A new study reveals that the protein MTCH2, which is essential in a variety of cellular processes, is responsible for shuttling various other proteins into the membrane of mitochondria. The finding could have implications for cancer treatments. Mitochondria — the organelles responsible for energy production in human cells — were once free-living organisms that found their way into early eukaryotic cells over a billion years ago. Since then, they have merged seamlessly with their hosts in a classic example of symbiotic…
Scientists at DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials have come one step closer to the objective of producing functional synthetic cells. The research group is probing the necessary ingredients for the design and development of materials with the ability to communicate and function with living matter. Such materials are used to study and develop antimicrobial surfaces or coatings that interact with blood for example. The research at DWI was directed by former working group leader César Rodriguez-Emmenegger, who is…
The multicellular stage of the amoeba Dicyostelium discoideum is partially regulated by an intensely yellow natural substance, as researchers of the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI) have discovered. The newly identified natural substance of the polyketide family prevents the amoebae spores from hatching too early. The study was published in the scientific journal PNAS. Social amoebae are unicellular organisms that can join together to form a multicellular organism visible to the…
Researchers of the University of Freiburg have discovered that septins – a part of the cytoskeleton – form a barrier to the penetration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The process is dependent on the LecA molecule on the surface of the bacteria. The team working with cell biologists Prof. Dr. Winfried Römer and Dr. Carsten Schwan of the University of Freiburg and the Excellence Cluster the CIBSS – Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies are using high-resolution live cell imaging and atomic…
A “hub and spoke” system enables plant cells to efficiently coordinate cellular trafficking, particularly for cellular recycling, the so-called autophagy process. Specialized vesicles, the autophagosomes, engulf harmful molecules and carry them to the vacuole, where they are degraded. During this journey, the autophagosomes mature using molecular mechanisms about which little is known in plants. Now, researchers from the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (GMI) characterize the mechanism by which autophagy uses the…
The function of the human brain is exceptional, driving all aspects of our thoughts and creativity. Yet the part of the human brain – the neocortex – responsible for such cognitive functions has a similar overall structure to other mammals. Through close collaboration between The University of Queensland (UQ), The Mater Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, researchers have discovered the human brain’s enhanced processing power may stem from differences in the structure and function of our neurons….
After University of Missouri researchers started examining the impact of smoke on plant growth after a wildfire, their surprising discovery could one day lead to new farming practices. Richard Ferrieri never thought a simple bottle of liquid smoke would change the trajectory of his team’s research. Originally, Ferrieri and a team of researchers at the University of Missouri focused on studying how soil, saturated by the intense smoke caused by wildfires, alters plant growth. But after they began their research,…
A new highly selective PET imaging agent can detect the presence of overexpressed monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) in cognitively unimpaired individuals with high beta amyloid (Aβ)—one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease—according to research published in the October issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The radiotracer, 18F-SMBT-1, allows for a better understanding of the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease, which can enable more accurate staging and prognosis at earlier stages. Brain inflammation that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease involves reactive astrocytes, which…
A newly discovered type of transferrable DNA structure with a sci-fi name appears to play a role in balancing atmospheric methane. In Star Trek, the Borg are a ruthless, hive-minded collective that assimilate other beings with the intent of taking over the galaxy. Here on nonfictional planet Earth, Borgs are DNA packages that could help humans fight climate change. Last year, a team led by Jill Banfield discovered DNA structures within a methane-consuming microbe called Methanoperedens that appear to supercharge…
NEFTON consortium working on test bench. A science and industry consortium is working on a testing station to achieve significantly higher charging rates than have been possible in the past. This is intended to increase the electrification of heavy-load transports in the future. More robust charging points and accordingly configured vehicle components are to drastically reduce charging times for heavy-duty trucks, making electric drives more attractive to freight carriers. The project’s objective is to reduce battery charging time to only…
Using bacteria of the Bartonella henselae species, researchers from Goethe University, Frankfurt University Hospital, the Paul Ehrlich Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines in Langen, and the University of Oslo demonstrated for the first time that antibodies can prevent certain surface proteins of bacterial pathogens from entering host cells. The findings are important for the development of new drugs against highly resistant infectious agents. Infections, especially those with highly resistant pathogens, pose a significant threat to human health. It is…
MHH research team has published current review on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in The Lancet. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. In Germany, there are currently around 9,000 new HCC diagnoses per year, and almost 8,000 people affected do not survive the disease. Before the tumour develops in the liver, the organ is often already damaged by chronic inflammation. The “traditional” causes of chronic liver damage include, in particular, infections with hepatitis viruses or excessive alcohol…
Better than opiates: Researchers at FAU use adrenaline receptors for highly-effective analgesics. New substances that activate adrenalin receptors instead of opioid receptors have a similar pain relieving effect to opiates, but without the negative aspects such as respiratory depression and addiction. This is the result of research carried out by an international team of researchers led by the Chair of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). Their findings, which have now been published in the renowned scientific journal Science, are…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a lush, highly detailed landscape – the iconic Pillars of Creation – where new stars are forming within dense clouds of gas and dust. The three-dimensional pillars look like majestic rock formations, but are far more permeable. These columns are made up of cool interstellar gas and dust that appear – at times – semi-transparent in near-infrared light. Webb’s new view of the Pillars of Creation, which were first made famous when imaged by…
Just like a pianist who learns to play their instrument without looking at the keys or a basketball player who puts in countless hours to throw a seemingly effortless jump shot, UCLA mechanical engineers have designed a new class of material that can learn behaviors over time and develop a “muscle memory” of its own, allowing for real-time adaptation to changing external forces. The material is composed of a structural system made up of tunable beams that can alter its…
The process is associated with warming of the ocean subsurface resulting in a reduction of surface salinity due to the release of huge iceberg armadas from glaciers. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), a system of ocean currents that carry warm water from the tropics into the North Atlantic and transport cold water from the northern to the southern hemisphere, is a fundamental mechanism for the regulation of Earth’s climate. The conveyor belt has collapsed in the past owing to…
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