The mechanisms of plant aging

European researchers investigated the molecular mechanisms that drive stress-related responses that cause aging and death in plants. The goal is to generate resilient crop varieties.

Origin of the follicle pattern in avian skin

The rubber-like elasticity of skin, which contracts to its original shape after being stretched, is key to the development of regularly spaced hairs and sweat glands during development, according to new research at the University ...

Cancer-causing virus masters cell's replication, immortality

Viruses are notorious for taking over their host's operations and using them to their own advantage. But few human viruses make themselves quite as cozy as the Epstein-Barr virus, which can be found in an estimated nine out ...

How protein modifications influence apoptosis

Researchers at the Lomonosov Moscow State University have described the molecular mechanisms of post-translational modifications of caspases, a family of proteolytic enzymes, and how they function during apoptosis, the process ...

Kinase discovery sheds new light on several disease processes

New light on a key factor involved in diseases such as Parkinson's disease, gastric cancer and melanoma has been cast through latest University of Otago, New Zealand, research carried out in collaboration with Australian ...

Study reveals the protein structure of the human apoptosome

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, plays a central role in the maintenance of human health by providing a line of defense against unrestricted cell growth that occurs in many cancers and AIDS as well as in neurodegenerative ...

Cell death: How a protein drives immune cells to suicide

For some pathogens, attack is the best form of defense—they enter immune cells of the human body. However, if they are detected in their hidden niche, the infected cell kills itself to re-expose the pathogens. In the EMBO ...

Genetic mutation causes ataxia in humans and dogs

Cerebellar ataxia is a condition of the cerebellum that causes an inability to coordinate muscle movements. A study publishing June 16 in Cell Reports now describes a new genetic mutation as an additional cause of ataxia ...

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