New mode of cellular communication discovered in the brain
Glial cells send 'care packages' including protective proteins and genetic information to nerve cells.
Jul 16th, 2013
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Scientists construct visual of intracellular 'zip code' signaling linked to learning, memory
New research provides a rare 'picture' of the activity taking place at the single molecular level: visual evidence of the mechanisms involved when a cell transports mRNA (or messenger RNA) to where a protein is needed to perform a cellular function.
Jul 15th, 2013
Read moreSolving DNA puzzles is overwhelming computer systems, researchers warn
Imagine millions of jigsaw puzzle pieces scattered across a football field, with too few people and too little time available to assemble the picture. Scientists in the new but fast-growing field of computational genomics are facing a similar dilemma.
Jul 15th, 2013
Read moreKey step in molecular 'dance' that duplicates DNA deciphered
Scientists have captured new details of the biochemical interactions necessary for cell division -- molecular images showing how the enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix gets drawn to and wrapped around its target. The research may suggest ways for stopping cell division when it goes awry.
Jul 14th, 2013
Read moreResearchers develop artificial cells to study molecular crowding and gene expression
Tightly packed macromolecules enhance gene expression in artificial cellular system.
Jul 14th, 2013
Read moreBoldly illuminating biology's 'dark matter'
By employing next generation DNA sequencing of genomes isolated from single cells, great strides are being made in the monumental task of systematically bringing to light and filling in uncharted branches in the bacterial and archaeal tree of life.
Jul 14th, 2013
Read moreNew Innovation and Knowledge Centre to drive UK's Synthetic Biology progress
A new GBP10 million Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC), that will boost the UK's ability to translate the emerging field of synthetic biology into application and provide a bridge between academia and industry was announced yesterday.
Jul 12th, 2013
Read moreOn the trail of bacteria - Infrared light allows characterization of pathogens
Researchers have developed a technique for the rapid and reliable distinction between strains that can cause chronic infections and those that cannot. Using infrared light and artificial intelligence, the scientists present a sophisticated method for the prediction of disease progression.
Jul 12th, 2013
Read moreA roundabout route to protein production
Circular RNA molecules enable researchers to synthesize continuous protein chains from a single template.
Jul 12th, 2013
Read moreNew therapeutic strategy targets dengue virus using artificial microRNAs
A novel therapeutic approach prevents dengue virus from reproducing in humans by targeting and silencing key regions of the dengue genome essential for viral replication.
Jul 11th, 2013
Read moreScientists to build a chromosome for the world's first synthetic yeast
Once all parts of the genome are complete, scientists can design new strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to make products including chemicals, vaccines and biofuels.
Jul 11th, 2013
Read moreResearchers develop new method for tracking cell signaling
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, together with collaborators in Germany, have developed a new method for identifying the cell of origin of intracellular and secreted proteins within multicellular environments.
Jul 10th, 2013
Read moreOptimizing microbe factories
Max Planck and Fraunhofer scientists team up to develop efficient biosynthetic processes for the production of pharmaceutical and industrial ingredients.
Jul 10th, 2013
Read moreMembranes in tight corners
Photosynthesis takes place in specialized membrane systems, made up of stacked disks linked together by unstacked planar leaflets. An LMU team has now identified a protein that tucks the membrane in at the edge of each stack.
Jul 10th, 2013
Read moreScientists have found a bacterium that stores large amounts of plastic
In Bolivia, in the largest continuous salt desert in the world, researchers from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia have found a bacterium that stores large amounts of PHB, a prized polymer. This biodegradable plastic is used by the food and pharmaceutical industries, for example to produce nanospheres to transport antibiotics.
Jul 10th, 2013
Read moreChemical/bioengineers use adhesion to combine advantages of silicones and organic materials
Researchers have found a way to strongly adhere hydrogels to hydrophobic silicone substrates, an innovation that provides a valuable new tool for microscale biotechnology.
Jul 9th, 2013
Read moreTumor-suppressor protein gives up its secrets
Genetic mutations aren't the only thing that can keep a protein called PTEN from doing its tumor-suppressing job. Johns Hopkins researchers have now discovered that four small chemical tags attached (reversibly) to the protein's tail can have the same effect, and they say their finding may offer a novel path for drug design to keep PTEN working.
Jul 9th, 2013
Read moreScientists synthesize artificial nicotine receptor
Researchers from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Nehru Marg, India have added another piece to the puzzle of how to synthetize an artificial nicotine receptor. One of the most long-lasting goals of biomedical science and technology is to design and synthesize efficient artificial receptors that would point to new avenues in the treatment of addiction.
Jul 9th, 2013
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