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A research team at Florida State University's Institute of Molecular Biophysics and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has discovered how a protein found in the human body interacts with RNA in a way that could lead to new treatments for tissue scarring also known as fibrosis.

Within tissues, cells are embedded in complex, three-dimensional structures known as the extracellular matrix. Their biomechanical interactions play a crucial role in numerous biological processes. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have now developed a novel lab-on-a-chip system based on intelligent hydrogel structures, which enables precise pressure forces to […]

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas that both traps heat and destroys ozone, reducing Earth's protection from solar radiation.

Using advanced techniques in biophysical chemistry, a team led by Meredith Jackrel, an associate professor of chemistry, has achieved unprecedented views of a protein that may play a pivotal role in some cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the related disorder frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Their work could open doors to new approaches for treatment […]

Aquaglyceroporin Aqp10, a protein channel for water and glycerol, selectively permeates urea and boric acid due to its unique structural features—report researchers from Japan. By comparing and modeling molecular pore structures in fish species, the team discovered that bulky amino acid residues reduce the pore size of Aqp10—blocking the transport of certain molecules. This not […]

Most well-studied proteins are folded, meaning they have a defined three-dimensional shape that helps determine each protein's specific function. But as the tools of science have improved, so has the understanding that many important proteins—or sections of proteins—don't maintain a fixed shape even as they carry out vital cellular processes.

The ability to correct disease-causing genetic mistakes using genome editors holds great promise in medicine, but it is not without risk. When this type of "genetic surgery" is performed on DNA, for instance, there is always the danger of leaving permanent genetic scars that may even be heritable.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have revealed the structure of a key protein involved in unspooling DNA so that it can undergo repair. Because this protein is critical for DNA repair for many organisms, including those that cause diseases such as M. tuberculosis and E. coli, understanding how it operates […]

Blood clotting is a complex, tightly regulated process involving numerous molecular steps and myriad biomolecules to carry them out, including vitamin K. While the medical field has capitalized on this knowledge to produce medications that toggle up or down vitamin K—to boost or reduce clotting, respectively—scientists had not understood how the integral membrane enzyme utilizing […]

A previously unknown protein in a family of bacteria found in soil and the human gut microbiome has been discovered—which could help drug delivery in cancer treatment.