New proteins "out of nothing"
Proteins are the key component in all modern forms of life. Hemoglobin, for example, transports the oxygen in our blood; photosynthesis proteins in the leaves of plants convert sunlight into energy; and fungal enzymes help us to brew beer and bake br.....»»
Teams identifies protein characteristics in three bacteria that convey antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance (ARE) is a threat to human health worldwide, as diverse proteins allow pathogenic bacteria to develop increasing levels of resistance to antibiotic medicines. Now, a team from the University of Tsukuba have discovered the charac.....»»
New nanoparticles can perform gene-editing in the lungs
Engineers at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Medical School have designed a new type of nanoparticle that can be administered to the lungs, where it can deliver messenger RNA encoding useful proteins......»»
Biologists develop new record bright red fluorescent protein
To understand why a cell divides, secretes hormones or transmits a signal to another cell, biologists often use a trick. They attach colored lights to the proteins of interest, so that they can follow the movements and interactions of those proteins.....»»
African trypanosomes mapped for the first time to understand evolution and potential treatments
A parasite which has devastating impacts on agriculture and human health is the first pathogen to have its proteins located and mapped within its cells—providing clues to their function and helping to identify potential drug targets......»»
Inside the shark nursery: The evolution of live birth in cartilaginous fish
A new study in Genome Biology and Evolution reveals that egg yolk proteins may have been co-opted to provide maternal nutrition in live-bearing sharks and their relatives......»»
Researchers highlight nucleolar DNA damage response in fight against cancer
Cancer, which affects millions every year, requires proteins to spread through the body. In a new strategy to beat the wide-ranging disease, scientists are sabotaging its protein factories......»»
Team co-maps proteins and transcriptome in human tissues
To understand how cells behave, researchers also need to understand the molecules that make them work. "If someone wants to know how the kidney functions, they have to know what's going on inside the kidney cells," says Yang Liu, Ph.D., assistant pro.....»»
Solving the mystery of left-handed amino acids in primordial RNA reactions
While humans have an esthetic liking for symmetry in everything, nature prefers asymmetric, single-handed forms when it comes to amino acids—the building blocks of proteins, and, by extension, all things biological......»»
Humans bite back by deactivating mosquito sperm
New UC Riverside research makes it likely that proteins responsible for activating mosquito sperm can be shut down, preventing them from swimming to or fertilizing eggs......»»
Filming proteins in motion to understand their functions
Proteins are the heavy-lifters of biochemistry. These beefy molecules act as building blocks, receptors, processors, couriers and catalysts. "Proteins are the molecular machines that power all life on Earth," explained Mark Sherwin, a physics profess.....»»
Newly found protein complex plays a vital role in RNA protection and stability
Two proteins come together to protect and stabilize RNA as it carries muscle-forming code through the cell. Further understanding this RNA-stabilizing complex may have implications for influencing muscle recovery and disease treatment......»»
Creative destruction: Probing the evolution of proteins
Proteins have been around a lot longer than we have—as building blocks of biological evolution, our existence depends on them. And now, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are applying a 20th-century theoretical concept to study how.....»»
Study finds silicon, gold and copper among new weapons against COVID-19
New Curtin research has found the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2, a strain of coronaviruses that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, become trapped when they come into contact with silicon, gold and copper, and that electric fields can be used to destroy the.....»»
Light-induced acceleration of intracellular delivery
Cell membranes are barriers that maintain cellular homeostasis, and the intracellular delivery of biologically functional molecules, including peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids to manipulate cellular functions. Conventional intracellular uptake p.....»»
Fishing for proteins: Scientists use new optical tweezer technology to study DNA repair
Tucked away in a small, dark room at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Brittani Schnable is on a fishing expedition......»»
Findings provide insights into the surprising evolution of proteins
A team of researchers from the Faculty of Science at Charles University, BIOCEV and IOCB (Czech Republic), Johns Hopkins University (U.S.) and ELSI (Japan) has discovered why modern proteins use a quasi-universal repertoire of 20 canonical amino acid.....»»
Cells avoid multitasking: Examining the cause of metabolic oscillations that lead up to cell division
Textbooks will tell you that in dividing cells, the production of new DNA peaks during the S-phase, while production of other macromolecules, such as proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides, continues at more or less the same level......»»
Signaling proteins shown to play key role in tuberculosis biology
A set of 10 signaling proteins found in the microbe that causes tuberculosis (TB) play a far larger role in regulating the bacterium's growth, development and behavior than previously thought, according to recent research. The study was led by UW Sch.....»»
Scientists make stunning discovery, find new protein activity in telomeres
Once thought incapable of encoding proteins due to their simple monotonous repetitions of DNA, tiny telomeres at the tips of our chromosomes seem to hold a potent biological function that's potentially relevant to our understanding of cancer and agin.....»»
Study finds proteins are not distributed equally in ancient teeth
In a study led by Leiden alumnus Jan Dekker, based on his research master's thesis, he applied Mass Spectrometry Imaging to archaeological human teeth. The research shows that there are large differences in the intensity of proteins across the teeth,.....»»