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Categories: Biology: Cell Biology, Engineering: Biometric

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The algae P. antarctica has two forms of the enzyme that makes the amino acid methionine, one needing B12, and one that is slower, but doesn't need it. This means it has the ability to adapt and survive with low B12 availability. The presence of the MetE gene in P. antarctica gives the algae the ability to adapt to lower vitamin B12 availability, giving it a potential advantage to bloom in the early austral spring when bacterial production is low. P. antarctica takes in the CO2 and releases oxygen through photosynthesis. Understanding its ability to grow in environments with low vitamin B12 availability can help climate modelers make more accurate predictions.

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Seeing a glycoprotein on the envelope of the HIV virus snap open and shut in mere millionths of a second is giving investigators a new handle on the surface of the virus that could lead to broadly neutralizing antibodies for an AIDS vaccine. Being able to attach an antibody specifically to this little structure that would prevent it from popping open would be key.

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A study has identified a protein complex that is activated by defects in the spliceosome, the molecular scissors that process genetic information. Future research could lead to new therapeutic approaches to treat diseases caused by faulty splicing.

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Many people are familiar with facial recognition systems that unlock smartphones and game systems or allow access to our bank accounts online. But the current technology can require boxy projectors and lenses. Now, researchers report on a sleeker 3D surface imaging system with flatter, simplified optics. In proof-of-concept demonstrations, the new system recognized the face of Michelangelo's David just as well as an existing smartphone system.

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Scientists developed a new method to map exactly how a fungus works with leafcutter ants in a complex microbial community to degrade plant material at the molecular level. The team's insights are important for biofuels development.

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Disrupted function of 'cleaning cells' in the body may help to explain why some people with obesity develop type 2 diabetes, while others do not. A study describes this newly discovered mechanism.

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New results reveal a new mode of force transmission in which dynamic molecular stretching bridges the extracellular matrix and flowing F-actin moving at different speeds. This discovery underscores the necessity of molecular elasticity and random coupling for sufficiently transmitting force. The findings also call for revising the role of molecular unfolding.

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Many bacteria form an antibiotic-resistant slime. Research detailing that slime's structure could help lead to new treatments.

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Adults treated with 14 days of intravenous injections of ginkgo diterpene lactone meglumine (GDLM) -- a combination of biologically active components of ginkgo biloba -- after an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke had better cognitive recovery at 14 days and 90 days.

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Fighting disease-causing bacteria becomes more difficult when antibiotics stop working. People with pre-existing conditions in particular can carry resistant germs and suffer from repeated infections for years, according to a new study.

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Researchers have traced the origin and evolutionary trajectory of plant immune receptors. Their discovery will make it easier to identify immune receptor genes from genomic information and could help in the development of pathogen-resistant crops.

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Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are produced by gut bacteria from dietary fiber, regulate our immune system, but the mechanism of their action remains unknown. In a recent study, researchers investigated how SCFAs interact with mast cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a central role in allergic reactions. Their findings and insights could lead to innovative and effective anti-allergy medications, supplements, and diets, paving the way for healthier lives.

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Researchers have developed an innovative material to fight against the spread of pathogens, infections and antimicrobial resistance. Inspired by the substances secreted by mussels to adhere to rocks, it can be used as a coating to protect healthcare fabrics and provides an effective alternative to commonly used materials such as paper, cotton, surgical masks and commercial plasters.

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The developmental regulators that confer the identity of N-fixing root nodules belong to a transcription factor family (LSH) more commonly associated with defining the shapes of stems, flowers and leaves.

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The interplay between ribonucleic acid (RNA) and proteins is not only important for maintaining cellular homeostasis but is also at the center of the tug-of-war between virus and host. Until now, there has been no method to globally map direct interactions of individual RNA regions in an unbiased fashion without the need for genetic modification of the target RNA or cell. Researchers have now developed a breakthrough tool that overcomes this limitation.

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A research group has discovered a novel RNA viral genome from microbes inhabiting a high-temperature acidic hot spring. Their study shows that RNA viruses can live in high-temperature environments (70-80 degrees Celsius), where no RNA viruses have been observed before. In addition to the two known RNA virus kingdoms, a third kingdom may exist.

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A team of researchers has achieved a major breakthrough in genome editing technology. They've developed a cutting-edge method that combines the power of designer-recombinases with programmable DNA-binding domains to create precise and adaptable genome editing tools.

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Insect-killing bacteria typically release toxins to slay their hosts. The bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens, for example, pumps insect larvae full of the lethal 'Makes caterpillars floppy 1' (Mcf1) toxin, leading them to first become droopy and then dead. However, it has so far been a mystery how Mcf1 unfolds its devastating effect. Researchers successfully used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and biochemical assays to characterize the first-ever Mcf1 structure, allowing them to propose a molecular mechanism of the toxin's action. Understanding how bacterial toxins perform their deadly task in such detail is very useful for engineering novel biopesticides, thereby reducing the use of barely specific chemical agents with harmful side effects for the ecosystem.

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Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent and growing global crisis. Researchers are exploring phages, viruses that infect bacteria, as a possible solution. In the new study, researchers successfully modified DNA from four types of phages to kill a deadly pathogen. The process can also be used to produce more phage variants for further exploration.

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During infection, reversible switch permits flexible formation of memory T cells, long-lived blood cells that can remember pathogen encounters and respond upon reinfection.