https://phys.org/biology-news/microbiology/ en-us The latest science news on microbiology and cell biology. A routine blood sample contains a diverse collection of immune cells that can reveal important clues about health and disease. These cells, known as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), are widely used to study infections, autoimmune disorders, cancer and the immune system's response to treatment. Scientists typically identify these cells using fluorescent labels that attach to specific surface markers. While effective, those methods provide limited information about how the cells are functioning and can alter the cells during preparation. As reported in Biophotonics Discovery, a recent study shows how advanced optical imaging can reveal a previously inaccessible layer of information: the metabolic activity of individual immune cells within a complex blood sample. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-advanced-optical-imaging-reveals-hidden.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 06 Sep 2026 17:30:01 EDT news707627336 In recent years, scientists have developed methods to measure a cell's transcriptome, or all the RNA produced by a cell, to study the cell's identity and genetic activity. However, these methods rely on killing the cell to access the bits of RNA within and offer only a one-time snapshot. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-virus-particles-enable-gene-tracking.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:00:02 EDT news707739962 Autophagy is an intracellular degradation mechanism in eukaryotes. The autophagosome, which encloses damaged or excess cellular material for degradation, is constructed from lipids supplied by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via the lipid transfer protein Atg2. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-underlying-mechanism-atg2-lipid-autophagy.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:40:01 EDT news707745962 Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists but true "flexitarians." A team led by microbiologists Bettina Glasl and Katharina Kitzinger from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with partners from Australia, has shown that, unlike their free-living relatives studied thus far, these microbes dine not only on ammonia but also on amino acids such as valine, leucine and isoleucine—and presumably do so to communicate with their animal host. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances , shed new light on one of the oldest animal-microbe symbiotic relationships on Earth and point to a previously underestimated role played by archaea. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-archaea-flexitarians-ammonia-oxidizing-microbes.html Ecology Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:01 EDT news707587201 Fungi are major degraders of plant biomass, including leaves, stems and roots. Investigating the molecular mechanisms that control this process is essential for identifying ways to degrade and use lignocellulose, a recalcitrant waste-product residue from biofeedstocks and agricultural residues, and accelerate the development of biotechnology. It is also essential for deepening understanding of the ecological role of fungi in the global carbon cycle. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-divergent-molecular-mechanisms-fungal-biomass.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:40:02 EDT news707724421 For most mammals, cold suppresses neural activity and diminishes the sense of touch. But the thirteen-lined ground squirrel can detect touch in conditions as low as 4°C (39°F), about as cold as the inside of a refrigerator, finds a new Yale study published in Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hibernating-squirrels-retain-cold.html Plants & Animals Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:40:01 EDT news707729581 Gram-negative bacteria are responsible for several infections that are hard to treat because of their high resistance to antibiotics. These bacteria possess an outermost layer called the outer membrane that acts as a protective barrier. Serving as the cell's interface with the outside world, the outer membrane contains specialized proteins that perform multiple functions, such as nutrient transport and environmental sensing. The localization of these outer membrane proteins is achieved through the combined action of several key players, including the SurA chaperone and the β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) complex. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-snapshots-reveal-bacteria-outer.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 04 Sep 2026 05:00:03 EDT news707653216 Researchers have demonstrated a series of biological tests that could serve as "proxies" for measuring how different regenerative agriculture practices could improve soil carbon—years before it would be possible to measure the carbon directly. The technique offers new insights into how effective various regenerative practices are at improving soil health. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbes-dead-alive-early-indicators.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:50:01 EDT news707672281 Every movement we make, from blinking to sprinting, depends on the ability of muscle fibers to contract in a rapid and coordinated way. Achieving this precision requires an intricate internal membrane network known as the transverse tubule, or T-tubule, system. These narrow membrane invaginations carry electrical signals from the cell surface deep into the muscle fiber, where they trigger the release of calcium needed for contraction. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-muscle-architecture.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:00:01 EDT news707665993 When inner and outer cell layers of sepals—the leaf-like plant organs that cover and protect the flower bud before it opens—all grow upward, the organs stay smooth and uniformly stiff, which is optimal for the plant, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-wrinkled-smooth-cell-growth-mechanics.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:00:03 EDT news707654581 Scientists have revealed a bizarre microscopic creature that reproduces in a way reminiscent of the horror film" Alien." The microbe grows one or more new cells inside its own body before the outer "mother" cell ruptures to release them, a reproductive strategy never before seen in its group of organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scottish-pregnant-grandmother-microbe-offspring.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:40:01 EDT news707654402 Cells synthesize proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and these proteins are transported to the Golgi apparatus for distribution to their ultimate destinations inside and outside the cell. The structures that transport proteins from the ER to the Golgi apparatus are called COPII vesicles; the processes that regulate the formation of COPII vesicles are only partially understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-stressed-cells-protein-shipping.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:07:27 EDT news707656021 There are millions of species of bacteria and archaea on Earth, remarkably little is known about most of them. Now, researchers have mined the genomes of thousands of microorganisms preserved at the RIKEN BioResource Research Center (BRC) to find organisms that may be capable of capturing CO2. BRC, located in Tsukuba—one of Japan's largest centers of scientific research—is a unique, world-class research facility. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbial-dark-yields-potential-carbon.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:40:09 EDT news707649132 Climate change continues to threaten the world's coral reefs, which support at least a quarter of all marine life. Though probiotics have been shown to rehabilitate corals in aquarium experiments, demonstrating the efficacy of such microbial therapy in the ocean is difficult. In a study published in the journal Cell Reports on Sept. 3, researchers establish that both live probiotic and inactivated postbiotic treatments improve coral health—while the animals are under thermal stress during a natural marine heat wave. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-probiotic-postbiotic-treatments-revive-stressed.html Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:00:08 EDT news707490570 When researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus set out to create a map of all the neurons in the fruit fly brain in 2008, many in the scientific community thought they were out of their minds. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-connectome-pursuing-fly-brain-rewired.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:00:01 EDT news707563056 As proteins are made in a cell, they are folded into the 3D structure that allows them to work, but sometimes this process can go wrong. When it does, the misfolded proteins lose some or all of their function and usually get tagged by the cell's quality assurance and maintenance crews, which try to repair the proteins or, if they can't, strip them to recycle their parts. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cellular-maintenance-crew-misfolded-proteins.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 19:20:03 EDT news707583482 Bacterial promoters are DNA sequences that recruit RNA polymerase to initiate transcription, primarily through two elements called −10 and −35. However, the contributions of these elements to promoter evolution and regulation have remained unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacterial-elements-gene.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:20:06 EDT news707581201 In the ocean, plastic waste collects to form large garbage patches that endanger marine life. This is partly because the synthetic plastic polymers used today can only be broken down biologically—that is, by microorganisms—at a very slow rate. Instead, the physical fragmentation of these materials leads to the formation of microplastics and nanoplastics. However, microorganisms do colonize plastic waste in the environment, forming biofilms and creating a unique microbial habitat that researchers refer to as the "plastisphere." https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pac-enzyme-bioplastics-penicillin-laboratory.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:00:07 EDT news707579701 Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures have, for the first time, identified a model cell line for a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). "The KOPM-88 cell line is, to date, the first and only known cell line worldwide to carry the KMT2A::SEPTIN6 fusion gene," explains Dr. Stefan Nagel, head of the Molecular Genetics research group in the Department of Human and Animal Cell Cultures at the DSMZ. "Thus, cancer research now has an urgently needed model system to specifically investigate this aggressive subtype of leukemia and develop novel therapeutic approaches." The work is published in the journal Cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-world-cell-line-kmt2aseptin6-fusion.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:20:07 EDT news707573654 A new study led by Francesca Storici, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and faculty member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, has uncovered an unexpected feature of human DNA linked to gene activity and the physical organization of DNA. The findings, published in Cell, could change how scientists think about DNA organization, transcription and genome function. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-layer-human-genome-embedded-rna.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:20:02 EDT news707571601 Scientists have long wondered how cells organized into sheets begin to move together to form organs, especially when the sheets form closed, sphere-like surfaces and tissues with no edges to direct motion. Researchers at the University of Chicago and UC San Diego used a combination of live imaging, genetic experiments and mathematical modeling to understand how cells in the fruit fly egg chamber synchronize their movement. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:01 EDT news707561930 The brain cells you see in the above image help an African fish decode electric signals to spot prey, scan its murky surroundings and communicate with its fellows. By rigorously mapping how these cells in the electrosensory lobe are wired together, scientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute and their colleagues reveal how this brain area continually learns to filter out interference that would otherwise blind the fish's electric sense. They report their findings in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-electric-fish-brain-cells.html Plants & Animals Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:00:14 EDT news707400715 Bacterial canker, a vascular infection, can wreak havoc on tomato plants, with symptoms ranging from wilted leaves to the collapse of an entire plant. Clavibacter michiganensis, the seedborne pathogen that causes the disease, can be challenging to treat because it spreads easily. "This pathogen is really problematic, especially in greenhouses," said microbiologist Eric Déziel, Ph.D., at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Quebec, Canada. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-beneficial-bacteria-tomato-growth-suppress.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:00:06 EDT news707553959 Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a method for measuring gene expression in individual cells, allowing observation of various cellular processes, including cell differentiation, the cell cycle and stimulus response, for each unique cell instead of averaging across millions of cells. It provides high-resolution snapshots of biological processes. However, it does not track the same cell continuously over time. To address this limitation, trajectory inference approaches have been developed that computationally arrange cellular snapshots along an inferred developmental trajectory known as pseudotime. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-algorithm-differentially-genes-large-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:20:01 EDT news707493721 Researchers at VIB, VUB and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (UK) have discovered a hidden feature of human sperm cells. Using advanced imaging technologies, they discovered specialized compartments within the sperm nucleus packed with proteasomes, which are responsible for breaking down and recycling proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hidden-protein-recycling-hubs-human.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 01 Sep 2026 15:20:01 EDT news707483665 An international team of more than 100 scientists has taken a major step toward unlocking the secrets of some of Earth's tiniest but most important organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-diatom-sequencing-genetic-differences-microscopic.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:09 EDT news707405161 Imagine a brain teaser where the challenge is to spot the difference between two nearly identical sandcastles. The only difference? The removal of three grains of sand. Scientists face a similarly exasperating challenge when looking at changes in protein levels within our cells, where small fluctuations can mean the difference between health and disease or a drug working and not working. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-screening-tool-amplifies-tiny-protein.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:16 EDT news707413442 When scientists study bacteria that are not in a Petri dish or a test tube but in environments that more closely mimic their actual microbial habitats, they often find delightfully unexpected behaviors. For Sujit Datta, a professor of chemical engineering, bioengineering and biophysics at Caltech, those oddities are an invitation to apply physics to exciting new puzzles. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacteria-line-buckle-liquid-crystals.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:20:07 EDT news707470681 Targeted drug delivery directly to the liver has unlocked major breakthroughs across medicine, but constructing the chemical key to enter liver cells remains complex and costly. Today, researchers at Kumamoto University, in collaboration with the National University of Singapore, have unveiled a nature-inspired solution that bypasses synthetic bottlenecks by giving single sugar molecules room to move. Their findings are published in the journal Advanced Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sugars-simpler-smarter-route-precision.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:20:02 EDT news707400419 Communication between cells in plants, animals and humans takes place via specialized connecting structures. An international team led by biologists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and involving the University of Tübingen has now discovered that the regulation of very similar structures was already present in multicellular bacteria, implying that it must have originated much earlier in the course of evolution. In their paper published in The EMBO Journal, the researchers describe how the exchange of calcium plays a central role in bacteria, just as it does in humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ancient-bacteria-intercellular-communication-humans.html Evolution Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:00:05 EDT news707406962