Putting the brakes on 'budding' viruses

Paramyxoviruses have the potential to trigger a devastating pandemic. This family of viruses includes measles, Nipah virus, mumps, Newcastle disease and canine distemper.

Protein lifetime and the stability of cell structures

(Phys.org) —The ability of a cell to move, replicate, and recast itself according to the needs of the organism which it serves, comes at it price. The extreme flexibility of cells takes its origin from the constant turnover ...

Biologists glean insight into repetitive protein sequences

About 70% of all human proteins include at least one sequence consisting of a single amino acid repeated many times, with a few other amino acids sprinkled in. These "low-complexity regions" are also found in most other organisms.

Basement membrane underpins tissue interactions in the skin

In a discovery that could pave the way for therapies that promote wound healing and alleviate skin diseases, RIKEN researchers have found that the network of molecules under the outermost layer of mouse skin, the skin epithelium, ...

Researchers elucidate the mechanics of cellular attachment

For cells to assemble into tissues and whole organs, the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as integrins are required. The ECM forms a kind of extra-cellular protein meshwork; the integrins are surface proteins, which cells ...

Scientists reel in structure of salmon virus

The structure of a protein key to the survival and spread of a virus that affects salmon could inform strategies to treat the flu in humans, according to scientists at Rice University.

page 1 from 3