A new molecular player involved in T cell activation

When bacteria or viruses enter the body, proteins on their surfaces are recognized and processed to activate T cells, white blood cells with critical roles in fighting infections. During T-cell activation, a molecular complex ...

Protein machines make fluctuating flows unconsciously

An international research group has demonstrated that protein machines, regardless of their specific functions, can collectively induce fluctuating hydrodynamic flows and substantially enhance the diffusive motions of particles ...

Constructing new tissue shapes with light

Constructing biological tissues, such as skin, muscle, or bone, in customized shapes is now one step closer. Researchers at EMBL have succeeded in guiding the folding and thus shape of tissues with optogenetics: a technique ...

Matchmaking with consequences

Most human tumours have one thing in common: They harbour drastically increased amounts of the so-called Myc proteins. Animal experiments show that such high Myc concentrations contribute to causing cancer. But Myc proteins ...

Thermodynamic properties of hevein

Hevein is a small protein (4.7 kDa) consisting of forty-three amino acid residues. It is the main component of the bottom fraction of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) latex that has a pronounced antimicrobial activity, thus ...

Harbingers of aging

Midlife crisis in the insect world: In a new study, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers have detected age-dependent alterations in metabolism and gene regulation in middle-aged fruitflies, and show ...

Hereditary neurodegeneration linked to ADP-ribose modification

Attaching chains of the small molecule ADP-ribose to proteins is important for a cell's survival and the repair of DNA damage, making this process a promising target for the development of new cancer drugs. Researchers have ...

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