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Categories: Biology: Molecular, Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published Genome of a drought-tolerant plant: Many genes are involved in 'resurrection'
(via sciencedaily.com) Some plants can survive months without water, only to turn green again after a brief downpour. A recent study shows that this is not due to a 'miracle gene.' Rather, this ability is a consequence of a whole network of genes, almost all of which are also present in more vulnerable varieties.
Published Memory B cell marker predicts long-lived antibody response to flu vaccine
(via sciencedaily.com) Memory B cells play a critical role to provide long-term immunity after a vaccination or infection. Researchers have now described a distinct and novel subset of memory B cells that predict long-lived antibody responses to influenza vaccination in humans. These effector memory B cells appear to be poised for a rapid serum antibody response upon secondary challenge one year later.
Published Researchers create artificial enzyme for fast detection of disease-related hormone in sweat
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a handheld sensor that tests perspiration for cortisol and provides results in eight minutes, a key advance in monitoring a hormone whose levels are a marker for many illnesses including various cancers.
Published Photosynthesis 'hack' could lead to new ways of generating renewable energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have 'hacked' the earliest stages of photosynthesis, the natural machine that powers the vast majority of life on Earth, and discovered new ways to extract energy from the process, a finding that could lead to new ways of generating clean fuel and renewable energy.
Published Novel drug makes mice skinny even on sugary, fatty diet
(via sciencedaily.com) Deleting a gene that promotes magnesium transport into mitochondria (which are cells' power plants) resulted in more efficient metabolism of sugar and fat in the energy centers. The result: skinny, healthy mice. Now the research team, has developed a small-molecule drug that accomplishes the same effect in mice.
Published To ward off aging, stem cells must take out the trash
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers find stem cells use a surprising system for discarding misfolded proteins. This unique pathway could be the key to maintaining long-term health and preventing age-related blood and immune disorders.
Published Uracil found in Ryugu samples
(via sciencedaily.com) Samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected by the Hayabusa2 mission contain nitrogenous organic compounds, including the nucleobase uracil, which is a part of RNA.
Published Synthesis gas and battery power from sunlight energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Plants use photosynthesis to harvest energy from sunlight. Now researchers have applied this principle as the basis for developing new sustainable processes which in the future may produce syngas (synthetic gas) for the large-scale chemical industry and be able to charge batteries.
Published Imaging the proton with neutrinos
(via sciencedaily.com) The interactions of the quarks and gluons that make up protons and neutrons are so strong that the structure of protons and neutrons is difficult to calculate from theory and must be instead measured experimentally. Neutrino experiments use targets that are nuclei made of many protons and neutrons bound together. This complicates interpreting those measurements to infer proton structure. By scattering neutrinos from the protons that are the nuclei of hydrogen atoms in the MINERvA detector, scientists have provided the first measurements of this structure with neutrinos using unbound protons.
Published Molecular teamwork makes the organic dream work
(via sciencedaily.com) Molecular engineers have triggered a domino-like structural transition in an organic semiconductor. The energy- and time-saving phenomenon may enhance the performance of smartwatches, solar cells, and other organic electronics.
Published 'Fishing' for biomarkers
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have devised a tiny, nano-sized sensor capable of detecting protein biomarkers in a sample at single-molecule precision. Fittingly coined as 'hook and bait,' a tiny protein binder fuses to a small hole created in the membrane of a cell -- known as a nanopore -- which allows ionic solution to flow through it. When the sensor recognizes a targeted molecule, the ionic flow changes. This change in flow serves as the signal from the sensor that the biomarker has been found.
Published Muscle health depends on lipid synthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Muscle degeneration, the most prevalent cause of frailty in hereditary diseases and aging, could be caused by a deficiency in one key enzyme in a lipid biosynthesis pathway. Researchers now characterize how the enzyme PCYT2 affects muscle health in disease and aging in laboratory mouse models.
Published Can synthetic polymers replace the body's natural proteins?
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists developing new biomaterials often try to mimic the body's natural proteins, but a chemist shows that simpler polymers -- based on a handful of plastic building blocks -- also work well. Using AI, her team was able to design polymer mixtures that replicate simple protein functions within biological fluids. The random heteropolymers dissolve and stabilize proteins and can support cells' normal protein-making machinery. The technique could speed the design of materials for biomedical applications.
Published Discovery of an unexpected function of blood immune cells: Their ability to proliferate
(via sciencedaily.com) The ability of a cell to divide, to proliferate, is essential for life and gives rise to the formation of complex organisms from a single cell. It also allows the replacement of used cells from a limited number of 'stem' cells, which then proliferate and specialize. In cancer, however, cell proliferation is no longer controlled and becomes chaotic. Researchers have discovered that, in a healthy individual, certain blood immune cells, the monocytes, also have this ability to proliferate, with the aim to replace tissue macrophages, which are essential for the proper functioning of our body.
Published An extra X chromosome-linked gene may explain decreased viral infection severity in females
(via sciencedaily.com) It has long been known that viral infections can be more severe in males than females, but the question as to why has remained a mystery -- until possibly now. Researchers have found that female mouse and human Natural Killer cells have an extra copy of an X chromosome-linked gene called UTX. UTX acts as an epigenetic regulator to boost NK cell anti-viral function, while repressing NK cell numbers.
Published Protein engineers navigate toward more targeted therapeutics
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers uncovered the role of the third intracellular loop in the G protein-coupled receptors' signaling mechanism, which could lead to a more targeted approach to drug discovery and a paradigm shift for new therapeutics.
Published Nano cut-and-sew: New method for chemically tailoring layered nanomaterials could open pathways to designing 2D materials on demand
(via sciencedaily.com) A new process that lets scientists chemically cut apart and stitch together nanoscopic layers of two-dimensional materials -- like a tailor altering a suit -- could be just the tool for designing the technology of a sustainable energy future. Researchers have developed a method for structurally splitting, editing and reconstituting layered materials, called MAX phases and MXenes, with the potential of producing new materials with very unusual compositions and exceptional properties.
Published Loss of Menin helps drive the aging process, and dietary supplement can reverse it in mice
(via sciencedaily.com) Decline in the hypothalamic Menin may play a key role in aging, according to a new study. The findings reveal a previously unknown driver of physiological aging, and suggest that supplementation with a simple amino acid may mitigate some age-related changes.
Published Humans bite back by deactivating mosquito sperm
(via sciencedaily.com) New research makes it likely that proteins responsible for activating mosquito sperm can be shut down, preventing them from swimming to or fertilizing eggs.
Published Compressive stress shapes the symmetry of Arabidopsis root vascular tissue
(via sciencedaily.com) A cytokinin-mediated, proliferation-based mechanism is involved in the generation and maintenance of cell-type specific tissue boundaries during vascular development in Arabidopsis roots. Specifically, the HANABA-TARANU transcription factor forms a feed-forward loop to cytokinin signaling, which in turn regulates the position and frequency of cell proliferation of proto-vascular cells such that mechanical stress of the surrounding tissues guides growth in an apical-oriented manor, maintaining cell patterning throughout the tissue section.