A protein that extends life of yeast cells

To understand and control aging is the aspiration of many scientists. Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel have now discovered that the protein Gcn4 decreases protein synthesis and extends the life of ...

Genetically engineered yeast soak up heavy metal pollution

Environmental contamination with heavy metals is often the result of various types of industrial processes. Because heavy metals can be dangerous to humans and other wildlife, contaminated sites need to be cleaned up. This ...

How fruit fly brains control what they choose to eat

Using fruit flies, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a specific and very small set of brain cells—dubbed dopamine wedge neurons—responsible for driving the insects' food preferences toward what they need, ...

Research describes missing step in how cells move their cargo

Every time a hormone is released from a cell, every time a neurotransmitter leaps across a synapse to relay a message from one neuron to another, the cell must undergo exocytosis. This is the process responsible for transporting ...

Provocative prions may protect yeast cells from stress

Prions have a notorious reputation. They cause neurodegenerative disease, namely mad cow/Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. And the way these protein particles propagate—getting other proteins to join the pile—can seem insidious.

Protein complex prevents genome instability

An international collaboration between Osaka University and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in Switzerland is investigating the repair process of a serious form of DNA damage that can lead to ...

Prions can pass on beneficial traits, study finds

Prion proteins, best known as the agents of deadly brain disorders like mad cow disease, can help yeast survive hard times and pass the advantageous traits down to their offspring, according to a new study by researchers ...

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