Researchers solve crystal structure of key biofilm protein

(Phys.org)—Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) report that they have solved the crystal structure of a protein involved in holding bacterial cells together in a biofilm, a major development in their exploration ...

The origins of a genetic switch

Cilia, microscopic whip-like organelles that protrude from the surface of many cell types, are almost ubiquitous. They are present in all eukaryotes—organisms whose cells have a nucleus—and have diversified to perform ...

Chromosome 'anchors' organize DNA during cell division

For humans to grow and to replace and heal damaged tissues, the body's cells must continually reproduce, a process known as "cell division," by which one cell becomes two, two become four, and so on. A key question of biomedical ...

Cell biology: Flushing out fats

The Wip1 protein is important for survival, but mutations that inactivate it carry some surprising features. "A lack of Wip1 results in an excessive immune reaction to infectious organisms, in some cases killing the host," ...

Protein strongest just before death

(Phys.org)—Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered a protein that does its best work with one foot in the grave.

Feedback loop maintains basal cell population

Notch – the protein that can help determine cell fate – maintains a stable population of basal cells in the prostate through a positive feedback loop system with another key protein – TGF beta (transforming growth factor ...

Study shows how cells form 'trash bags' for recycling waste

(Phys.org)—To remove waste from cells, a class of membrane-sculpting proteins create vesicles—molecular trash bags—that carry old and damaged proteins from the surface of cellular compartments into internal recycling ...

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