Related topics: protein · amino acids

The birth of a bacterial tRNA gene

Translation is the process by which genetic information is converted into proteins, the workhorses of the cell. Small molecules called transfer RNAs (tRNAs) play a crucial role in translation; they are the adapter molecules ...

Quality control is vital for the energy production of cells

Mitochondria generate most of the energy cells need through a respiratory chain for which they must produce their own proteins. The research group of Associate Professor Henna Tyynismaa, University of Helsinki, Finland, has ...

Spying on a cellular director in the cutting room

Like a film director cutting out extraneous footage to create a blockbuster, the cellular machine called the spliceosome snips out unwanted stretches of genetic material and joins the remaining pieces to fashion a template ...

Working in concert

As cells go about the process of building new proteins, each amino acid gets delivered individually to the protein-synthesizing machinery of the ribosome by a specialized transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule. This process is generally ...

Software helps synthetic biologists customize protein production

A software program developed by a Penn State synthetic biologist could provide biotechnology companies with genetic plans to help them turn bacteria into molecular factories, capable of producing everything from biofuels ...

Genetic switch potential key to new class of antibiotics

Researchers have determined the structure of a key genetic mechanism at work in bacteria, including some that are deadly to humans, in an important step toward the design of a new class of antibiotics, according to an accelerated ...

page 3 from 5