Molecular & Structural Biology

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Central amygdala micro-circuits play active role in regulation of fear responses

The brain mechanisms underlying the suppression of fear responses have attracted a lot of attention as they are relevant for therapy of human anxiety disorders.

16 Jul 2021

Research shows a direct link between SUV39H2 gene and autism spectrum disorders

New research from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan shows that a deficit in histone methylation could lead to the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

16 Jul 2021

Virginia Tech researchers receive $2.7 million grant to study mosquito's biological timing

Mosquitoes may be small, but they are a formidable foe. Not only can they smell over 400 chemicals that we emit and detect the carbon dioxide we breathe out, but they can even adapt their daily behavior in response to our own.

16 Jul 2021

New live cell models lay the groundwork for studies into mitochondrial diseases

The mitochondrion has garnered quite the reputation for its role as the "powerhouse of the cell." These tiny, but mighty organelles play various life-sustaining roles, from powering our own cells and organs to fueling chemical and biological processes.

15 Jul 2021

A rapid, highly accurate test to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in human serum

Scientists have developed a rapid, highly accurate test to detect antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in human serum, opening a new avenue for understanding the full extent of the pandemic and evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines.

15 Jul 2021

Researchers study the role of subnuclear NSrp70 in T cell-mediated adaptive immunity

T cells are components of the body’s immune system. The ability of T cells to recognize diverse pathogens and mount a defense against them stems from the way proteins are spliced during their development and maturation.

15 Jul 2021

Study reveals key mechanisms of how physical load stimulates bone growth

When things get too much, we're often advised to "take a load off," but when it comes to bone maintenance, doing the opposite can be a good thing. Researchers from Japan have discovered some key mechanisms of how physical load stimulates bone growth.

15 Jul 2021

Research sheds light on a new mechanism for inhibitory synapse specificity in the cortex

Researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have discovered that the cell adhesion protein IgSF11 determines the layer-specific synaptic connectivity of a distinct class of cortical interneurons.

15 Jul 2021

Mass spectrometry: An important tool to unravel mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease

Mass spectrometry has emerged as an important analytical tool for gaining a better understanding of mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease (HD), alongside the increased availability of cell and animal models of the disease.

14 Jul 2021

Hematopoietic stem cells take advantage of 'junk' RNA to replenish the blood system

Chemotherapy is widely used to treat cancer patients. During the treatment, chemotherapeutic agents affect various biochemical processes to kill or reduce the growth of cancer cells, which divide uncontrollably in patients.

12 Jul 2021

Modular network organization critical for persistent neural activity and brain communication

Recall a phone number or directions just recited and your brain will be actively communicating across many regions. It is thought that working memory relies on interactions between these regions, but how these brain areas interact and properly represent memory has remained a mystery.

12 Jul 2021

New insights can guide precise personalized hepatocellular carcinoma medicine

A research group led by Prof. PIAO Hailong from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) identified hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) subtypes with distinctive metabolic phenotypes through bioinformatics and machine learning methods, and elucidated the potential mechanisms based on a metabolite-protein interaction network and multi-omics data.

12 Jul 2021

Researchers discover new genetic driver of autism and other developmental disorders

A research group including Kobe University's Professor TAKUMI Toru (also a Senior Visiting Scientist at RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research) and Assistant Professor TAMADA Kota, both of the Physiology Division in the Graduate School of Medicine, has revealed a causal gene (Necdin, NDN) in autism model mice that have the chromosomal abnormality called copy number variation.

9 Jul 2021

Immaturity of gut microbiota and epithelial barriers linked to neonatal meningitis

Meningitis is associated with high mortality and frequently causes severe sequelae. Newborn infants are particularly susceptible to this type of infection; they develop meningitis 30 times more often than the general population.

9 Jul 2021

Stimulating immune cells to form special structures can potentiate pancreatic cancer chemotherapy

A new study from Queen Mary University of London has demonstrated that immune cells can be stimulated to assemble into special structures within pancreatic cancer such that, at least in a pre-clinical model, researchers can demonstrate an improvement in the efficacy of chemotherapy.

9 Jul 2021

Study uncovers mutations in Polycomb group gene as underlying cause of novel neurological disorder

A multi-institutional study has discovered spontaneous mutations in RNF2 (RING2) gene as the underlying cause of a novel neurological disorder.

8 Jul 2021

Novel tool enables multi-resolution characterization of molecular taxonomies

The discovery of novel groups or categories within diseases, organisms and biological processes and their organization into hierarchical relationships are important and recurrent pursuits in biology and medicine, which may help elucidate group-specific vulnerabilities and ultimately novel therapeutic interventions.

8 Jul 2021

Researchers determine the structure of nanomachine essential for functioning of mTOR

The principle that form follows function does not only apply to design and architecture. It also applies to biology

8 Jul 2021

An antioxidative stress regulator helps keep muscles from becoming weak in low gravity

Most kids dream of growing up to be astronauts; but the downside of spending extended amounts of time in low gravity is that astronauts' muscles tend to shrink and weaken through disuse. Now, researchers from Japan have identified a protein that affects how muscles respond to space flight.

7 Jul 2021

Common anti-coagulant drug could treat emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2

QUT PhD researcher Zachariah Schuurs said the research team had identified a new binding site on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

7 Jul 2021

Molecular & Structural Biology

Central amygdala micro-circuits play active role in regulation of fear responses

Research shows a direct link between SUV39H2 gene and autism spectrum disorders

Virginia Tech researchers receive $2.7 million grant to study mosquito's biological timing

New live cell models lay the groundwork for studies into mitochondrial diseases

A rapid, highly accurate test to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in human serum

Researchers study the role of subnuclear NSrp70 in T cell-mediated adaptive immunity

Study reveals key mechanisms of how physical load stimulates bone growth

Research sheds light on a new mechanism for inhibitory synapse specificity in the cortex

Mass spectrometry: An important tool to unravel mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease

Hematopoietic stem cells take advantage of 'junk' RNA to replenish the blood system

Modular network organization critical for persistent neural activity and brain communication

New insights can guide precise personalized hepatocellular carcinoma medicine

Researchers discover new genetic driver of autism and other developmental disorders

Immaturity of gut microbiota and epithelial barriers linked to neonatal meningitis

Stimulating immune cells to form special structures can potentiate pancreatic cancer chemotherapy

Study uncovers mutations in Polycomb group gene as underlying cause of novel neurological disorder

Novel tool enables multi-resolution characterization of molecular taxonomies

Researchers determine the structure of nanomachine essential for functioning of mTOR

An antioxidative stress regulator helps keep muscles from becoming weak in low gravity

Common anti-coagulant drug could treat emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2

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