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.
In a study published in Cell Research, a research team has, for the first time, resolved the high-resolution in situ structure of the central apparatus (CA) within the axoneme of mammalian sperm.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 13, 2025
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44
A joint research team has developed a modular protein adapter technology that enables the stable attachment of various substances to the surface of extracellular vesicles (exosomes). It was designed to enable functional molecules ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 24, 2025
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53
Most cells in the body send out little messengers called extracellular vesicles that carry proteins, lipids, and other bioactive molecules to other cells, playing an important role in intercellular communication. But healthy ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 14, 2025
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100
A team of physicists at Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, in France, working with a colleague from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, in Germany, has observed an odd quantum phase transition in indium oxide films. In their ...
Cell-to-cell communication through nanosized particles, working as messengers and carriers, can now be analyzed in a whole new way, thanks to a new method involving CRISPR gene-editing technology.
Bio & Medicine
Nov 19, 2024
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51
"As complex living systems, we likely have trillions upon trillions of tiny nanoscopic holes in our cells that facilitate and regulate the crucial processes that keep us alive and make up who are," says Marija Drndić, a physicist ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 12, 2024
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56
Chloroplast, which is a double-membrane-bounded organelle, is the main site for CO2 fixation via photosynthesis in green plants. The double-membrane configuration can regulate the transport of substances into and out of the ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 29, 2024
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102
Quantum materials—those with electronic properties that are governed by the principles of quantum mechanics, such as correlation and entanglement—can exhibit exotic behaviors under certain conditions, such as the ability ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 13, 2024
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101
Cilia are sensory structures extending from the surface of some cells. These hair-like structures are known to contribute to the sensorimotor capabilities of various living organisms, including humans.
What does the inside of a cell really look like? In the past, standard microscopes were limited in how well they could answer this question. Now, researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Oxford, in collaboration ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 7, 2024
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