Molecular & Structural Biology

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Penn study shows how certain proteins have evolved to suppress cheating chromosomes

Eggs and sperm are special cells for many reasons, but one of the characteristics that sets them apart is that, unlike other human cells, which have two copies of 23 chromosomes, one from the mother and one from the father, these sex cells, or gametes, have only one.

25 Aug 2021

Princeton researchers build world's smallest mechanically interlocked biological structure

Researchers at Princeton University have built the world's smallest mechanically interlocked biological structure, a deceptively simple two-ring chain made from tiny strands of amino acids called peptides.

25 Aug 2021

Study suggests a balanced approach to developing safer opioid analgesics

Opioids are powerful painkillers but their use is hindered because patients become tolerant to them, requiring higher and higher doses, and overdoses can cause respiratory depression and death.

24 Aug 2021

Researchers discover molecule that plays an important role in sperm motility regulation

About 120 million unintended pregnancies occurred each year between 2015 and 2019 worldwide. While there are oral contraceptives for women, the development of oral contraceptives for men has not been successful.

24 Aug 2021

Pericentromeric noncoding RNA provokes inflammatory gene expression in senescence and cancer

Research from the Cancer Institute at the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (JFCR), which was published today (August 23, at 3 pm US ET) in the leading international scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, reveals that noncoding RNA derived from pericentromeric repetitive sequences provokes inflammatory gene expression in senescence and cancer.

24 Aug 2021

Atomic-level imaging of infectious prions reveals new therapeutic targets for untreatable diseases

The highest-ever resolution imaging of an infectious prion provides the first atomic-level data of how these abnormal proteins are assembled to cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in people and animals-; and how they can be potentially targeted by new therapies.

24 Aug 2021

Researchers use DNA barcoding to test food products claiming to have ‘wild mushrooms’

Harvesting wild mushrooms requires an expert eye to distinguish between the delicious and the inedible. Misidentification can have a range of consequences, from a disgusting taste and mild illness to organ failure and even death.

23 Aug 2021

Researchers use gene editing to render male mosquitoes infertile and slow disease spread

Mosquitos spread viruses that cause potentially deadly diseases such as Zika, dengue fever and yellow fever. New U.S. Army-funded research uses gene editing to render certain male mosquitoes infertile and slow the spread of these diseases.

23 Aug 2021

Researchers develop an integrative approach to boost accuracy of mosquito vector surveillance

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore, led by Assistant Professor Nalini Puniamoorthy from the Department of Biological Sciences, has developed an integrative approach that increases the accuracy of mosquito surveillance and management.

20 Aug 2021

Northwestern scientists discover remarkable longevity in a subset of mitochondrial proteins

Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered that a subset of proteins in mitochondria of brain and heart cells are long-lived, supporting the long-term stability of mitochondrial complex architecture.

20 Aug 2021

Regular physical exercise modulates iron metabolism in Alzheimer’s mouse model

A recent experimental study shows how regular physical exercise modulates iron metabolism in both the brain and the muscles.

20 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutations alter dynamics of neutralizing antibodies

A new study describes how monoclonal antibodies raised against SARS-CoV-2 are affected by mutations in the antibody binding site.

20 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 lambda variant escapes immune response via spike mutations

A new study explores the mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 lambda variant has acquired immune evasion capabilities above that of the wildtype.

20 Aug 2021

Researchers identify key protein that plays an essential role in male fertility

Mammalian sperm cannot fertilize an egg from the get-go. It's an ability acquired only after insemination, during passage through the female reproductive tract, and requires two consecutive, time-sensitive processes to provide sperm with the physical and biochemical traits necessary to complete their fundamental job.

20 Aug 2021

New mouse line reveals the state of protein balance in the mammalian brain for the first time

Proteins are the "tools" of our cells – they are essential to all vital tasks. However, they are only able to do their jobs if they fold correctly and adopt their respective, very specific 3D structure.

20 Aug 2021

Researchers use ancient mammalian proteins to develop mRNA delivery system

Using a family of mammalian proteins adopted from ancient retroviral legacy genes, researchers have developed a novel system for programmable intracellular mRNA delivery.

20 Aug 2021

Npas4 gene may be a master timekeeper for the brain's circadian clock

A gene called Npas4, already known to play a key role in balancing excitatory and inhibitory inputs in brain cells, appears to also be a master timekeeper for the brain's circadian clock, new research led by UT Southwestern scientists suggests.

20 Aug 2021

Research could enable clinicians to produce patient-matched cells for treating muscle-related diseases

Investigators who previously developed a recipe for turning skin cells into primitive muscle-like cells that can be maintained indefinitely in the lab without losing the potential to become mature muscle have now uncovered how this recipe works and what molecular changes it triggers within cells.

19 Aug 2021

Researchers discover glycan 'gates' that open to allow SARS-CoV-2 entry

Since the early days of the COVID pandemic, scientists have aggressively pursued the secrets of the mechanisms that allow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to enter and infect healthy human cells.

19 Aug 2021

Scientists develop a new way to deliver molecular therapies to cells

Researchers from MIT, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have developed a new way to deliver molecular therapies to cells.

19 Aug 2021

Molecular & Structural Biology

Penn study shows how certain proteins have evolved to suppress cheating chromosomes

Princeton researchers build world's smallest mechanically interlocked biological structure

Study suggests a balanced approach to developing safer opioid analgesics

Researchers discover molecule that plays an important role in sperm motility regulation

Pericentromeric noncoding RNA provokes inflammatory gene expression in senescence and cancer

Atomic-level imaging of infectious prions reveals new therapeutic targets for untreatable diseases

Researchers use DNA barcoding to test food products claiming to have ‘wild mushrooms’

Researchers use gene editing to render male mosquitoes infertile and slow disease spread

Researchers develop an integrative approach to boost accuracy of mosquito vector surveillance

Northwestern scientists discover remarkable longevity in a subset of mitochondrial proteins

Regular physical exercise modulates iron metabolism in Alzheimer’s mouse model

SARS-CoV-2 mutations alter dynamics of neutralizing antibodies

SARS-CoV-2 lambda variant escapes immune response via spike mutations

Researchers identify key protein that plays an essential role in male fertility

New mouse line reveals the state of protein balance in the mammalian brain for the first time

Researchers use ancient mammalian proteins to develop mRNA delivery system

Npas4 gene may be a master timekeeper for the brain's circadian clock

Research could enable clinicians to produce patient-matched cells for treating muscle-related diseases

Researchers discover glycan 'gates' that open to allow SARS-CoV-2 entry

Scientists develop a new way to deliver molecular therapies to cells

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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