Related topics: protein · amino acids

Key regulator of cell growth deciphered

The mTOR protein plays a central role in cell growth, proliferation and survival. Its activity varies according to the availability of nutrients and some growth factors, including hormones. This protein is implicated in several ...

Which population structures maximize evolutionary fitness?

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Plön have shown that population structures that enhance the effect of selection do not necessarily also lead to higher fitness. Instead, it is crucial for maximizing fitness that ...

Tiny sea creature's genes shed light on evolution of immunity

How a tiny marine invertebrate distinguishes its own cells from competitors' bears striking similarities to the human immune system, according to a new study led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers.

The origin of life in an RNA pocket

This story begins several billion years ago. There's only chemistry, no biology—that is, plenty of chemical compounds exist on Earth, but life hasn't yet emerged. Then, among myriads of randomly self-assembled chemical ...

A new tool for cryo-electron microscopy

Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf led by Prof. Dr. Carsten Sachse are using cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM for short, to make biomolecules visible at the atomic level. ...

Giant viruses build a cell nucleus surprisingly like our own

Humans aren't the only targets for viruses. Like us, bacteria become infected by many types of viruses. In fact, across billions of years, bacteria and viruses have engaged in a non-stop evolutionary arms race for survival ...

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