UT Southwestern researchers have identified the structure of a key member of a family of proteins called nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in three different shapes. The work, published online today in Cell, could eventually ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 17, 2021
0
61
The cell membranes of all organisms contain ion channels that permit ions to pass into or out of the cell, and these channels play extremely important roles in fundamental physiological processes such as heartbeats and the ...
Biotechnology
Mar 1, 2021
0
1367
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and University of Tokyo, Japan, have, for the first time, synthesized a novel artificial transmembrane ion channel modeled on a naturally found transmembrane channel ...
Biochemistry
Feb 2, 2021
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26
Electricity is a key ingredient in living bodies. We know that voltage differences are important in biological systems; they drive the beating of the heart and allow neurons to communicate with one another. But for decades, ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 24, 2020
1
1836
All plant cells can be made to react by touch or injury. The carnivorous Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) has highly sensitive organs for this purpose: sensory hairs that register even the weakest mechanical stimuli, amplify ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2020
0
154
Scientists have discovered how drug-like small molecules can regulate the activity of therapeutically relevant ion channels—and their findings could transform ongoing drug development efforts.
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 23, 2020
0
127
For the first time, scientists have visualized a new class of molecular gates that maintain pH balance within brain cells, a critical function that keeps cells alive and helps prevent stroke and other brain injuries.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 4, 2020
0
747
A layered material developed by KAUST researchers can act as a precise temperature sensor by exploiting the same principle used in biological ion channels.
Nanomaterials
Oct 12, 2020
0
57
Physicians and scientists have long searched the natural world for chemicals that can improve human health. However, evolutionary selection optimized natural chemicals to benefit their host, not for safety or efficacy in ...
Biotechnology
Oct 5, 2020
0
27
A study led by researchers from Tasmania, Chile and Germany has furthered our understanding of plant evolution by tracking the origins of electrical signaling components that plants developed to communicate and adapt to life ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2020
0
75
