Tiny protein 'squeezes' cells, may be key to division

A protein that causes a cell's skeleton to bend, allowing it to twist the cell into different shapes, could be key to how cells divide according to University of Warwick scientists.

Protein's 'silent code' affects how cells move

The protein actin is ubiquitous and essential for life. In mammals, every cell expresses two of its forms, beta-actin and gamma-nonmuscle-actin. Despite having distinct roles, the two forms are nearly identical, sharing 99% ...

How cells recycle the machinery that drives their motility?

Research groups at University of Helsinki and Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, discovered a new molecular mechanism that promotes cell migration. The discovery sheds light on the mechanisms that drive uncontrolled movement ...

Researchers gain insight into the biology of a deadly fungus

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have gained new insight into the biological processes of a chytrid fungus responsible for a deadly skin infection devastating frog populations worldwide.

Imaging the first moments of a body plan emerging in the embryo

Egg cells start out as round blobs. After fertilization, they begin transforming into people, dogs, fish, or other animals by orienting head to tail, back to belly, and left to right. Exactly what sets these body orientation ...

Frozen: Cutting-edge technology reveals structures within cells

Temperatures of -196 degrees Celsius enable high-resolution imaging of the cell's interior. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria are thus able to show for the first time how the active form ...

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