Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Important membrane transport mechanism in pathogenic bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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 the bacterium transports the substance to the 'elevator' and unloads its cargo there. The freight elevator transports it to the inside of the cell, in other words to another floor.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Evolution is not as random as previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking study has found that evolution is not as unpredictable as previously thought, which could allow scientists to explore which genes could be useful to tackle real-world issues such as antibiotic resistance, disease and climate change. The study challenges the long-standing belief about the unpredictability of evolution, and has found that the evolutionary trajectory of a genome may be influenced by its evolutionary history, rather than determined by numerous factors and historical accidents.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

The snail or the egg?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Animals reproduce in one of two distinct ways: egg-laying or live birth. By studying an evolutionarily recent transition from egg-laying to live-bearing in a marine snail, collaborative research has shed new light on the genetic changes that allow organisms to make the switch.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists engineer plant microbiome to protect crops against disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have engineered the microbiome of plants for the first time, boosting the prevalence of 'good' bacteria that protect the plant from disease. The findings could substantially reduce the need for environmentally destructive pesticides.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

New roles for autophagy genes in cellular waste management and aging      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Autophagy, which declines with age, may hold more mysteries than researchers previously suspected. Scientists have now uncovered possible novel functions for various autophagy genes, which may control different forms of disposal including misfolded proteins -- and ultimately affect aging.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

The surprisingly resourceful ways bacteria thrive in the human gut      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that some groups of bacteria in the gut are amazingly resourceful, with a large repertoire of genes that help them generate energy for themselves and potentially influence human health as well.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Nematode proteins shed light on infertility      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists developed a method for illuminating the intricate interactions of the synaptonemal complex in the nematode C. elegans. The authors identified a trio of protein segments that guide chromosomal interactions, and pinpointed the location where they interact with each other. Their novel method uses a technique known as genetic suppressor screening, which can serve as a blueprint for research on large cellular assemblies that resist traditional structural analysis.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

Study reveals clues to how Eastern equine encephalitis virus invades brain cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have determined how Eastern equine encephalitis virus attaches to a receptor it uses to enter and infect cells. The findings laid the groundwork for a receptor decoy molecule that protects mice from encephalitis caused by the virus.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Bacteria load their syringes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many bacterial pathogens use small injection apparatuses to manipulate the cells of their hosts, such as humans, so that they can spread throughout the body. To do this, they need to fill their syringes with the relevant injection agent. A technique that tracks the individual movement of proteins revealed how bacteria accomplish this challenging task.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

New reasons eating less fat should be one of your resolutions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study to motivate your New Year's resolutions: it demonstrates that high-fat diets negatively impact genes linked not only to obesity, colon cancer and irritable bowels, but also to the immune system and brain function.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Elusive cytonemes guide neural development, provide signaling 'express route'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Discover the first images of cytonemes during mammalian neural development, serving as express routes to establish morphogen gradients and tissue patterning.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Big impacts from small changes in cell      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tiny things matter -- for instance, one amino acid can completely alter the architecture of the cell. Researchers have now investigated the structure and mechanics of the main component of the cytoskeleton of the cell: a protein known as actin. Actin is found in all living cells where it has a range of important functions -- from muscle contraction to cell signalling and cell shape. This protein comes in two different varieties termed 'isoforms', which are known as gamma actin and beta actin.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life
Published

How jellyfish regenerate functional tentacles in days      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

At about the size of a pinkie nail, the jellyfish species Cladonema can regenerate an amputated tentacle in two to three days -- but how? Regenerating functional tissue across species, including salamanders and insects, relies on the ability to form a blastema, a clump of undifferentiated cells that can repair damage and grow into the missing appendage. Jellyfish, along with other cnidarians such as corals and sea anemones, exhibit high regeneration abilities, but how they form the critical blastema has remained a mystery until now.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

Researchers map how measles virus spreads in human brain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers mapped how the measles virus mutated and spread in the brain of a person who succumbed to a rare, lethal brain disease. New cases of this disease, which is a complication of the measles virus, may occur as measles reemerges among the unvaccinated, say researchers.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

GPCR structure: Research reveals molecular origins of function for a key drug target      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists reveal how G protein-coupled receptors, major therapeutic drug targets, decode critical properties of their ligands.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Location, location, location: The hidden power of intracellular neighborhoods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New findings provide details about the hidden organization of the cytoplasm, showing it makes a big difference where in that cellular broth that messenger RNA (mRNA) get translated into proteins. The findings hold promise for increasing or altering the production of proteins in mRNA vaccines and therapies.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

The future of canine stem cell therapy: unprecedented, painless, and feeder-free      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed an efficient, non-invasive, and pain-free method to generate canine-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). They identified six reprogramming genes that can boost canine iPSC generation by 120 times compared to conventional methods using fibroblasts. The iPSCs were created from urine-derived cells without the need for feeder cells, an impossible feat until now. Their findings are expected to advance regenerative medicine and genetic disease research in veterinary medicine.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

The key mechanism to cell growth has been elucidated      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered how amino acids activate a key cell, TORC1, which is a master regulator in living organisms that controls whether cells grow or recycle their contents in yeast. Notably, the team found that the amino acid cysteine is sensed by a protein called Pib2 and that the two bind together to trigger TORC1. This is important because faulty TORC1 has been linked to disease such as cancer.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Bugs that help bugs: How environmental microbes boost fruit fly reproduction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research group found that in female fruit flies, microorganisms enhance reproductive function, boosting the number of cells that form eggs and the number of mature eggs. This is done by controlling the release of hormones to speed up cell division in the ovaries, and limiting programmed cell death. These findings could improve reproductive medicine and could aid the development of new methods to enhance fertility.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Researchers solve mystery behind DnaA protein's role in DNA replication initiation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have uncovered how DnaA, the master key to DNA replication, opens the door to bacterial growth. This breakthroughpaves the way for new antibiotics to combat the rising tide of antibiotic resistance.