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.
Prof. Michael Murrell's group (lead author Zachary Gao Sun, graduate student in physics) in collaboration with Prof. Garegin Papoian's group from the University of Maryland at College Park has found critical phenomena (self-organized ...
General Physics
Jul 28, 2025
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A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has uncovered the atomic structure of a protein complex pivotal to the function of motile cilia, the hair-like structures extending from the surfaces of many cell types ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 23, 2025
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Many proteins are capable of spontaneously rearranging themselves within cells to form molecular condensates—membraneless intracellular structures formed by one or multiple proteins—through a process known as liquid–liquid ...
Biotechnology
Jul 18, 2025
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New research into mitotic chromosomes has found that they are covered in a liquid-like coating that could allow them to bounce off one another, like bumper cars, protecting them from being damaged during cell division.
Biotechnology
Jul 16, 2025
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76
Mitochondria are cell organelles surrounded by a double membrane. In addition to numerous essential functions in the metabolism of the cell, they also play a key role in the integration of signals into the cell, which are ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 10, 2025
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31
If measured from beginning to end, the DNA in our cells is too long to fit into the cell's nucleus, explaining why it must be constantly folded and packaged. When it is time for cell division, and the genetic information ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 9, 2025
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58
Proteins are the infinitely varied chemicals that make cells work, and science has a pretty good idea how they are made. But a critical aspect underlying the machinery of protein manufacture has long been hidden inside the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 2, 2025
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By examining squid skin cells three-dimensionally, a University of California, Irvine–led team has unveiled the structures responsible for the creatures' ability to dynamically change their appearance from transparent to ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 27, 2025
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The accurate distribution of chromosomes in an oocyte is essential for the correct transmission of genetic information to the next generation. Now, researchers from Kyushu University have demonstrated that the histone modification ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 20, 2025
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30
Our cells carry out hundreds of thousands of important functions every day, all of which are carefully orchestrated at a microscopic scale. However, the precise mechanisms that influence the luminal pH—one key component that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 19, 2025
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