Subcellular structures are distinct, spatially organized physical systems within cells, encompassing membrane-bound organelles (e.g., mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes), non-membranous bodies (e.g., ribosomes, cytoskeleton, centrosomes), and specialized compartments (e.g., nucleolus, stress granules). They are defined by specific molecular compositions, biophysical properties, and emergent functions such as energy transduction, macromolecular synthesis, intracellular trafficking, signal transduction, and mechanical support. As physical systems, they exhibit dynamic self-assembly, phase separation, and regulated turnover, and their organization is governed by principles of thermodynamics, molecular crowding, and active processes driven by nucleotide hydrolysis and cytoskeletal forces.
When the cell's recycling stations, the lysosomes, start leaking, it can become dangerous. Toxic waste risks spreading and damaging the cell. Now, researchers at Umeå University have revealed the molecular sensors that detect ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 9, 2026
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25
Despite the immense amount of genetic material present in each cell, around 3 billion base pairs in humans, this material needs to be accurately divided in two and allocated in equal quantities. The centromere, located in ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 8, 2026
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31
Transverse tubules (T-tubules) play a significant role in muscle contraction. However, the underlying mechanism of their formation is yet to be elucidated. In a recent study, a research team from Japan used a Drosophila model ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 7, 2026
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9
Calcium (Ca2+) drives many cellular functions, though the way it controls quality of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a cellular organelle that synthesizes and transports proteins, has not been elucidated. This ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 29, 2025
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38
Unlike our organs, cell organelles such as mitochondria are not fixed in place, but when, where, how, and why organelles move remain unclear. Research published in the Biophysical Journal shows that when beta cells—the pancreatic ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 18, 2025
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52
The cells of all animals—including humans—are characterized by their ability to adhere particularly well to surfaces in their environment. This mechanically stable adhesion enables the development of complex tissues and organs ...
Evolution
Dec 14, 2025
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184
From small ions to large molecules, cellular gates control what can pass in and out of cells. But how one such gate, called pannexin-1 (PANX1), can handle vastly different cargo sizes has remained a long-standing mystery.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 11, 2025
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19
Microtubules perform an active role in communication within the cell by transmitting received signals to the cell's functional units. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Department of Biomedicine at the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 8, 2025
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111
Inside human cells, biology has pulled off the ultimate packing job, figuring out how to fit six feet of DNA into a nucleus about one-tenth as wide as a human hair while making sure the all-important molecules can still function.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 4, 2025
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97
A new tool developed by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research and the University of Bonn makes spatial proteomics and lipidomics easier to use—no coding required. C-COMPASS allows scientists to profile ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 4, 2025
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