News tagged with cellular mechanisms

To drive infections, a hijacking virus mimics a cell's signaling system

New biological research reveals how an invading virus hijacks a cell's workings by imitating a signaling marker to defeat the body's defenses. By manipulating cell signals, the virus destroys a defensive protein designed ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists develop novel technique to map protein interactions leading to better understanding of disease mechanisms

Scientists have developed a powerful new technique, named BioID, to screen for both interacting and neighboring proteins in their native cellular environment. Elucidating protein interactions is key to better understanding ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 15, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | 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

Stress-induced genomic instability facilitates rapid cellular adaption in yeast

Cells trying to keep pace with constantly changing environmental conditions need to strike a fine balance between maintaining their genomic integrity and allowing enough genetic flexibility to adapt to inhospitable conditions. ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Jan 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Fluorescent probes increase understanding of bacterium's electron transfer

(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to transporting a cell's valuable electrons, the metal-reducing microbe Shewanella oneidensis only trusts stable, mature proteins, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New medical, research tool possible by probing cell mechanics

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers are making progress in developing a system that measures the mechanical properties of living cells, a technology that could be used to diagnose human disease and better understand ...

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created Nov 21, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Fruit fly intestine may hold secret to the fountain of youth

One of the few reliable ways to extend an organism's lifespan, be it a fruit fly or a mouse, is to restrict calorie intake. Now, a new study in fruit flies is helping to explain why such minimal diets are ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Nov 02, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (17) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

How Wolbachia bacteria controls vectors of deadly diseases

Researchers at Boston University have made discoveries that provide the foundation towards novel approaches to control insects that transmit deadly diseases such as dengue fever and malaria through their study of the Wolbachia bacter ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Oct 20, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Biochemists identify how tissue cells detect and perfect

Scientists have discovered how cells detect tissue damage and modify their repair properties accordingly. The findings, published today [6 October] in the journal Developmental Cell, could open up new opportunities for im ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Oct 06, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Bionic bacteria may help fight disease and global warming

A strain of genetically enhanced bacteria developed by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may pave the way for new synthetic drugs and new ways of manufacturing medicines and biofuels, ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Sep 21, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Are genes our destiny? 'Hidden' code in DNA evolves more rapidly than genetic code, scientists discover

A "hidden" code linked to the DNA of plants allows them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than previously thought, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study by researchers ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Sep 16, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (27) | comments 26 | with audio podcast

Cellular metabolism self-adapts to protect against free radicals

Oxygen-consuming organisms obtain energy through cellular respiration, which is the transformation of carbohydrates and oxygen into carbon dioxide and water. This process also produces toxic oxygen radicals which must be ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Sep 07, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Oocytes: Going with the flow

Most cells rely on structural tethers to position chromosomes in preparation for cell division. Not so oocytes. Instead, a powerful intracellular stream pushes chromosomes far-off the center in preparation ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Aug 28, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Researchers reveal a new mechanism of genomic instability

Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have discovered the cellular mechanisms that normally generate chromosomal breaks in bacteria such as E. coli. The study's findings are published in the August 18 issue of the journal ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Aug 18, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Realistic simulation of ion flux through membrane sheds light on antibiotic resistance

As the gatekeepers of ion flow through cell membranes, ion channels are of key interest in numerous cellular processes. Now, a new study describes an innovative new computational model that realistically simulates the complex ...

Biology / Other

created Aug 16, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0