Related topics: nerve cells

Control of a mitochondrial protective mechanism identified

Mitochondria are essential for normal functioning of almost all cells, since they are the main production sites of the energy-carrying molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In addition, mitochondria are the key sites of ...

Chemists synthesize perseanol for the first time

A team of chemists at California Institute of Technology has totally synthesized perseanol using a 16-step process for the first time. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes their process and ...

The pH of calcium ions controls ion channel opening

Ion channels are pores in the membrane of cells or cell organelles. They allow positively or negatively charged particles, so-called ions, to be transported across the membrane. Biochemists at Johannes Gutenberg University ...

Single molecule puts sperm on track

Sperm start their sprint to the ovum when they detect changes in the environment through a series of calcium channels arranged like racing stripes on their tails. A team of Yale researchers has identified a key molecule that ...

Electron microscope images reveal how cells absorb a vital mineral

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have obtained the first detailed snapshots of the structure of a membrane pore that enables epithelial cells to absorb calcium. The findings could accelerate the development ...

Calcium channel blockers caught in the act at atomic level

An atomic level analysis has revealed how two classes of calcium channel blockers, widely prescribed for heart disease patients, produce separate therapeutic effects through their actions at different sites on the calcium ...

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