Cell Biology News and Research

Latest Cell Biology News and Research

Newly-discovered mitochondrial small protein is essential for energy production

A newly-discovered small protein in mitochondria is essential for energy production, report Duke-NUS researchers and their colleagues in the journal Nature Communications.

17 Apr 2020

Proving the existence of metabolons

For over four decades, researchers have proposed the presence of enzyme clusters, also called metabolons, which help facilitate several processes within cells.

17 Apr 2020

Mitochondrial protein contributes to degenerative diseases

Scientists and their collaborators from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke NUS) have recently identified a novel small protein in mitochondria, which is essential for energy production.

17 Apr 2020

Synapses of the human nervous system

The glutamate receptors do not actually adhere to “distance keeping.” Now, high-resolution microscopic studies have revealed that the receptors often appear in small groups at the synapses and remain in contact with other proteins.

17 Apr 2020

Experience Matters For Immune Cells

The discovery that immune T cells have a spectrum of responsiveness could shed light on how our immune system responds to infections and cancer.

17 Apr 2020

Deadliest Malaria Strain Protects Itself From The Immune System

The parasite causing the most severe form of human malaria uses proteins to make red blood cells sticky, making it harder for the immune system to destroy it.

17 Apr 2020

Super-Charging Drug Development For COVID-19

Researchers are ramping up production of a promising drug that has proven effective in obliterating SARS-CoV in cellular cultures.

17 Apr 2020

Diagnostics, Meet CRISPR

The simplicity of urine sampling has been combined with the excellent sensing abilities of CRISPR to improve diagnostic testing for kidney transplant patients.

17 Apr 2020

Molecular network underlies the structures of critical cellular compartments

Networks are at the heart of everything from communications systems to pandemics. Now researchers have found that a unique type of network also underlies the structures of critical cellular compartments known as membraneless organelles.

16 Apr 2020

UTSW researchers solve structure of key protein involved in muscle contraction

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction.

16 Apr 2020

New optical imaging technology makes fluorescence microscopy more efficient

Scientists have been using fluorescence microscopy to study the inner workings of biological cells and organisms for decades.

16 Apr 2020

3D simulations will show how coronavirus spike protein binds to human cell receptors

Computational chemist Mahmoud Moradi will develop enhanced, 3D simulations of the molecular dynamics of coronavirus spike glycoproteins to gain better understanding of how the virus binds to human cells.

16 Apr 2020

Study shows how vulnerable cells armor themselves against infection

Cells in some of the body's most vulnerable entry routes to bacterial infection buffer themselves when the immune system detects danger by reorganizing the cholesterol on their surfaces, a new study led by UTSW scientists suggests.

16 Apr 2020

Single-cell cloning can lead to new therapies for COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death around the world. Now, two internationally acclaimed stem cell experts have discovered a large number of abnormal stem cells found in the lungs of COPD patients.

16 Apr 2020

New study on transposable elements could help advance understanding of genetic evolution

There has been very little knowledge of ways in which transposable elements play a role in gene regulation. Transposable elements are small DNA pieces with the ability to replicate and scatter themselves in the genome.

16 Apr 2020

Improving drug targets for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers have found that immune T cells exhibit a range of responsiveness. This finding could offer insights into how the immune system of humans responds to infections and cancer, and what goes wrong in immune diseases.

16 Apr 2020

New method images proteins in 3D with nanoscale resolution

A research team, which also included scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), has reported a novel method for imaging proteins in three dimensions (3D) with nanoscale resolution.

16 Apr 2020

Novel high-speed microscope successfully records neural activities

Our brain contains tens of billions of nerve cells (neurons) which constantly communicate with each other by sending chemical and electrical flashes, each lasting a short one millisecond (0.001 sec). In every millisecond, these billions of swift-flying flashes altogether traveling in a giant star-map in the brain that lights up a tortuous glittering pattern.

15 Apr 2020

Molecular causes of brain asymmetry revealed

Scientists may have solved one of the most puzzling and persistent mysteries in neuroscience: why some people are "right-brained" while others are "left-brained."

15 Apr 2020

Scientists determine first 3D structure of COVID-19 main protease

A team of Chinese scientists has reported the high-resolution crystal structure of the main protease (Mpro) of the COVID-19 virus and has identified drugs that may hold promise in combating the virus.

15 Apr 2020