Molecular & Structural Biology

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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

Old habit-controlling neurons may also play a critical role in new action learning

Imagine working on your computer and typing the same long password you have used for years to access your email.

26 Aug 2021

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

Molecular & Structural Biology

Researchers decipher genetic mechanisms governing the speed of protein synthesis

Study uses novel technology to map the brain circuitry of spirituality

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

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

Study highlights the robustness of miRNA modulation during aging process

Mystery of roe deer embryonic diapause revealed

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

Rice lab receives NIH grant to unravel DNA’s secrets

New machine learning techniques help resolve structural biology challenges

New machine learning method enhances computational prediction of RNA structures

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

Old habit-controlling neurons may also play a critical role in new action learning

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

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