News tagged with cell function

Researchers find a way to delay aging of stem cells

Stem cells are essential building blocks for all organisms, from plants to humans. They can divide and renew themselves throughout life, differentiating into the specialized tissues needed during development, ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers gain better understanding of mechanism behind tau spreading in the brain

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have gained insight into the mechanism by which a pathological brain protein called tau contributes to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created May 02, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Cells on the move

Cells on the move reach forward with lamellipodia and filopodia, cytoplasmic sheets and rods supported by branched networks or tight bundles of actin filaments. Cells without functional lamellipodia are still ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Apr 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New stem cell line provides safe, prolific source for disease modeling and transplant studies

Researchers have generated a new type of human stem cell that can develop into numerous types of specialized cells, including functioning pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. Called endodermal progenitor (EP) cells, ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Apr 05, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation

(PhysOrg.com) -- A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Apr 04, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

New microfluidic chip can generate microbubbles to break open cells for biochemical analysis

Scientists have made many important discoveries in biology and medicine through studying the internal contents of cells. Some have isolated or identified nucleic acids or proteins with special functions, while ...

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Mar 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

How muscle cells seal their membranes

Every cell is enclosed by a thin double layer of lipids that separates the distinct internal environment of the cell from the extracellular space. Damage to this lipid bilayer, also referred to as plasma membrane, ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 14, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A foot in the door to genetic information

In the cell nucleus, DNA wraps around what are called histone proteins, forming regularly spaced spherical bodies called nucleosomes. Thus, large portions of the genetic material are inaccessible to the gene reading machinery. ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Mar 07, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Why 'soot' could be the key to delivering drugs to cancer cells

Nano-scale tubes made of carbon could be used to safely penetrate human cells and deliver anti-cancer medicines or modified DNA molecules for gene therapy. Although there is a long way to go before the concept ...

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created Feb 29, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Immunoproteasome crystal structure determined

Like a shredder, the immunoproteasome cuts down proteins into peptides that are subsequently presented on the cellular surface. The immune system can distinguish between self and nonself peptides and selectively ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Feb 16, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Prion proteins play powerful role in survival, evolution of wild yeast strains

Prions, the much-maligned proteins most commonly known for causing "mad cow" disease, are commonly used in yeast to produce beneficial traits in the wild. Moreover, such traits can be passed on to subsequent generations and ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Feb 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Metabolic errors can spell doom for DNA

Many critical cell functions depend on a class of molecules called purines, which form half of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, and are a major component of the chemicals that store a cell’s energy. ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Jan 31, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers discover the processes leading to acute myeloid leukemia

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have discovered a molecular pathway that may explain how a particularly deadly form of cancer develops. The discovery may lead to new cancer therapies that reprogram cells instead ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Jan 30, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists use silk from the tasar silkworm as a scaffold for heart tissue

(PhysOrg.com) -- Damaged human heart muscle cannot be regenerated. Scar tissue grows in place of the damaged muscle cells. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Jan 30, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New test spots early signs of mucopolysaccharidoses -- inherited metabolic disorders

A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, have developed a simple, reliable test for identifying biomarkers for mucopolysaccharidoses ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Jan 08, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast