Chemists solve major piece of cellular mystery

Not just anything is allowed to enter the nucleus, the heart of eukaryotic cells where, among other things, genetic information is stored. A double membrane, called the nuclear envelope, serves as a wall, protecting the contents ...

Researchers uncover human DNA repair by nuclear metamorphosis

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging.

DNA 'off switch' may reverse premature aging

The secret to preventing or reversing premature aging may be found in a DNA “off switch” that humans share with common yeast, according to new research from the University of Toronto.

Cell nuclei harbor factories that transcribe genes

Our genetic heritage is contained—and protected—in the nucleus of the cells that compose us. Copies of the DNA exit the nucleus to be read and translated into proteins in the cell cytoplasm. The transit between the nucleus ...

Scientists map the portal to the cell's nucleus

Like an island nation, the nucleus of a cell has a transportation problem. Evolution has enclosed it with a double membrane, the nuclear envelope, which protects DNA but also cuts it off from the rest of the cell. Nature's ...

Study finds new pathway for clearing misfolded proteins

Misfolded proteins are toxic to cells. They disrupt normal functions and cause some age-related human degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. Cells work constantly to eliminate misfolded ...

Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Meiosis - the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell - is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet, how the cell precisely ...

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