Molecular & Structural Biology

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Study sheds light on molecular mechanisms of brain aging

Aging and neurodegeneration are both known to disrupt the production of functional proteins in cells – a process called "proteostasis," or protein homeostasis.

31 Jul 2025

New strategy reveals how mannose receptor helps regulate blood proteins

The amount of each of the more than a thousand different glycoproteins in your blood varies widely with the 10 most abundant glycoproteins accounting for 90 percent of the total mass.

30 Jul 2025

Bacteria use amyloids as molecular armor against predators

Amyloids are perhaps best known as a key driver of Alzheimer's disease.

30 Jul 2025

AI-driven microscopy predicts and tracks protein aggregation in real time

The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain is central to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

24 Jul 2025

Study shows how ribose may have become the sugar of choice for RNA development

In living organisms today, complex molecules like RNA and DNA are constructed with the help of enzymes.

22 Jul 2025

UC Riverside scientists develop tool to preserve mitochondrial DNA

When environmental stress harms DNA, it can set off a cascade of failures linked to heart conditions, neurodegeneration, and chronic inflammation.

21 Jul 2025

Study identifies SDR42E1's role in vitamin D pathway

Vitamin D is not only an essential nutrient, but also the precursor of the hormone calcitriol, indispensable for health: it regulates the uptake of phosphate and calcium necessary for bones by the intestines, as well as cell growth and the proper function of muscles, nerve cells, and the immune system.

18 Jul 2025

Yourgene Health launches LightBench Discover

Yourgene Health (part of the Novacyt group of companies), a leading international molecular diagnostics group, announces the launch of LightBench® Discover, a high-precision 3-in-1 instrument for genomic research labs conducting long-read sequencing.

15 Jul 2025

Mapping the metabolic journey of blood stem cells

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg and ETH Zürich have created the first integrated map detailing the metabolic and molecular changes in human blood stem cells as they age, specialize, or turn cancerous.

15 Jul 2025

Light-activated drug discovery identifies broad-spectrum antivirals

UC Santa Barbara researchers and collaborators from campus biotech spinoff Integrated Biosciences, as well as Harvard, MIT and genomics company Illumina Ventures are using optogenetics - the use of light to probe the functions of living tissue - to find compounds to help our bodies more effectively help themselves in times of physiological stress.

15 Jul 2025

Fruit fly study sheds light on how new genes become functional

Most genes are ancient and shared across species. But a small subset of genes are relative newcomers, spontaneously emerging from stretches of DNA that once encoded nothing at all.

14 Jul 2025

Uncovering the hidden architecture of the genome in three dimensions

In biology textbooks and beyond, the human genome and DNA therein typically are taught in only one dimension. While it can be helpful for learners to begin with the linear presentation of how stretches of DNA form genes, this oversimplification undersells the significance of the genome's 3D structure.

12 Jul 2025

Explainable AI helps decode the substrate specificity of γ-secretase enzyme

Using artificial intelligence, researchers show how γ-secretase recognizes substrates - an important advance for fundamental and translational research.

11 Jul 2025

Researchers uncover molecular switch controlling DNA packing in cell division

If measured from beginning to end, the DNA in our cells is too long to fit into the cell’s nucleus, explaining why it must be constantly folded and packaged.

10 Jul 2025

Researchers use cryo-EM to map Powassan virus structure at high resolution

As summer kicks into full gear and people are spending more time outside, there's one thing on many people's minds - ticks.

9 Jul 2025

Single-cell sequencing maps immune changes in chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic malignancy characterized by BCR-ABL1 gene fusion.

9 Jul 2025

Smallest known protein-based enzyme HARP reveals dual role in tRNA processing

To build proteins, cells rely on a molecule called transfer RNA, or tRNA. tRNAs act like protein-building couriers, where they read the genetic instructions from messenger RNA, mRNA, and deliver the right amino acids to ribosomes, the cell's protein-making factories.

7 Jul 2025