Protein machinery of respiration becomes visible
Oxygen and sugar are the basis of life for animals, plants, fungi and many bacteria. The metabolic process called respiration makes it possible to convert food into energy for the cells. Biochemist Prof. Dr. Carola Hunte and her team from the Cluster.....»»
Scientists unravel key steps in the road to DNA repair
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have been studying DNA repair by homologous recombination, where the RecA protein repairs breaks in double-stranded DNA by incorporating a dangling single-strand end into intact double strands, and repai.....»»
Scientists make COVID receptor protein in mouse cells
A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University has demonstrated a way to produce large quantities of the receptor that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, binds to on the s.....»»
Image: An aurora in another light
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite sensor on the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite captured this image of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, over western Canada at 3:23 a.m. MST (5:23 a.m. EST) on November 5, 2023......»»
Nanopores and deep learning aid in disease diagnostics
EPFL scientists have unveiled a method using biological nanopores and deep learning to detect protein modifications, offering new avenues in disease diagnostics......»»
Researchers observe how the flexibility of a protein hinge is crucial to the transfer of cell proteins
Ubiquitination—the addition of the protein ubiquitin—is a key stage in many cell processes, such as protein degradation, DNA repairs, and signal transduction. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) and molecular modeling, researchers l.....»»
Chromatin modifier-centered pathway points to higher crop yield
A team led by Prof. Song Xianjun from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, while researching a ternary protein complex in rice nuclei that affects grain size, has shown that the transcription factor bZIP23—a protein that regu.....»»
Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting with a donor-acceptor polyimide
Polyimide (PI) has emerged as a promising organic photocatalyst owing to its distinct advantages of high visible-light response, facile synthesis, molecularly tunable donor-acceptor structure, and excellent physicochemical stability. However, the syn.....»»
Making faba beans a better source of protein
Faba beans pack a high-protein punch, making them rich with promise as an alternative to meat and dairy sources. But the legume also has less desirable qualities, like compounds that cause flatulence and interfere with the body's nutrient absorption......»»
Cryo-microscopy reveals nano-sized copy machine implicated in origin of life
How the intricate molecular machinery of life arose from simple beginnings has been a long-standing question. Several lines of evidence point towards a primordial "RNA world," where an "RNA copy machine" (a so-called replicase) started making copies.....»»
Gravitational waves could show us the first minute of the universe
Astronomers routinely explore the universe using different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum from the familiar visible light to radio waves and infrared to gamma rays. There is a problem with studying the universe through the electromagneti.....»»
Shape-shifting protein study could advance new drug development
Proteins do the heavy lifting of performing biochemical functions in our bodies by binding to metabolites or other proteins to complete tasks. To do this successfully, protein molecules often shape-shift to allow specific binding interactions that ar.....»»
New equations will better estimate protein utilization by beef cattle, benefit producers
Knowing exactly how beef cattle utilize protein is important to answering many nutrition questions producers and industry nutritionists pose to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists like Jason Smith, Ph.D., Amarillo......»»
Scientists tame chaotic protein fueling 75% of cancers
MYC is the shapeless protein responsible for making the majority of human cancer cases worse. UC Riverside researchers have found a way to rein it in, offering hope for a new era of treatments......»»
Research team reports observing vibrational spectra of a single protein with infrared nanospectroscopy
An interdisciplinary research team, led by Assistant Prof. Jun Nishida and Associate Prof. Takashi Kumagai at the Institute for Molecular Science, has successfully observed vibrational spectra of single proteins, consisting of approximately 500 amino.....»»
Cerne Abbas Giant is a depiction of Hercules
It's "just the most visible of a whole cluster of early medieval features in the landscape." Enlarge / Behold, the "Rude Man" chalk giant carved on a hill above the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England. (credit: Barry Batche.....»»
Researchers discover important membrane transport mechanism in pathogenic bacteria
Some bacterial membrane transporters work almost like freight elevators to transport substances through the cell membrane into the interior of the cell. The transporter itself spans the bacterial membrane. Like a forklift, a soluble protein outside t.....»»
Protein structures signal fresh targets for anticancer drugs
Cell replication in our bodies is triggered by a cascade of molecular signals transmitted between proteins. Compounds that block these signals when they run amok show potential as cancer drugs......»»
Researchers engineer in vivo delivery system for prime editing, partially restoring vision in mice
Prime editing, a versatile form of gene editing that can correct most known disease-causing genetic mutations, now has a new vehicle to deliver its machinery into cells in living animals......»»
Scientists reveal the inner workings of an essential protein trafficking complex
Like mail carriers who manage to deliver their parcels through snow, rain, heat and gloom, a critical group of mammalian proteins helps cells function properly even under less-than-ideal conditions......»»
Cracking the secrets of virus "uncoating" may help fight infections
Influenza and other viruses pack their genetic material into a protein shell, which must be disassembled for the viruses to efficiently replicate. But how viruses "uncoat" their genes remains largely unknown. Now, Friedrich Miescher Institute researc.....»»