how a protein molecular motor can 'constrict' cell membranes

Cells in the human body constantly receive substances from the outside via a process called endocytosis. One important endocytosis pathway involves the formation of a protrusion within the cell membrane, pointing to the inside of the cell, triggered when a molecule needing to get in reaches the membrane.

31 Aug 2021

Scientists identify small compounds that can regulate extracellular vesicle production

Biological vesicles are nano-sized containers that transport proteins and other substances within or between cells.

31 Aug 2021

Researchers decipher genetic mechanisms governing the speed of protein synthesis

In all eukaryotic organisms, genetic material is stored in the cell nucleus in the form of DNA. In order to be used, this DNA is first transcribed into messenger RNA in the cell cytoplasm, then translated into protein with the help of ribosomes, small machines capable of decoding messenger RNA to synthesise the appropriate proteins.

31 Aug 2021

Study uses novel technology to map the brain circuitry of spirituality

Scientists have long suspected that religiosity and spirituality could be mapped to specific brain circuits, but the location of those circuits remains unknown. Now, a new study using novel technology and the human connectome, a map of neural connections, has identified a brain circuit that seems to mediate that aspect of our personality. The work appears in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier.

31 Aug 2021

New, one-stop method developed to avoid de novo genetic disease in embryos

De novo variants (DNVs), genetic mutations that were not previously identifiable in the family history of one of two prospective parents, may cause disease in any children they have.

31 Aug 2021

Molecular autopsy of dried blood spots can identify underlying cause of sudden cardiac death in a young person

The underlying cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a young person is often difficult to identify. A genetic analysis could provide more information in many cases, but blood samples are not collected routinely at the time of death, and DNA extracted from the tissues collected at autopsy is damaged because of the way they are fixed in formalin and paraffin-embedded.

30 Aug 2021

Study highlights the robustness of miRNA modulation during aging process

Aging-US published "miRNAs generated from Meg3-Mirg locus are downregulated during aging" which reported that Aging determines a multilevel functional decline and increases the risk for cardiovascular pathologies.

28 Aug 2021

Mystery of roe deer embryonic diapause revealed

Everyone is familiar with the roe deer, either from crossword puzzles or from real-life encounters during a jog or a hike in the forest: majestic creatures with elegant big black eyes.

28 Aug 2021

Research analyzes the role of RNA tags in Alzheimer’s disease

Understanding the role of tau protein in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has led to new ways to diagnose it as well as the creation of medicines now in clinical trials to treat it.

28 Aug 2021

Rice lab receives NIH grant to unravel DNA’s secrets

The poor bacteriophages in Yang Gao's lab are about to have a lot of bad days.

28 Aug 2021

New machine learning techniques help resolve structural biology challenges

Determining the 3D shapes of biological molecules is one of the hardest problems in modern biology and medical discovery. Companies and research institutions often spend millions of dollars to determine a molecular structure – and even such massive efforts are frequently unsuccessful.

27 Aug 2021

New machine learning method enhances computational prediction of RNA structures

Researchers present ARES (Atomic Rotationally Equivariant Scorer) – a machine learning method that significantly improves the computational prediction of RNA structures over previous approaches. Like proteins, RNA molecules twist and fold into intricate three-dimensional shapes that are crucial to their function.

27 Aug 2021

Restoring DAXX protein levels may prevent misfolding of rogue proteins known to drive Alzheimer's

For the first time, Penn Medicine researchers showed how restoring levels of the protein DAXX and a large group of similar proteins prevents the misfolding of the rogue proteins known to drive Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as certain mutations that contribute to cancers.

26 Aug 2021