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.....»»
Experiment uses quantum techniques to stimulate photons, enhancing search for dark matter
Scientists cannot observe dark matter directly, so to "see" it, they look for signals that it has interacted with other matter by creating a visible photon. However, signals from dark matter are incredibly weak. If scientists can make a particle dete.....»»
ACE-ing protein detection in single cells
Since the 1950s, researchers have used a famous method invented by Wallace Coulter known as "flow cytometry" to characterize different types of immune cells in research studies and in blood samples from human individuals. This has enabled a much deep.....»»
Precise genetics: New CRISPR method enables efficient DNA modification
With the revolutionary CRISPR/Cas technology, the DNA of living organisms can be precisely altered. Using a guide RNA that recognizes a specific DNA sequence, Cas9 protein is recruited to that sequence and cuts the DNA. This targeted cut allows the D.....»»
Parasite engineered to deliver therapy proteins to nerve cells
An international team of neurobiologists has developed a way to use a parasite to deliver protein therapies through the blood–brain barrier to treat nerve cell disorders. In their study published in Nature Microbiology, the group engineered the par.....»»
Developing new methods for targeted protein degradation
Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed a new, more precise method to target proteins implicated in certain types of cancer, according to a study published in Nature Chemical Biology......»»
Mass breeding of desert locusts unlocks new food source
Mass breeding of desert locusts in a controlled environment could provide a sustainable source of protein for animals and humans as well as business opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa, researchers say......»»
Image: A Saturnian summer
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of Saturn and its colossal rings on July 4, 2020, during summer in the gas giant's northern hemisphere. Two of Saturn's icy moons are also clearly visible: Mimas at right, and Enceladus at bottom......»»
Nanoscopic imaging aids in understanding protein, tissue preservation in ancient bones
A pilot study from North Carolina State University shows that nanoscopic 3D imaging of ancient bone not only provides further insight into the changes soft tissues undergo during fossilization, it also has potential as a fast, practical way to determ.....»»
Study deciphers intricate 3D structure of DNA aptamer for disease theranostics
In a study published in PNAS, a research team has resolved the first high-resolution structure of the sgc8c DNA aptamer that targets protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7), engineered two optimal sgc8c variants for disease theranostics efficiently, and rev.....»»
NASA sounding rocket launches, studies heating of sun"s active regions
Investigators at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will use observations from a recently-launched sounding rocket mission to provide a clearer image of how and why the sun's corona grows so much hotter than the visible surfa.....»»
Discovery of a tRNA modification enzyme that also acts on nucleosides
The genetic information on DNA is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) and translated to the amino acid sequence by transfer RNA (tRNA) on the ribosome. Modified nucleosides within RNA are involved in maintaining and regulating the protein synthesis.....»»
Modular design: New insights into protein factories in human mitochondria
The "power plants" of living cells, the mitochondria, probably evolved through endosymbiosis: A bacterium migrated into a primordial cell and eventually developed into an organelle that provides the cell with energy, among other things. Mitochondria.....»»
Snakes on a plate: Pythons touted as protein alternative
In a warehouse in the lush humid farmlands of central Thailand, thousands of pythons lie coiled in containers, rearing and striking at the glass as people pass by......»»
Zooplankton study challenges traditional views of evolution
In new research, Arizona State University scientists and their colleagues investigated genetic changes occurring in a naturally isolated population of the water flea, Daphnia pulex. This tiny crustacean, barely visible to the naked eye, plays a cruci.....»»
Lab develops smallest free-floating bubbles for medical imaging
Bioengineering researchers at Rice University have developed ultrasmall, stable gas-filled protein nanostructures that could revolutionize ultrasound imaging and drug delivery......»»
Novel protein found to inhibit activity of CRISPR-Cas system
In a study published in Nature on July 3, researchers from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Toronto, Canada, discovered a novel anti-CRISPR protein called AcrIF25, which inhibits the activity of the.....»»
Opening the right doors: New work reveals "jumping gene" control mechanisms
International joint research led by Akihisa Osakabe and Yoshimasa Takizawa of the University of Tokyo has clarified the molecular mechanisms in thale cresses (Arabidopsis thaliana) by which the DDM1 (Decreased in DNA Methylation 1) protein prevents t.....»»
Team investigates chemical modifications to gain deeper insights into genetic regulation mechanisms
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have determined whether a specific chemical modification of a protein that packages the genome called a histone affects gene activity and cell proliferation, according to the paper, "Drosophila.....»»
Unexpected phage protein function discovered in bacteria battle
An unexpected find has enabled important progress to be made in the battle against harmful bacteria. An international team of researchers, led by Professor Peter Fineran from the University of Otago, investigated a particular protein used by bacteria.....»»
Moving from the visible to the infrared: Developing high quality nanocrystals
Awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, quantum dots have a wide variety of applications ranging from displays and LED lights to chemical reaction catalysis and bioimaging. These semiconductor nanocrystals are so small—on the order of nanometers.....»»