Biology Cell biology

A new apparatus improves how we study the effects of aiming high-field terahertz radiation at cells, with implications for regenerative medicine.

Scientists have found an ingredient that makes a vaccine more effective through an approach more often seen in materials science – testing molecules that self-assemble into larger structures.

Scientists have identified key molecules that mediate radioresistance in glioblastoma multiforme; these molecules are a potential target for the treatment of this brain cancer.

Drugs tackling chronic myelogenous leukemia have completely transformed prognoses of patients over the last couple of decades, with most cases going into remission. But drug resistance can occur, leading to relapses. Targeting the lipids involved in regulating part of a leukemia stem cell’s life span offers a potential second route to defeat the disease—and solid tumorous cancers as well.

A team of scientists has unraveled the molecular mechanism behind one of the causes of colorectal cancer, and a treatment target.

Scientists review macrophage activation syndrome — a feature of the cytokine storm that kills patients with severe cases of COVID-19, as well as possible treatments.

Scientists are learning about species adaptation by comparing their stem cell-related genes.

Pregnant mice fed diets high in omega-6 fats and low in omega-3 fats are shown in a new study to produce offspring whose brains had a higher level of dopamine-producing neurons—the neurological reward system. These mice went on to chase hyper-caloric diets, suggesting that the fats in a pregnant mother's diet may control the eating habits of her children, and potentially offering a new obesity-prevention strategy.

Hokkaido University scientists have shown that Interleukin-34 is a prognostic marker and drug target for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Biomaterials a high-speed atomic-force microscopy study of protein filaments in the nuclear pore complex. The visualization in real-time of the filaments’ dynamics is an important step in our understanding of molecular transport mechanisms between a cell nucleus and its surrounding medium.

A method that involves infecting liver cells with mosquito-bred parasites could improve the study of malaria in India.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in the Biophysical Journal that the process of cell removal from an epithelial layer follows from an inherent mechanical instability. Moreover, the forces generated by an extruding cell can drive the extrusion of other cells in a particular direction.

A highly accurate machine learning tool could help doctors tailor individualized treatments for people with glioma brain tumours.

In a recent study published in Molecular Cell, researchers at Kanazawa University report the role of cellular structures called PML bodies in regulating gene function

A small mitochondrial protein is necessary for energy production and its malfunction could be behind a range of degenerative diseases, according to study by Duke-NUS Medical School and their collaborators.

A research team led by Professor Kin-ming KWAN from the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently discovered a novel mechanism by which extrinsic signaling factors modulate the fate transition of neural progenitors to allow the generation of specific neuronal subtypes. This work provides important insight into stem cell biology and the regeneration of neuronal cells, and contributes to the development of neurological therapy for diseases like autism spectrum disorders and hereditary cerebellar ataxia. The research is published in the renowned international scientific journal Cell Reports.

In a recent study published in Autophagy, researchers at Kanazawa University show how abnormalities in a gene called TPR can lead to pediatric brain cancer

A new approach could lead to “cornea-on-a-chip” devices that more accurately test the effects of drugs on the human eye.

Environmental changes trigger tiny RNA segments to modify plant pores involved in photosynthesis.

A new compound with the potential to turn genes on and off could lead to new cancer and hereditary disease treatment strategies.

NUS researchers found that chevron patterns in fish swimming muscles require physical forces to correctly develop, not only from genetic instruction or biochemical pathways.

Scientists in Korea find a protein that mediates the interaction between the cellular systems involved in rapid responses against foreign genes in plants

Researchers from the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore have shown that cells can attach to the fibrous protein meshwork that surrounds them only if the fibres are spaced close enough. The team’s findings can explain the abnormal motility patterns displayed by cancer cells.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has discovered that restoring a gene altered in Down syndrome called the Down syndrome critical region 1 (DSCR1) rescued adult neurogenesis and learning and memory defects in a Down syndrome mouse model (Ts65Dn).

Researchers in Japan have developed a new genome editing technology in rice.

A honeycomb-shaped brace in plants keeps them fit by precisely coordinating the discarding of organs, such as flowers and leaves.

New research documents how modifications to RNA keep nerve junctions flexible.

The innate immune system may be able to be trained to react to viral infections more efficiently by repeated exposure to anti-viral signaling molecules.

Deep data analytics drive the development of a technique that sheds light on drug action by monitoring the dynamics of thousands of protein complexes simultaneously within intact cells.

An enzyme that flips lipids from the outer to the inner layer of the cell membrane launches the process that permits cells to engulf external substances.