… that can be faithfully moved during cell division. Researchers from the Gerlich Group at IMBA – Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences – discovered a molecular mechanism that confers special physical properties to chromosomes in dividing human cells to enable their faithful transport to the progeny. The team showed how a chemical modification establishes a sharp surface boundary on chromosomes, thus allowing them to resist perforation by microtubules of the spindle apparatus. The findings are…
SCIENTISTS at the University of Huddersfield have secured significant funding to develop novel and sustainable molecular materials that harness light to drive useful chemical reactions. The project will be led by inorganic chemists Professor Paul Elliott and Dr Paul Scattergood, within the University’s Centre for Functional Materials in the School of Applied Sciences. Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, and with initial seed corn funding for preliminary work from the University’s International Collaborative Fund for strategic partnerships, from the project is…
New technologies provide unprecedented view of virus’ ‘weird biology’—critical for future biomedical applications against bacterial infections. Humans aren’t the only targets for viruses. Like us, bacteria become infected by many types of viruses. In fact, across billions of years, bacteria and viruses have engaged in a non-stop evolutionary arms race for survival that includes countless innovations and counter-adaptations. Recently, biomedical scientists have ramped up interest in viruses known as bacteriophages, or phages, which can infect and kill dangerous bacteria. Phages,…
New sensor can measure unknown sugar concentrations in real-time. Researchers have harnessed the light-guiding properties of spider silk to develop a sensor that can detect and measure small changes in the refractive index of a biological solution, including glucose and other types of sugar solutions. The new light-based sensor might one day be useful for measuring blood sugar and other biochemical analytes. “Glucose sensors are crucial to people with diabetes, but these devices tend to be invasive, uncomfortable and not…
University of Cincinnati researchers publish findings of technique that helps naturally balance mitochondria. New research from the University of Cincinnati shows early indications that light can be used as a treatment for certain diseases, including cancer. Researchers from UC, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University at Buffalo published the results of their study demonstrating light-activated proteins can help normalize dysfunction within cells in the journal Nature Communications July 25. Research findings The research centers on the functions of…
The strategy was tested at the Federal University of São Carlos. The conversion took place under ambient temperature and pressure conditions, which could enable methane, a potent greenhouse gas, to be used to produce fuel. A group of researchers has succeeded in converting methane into methanol using light and dispersed transition metals such as copper in a process known as photo-oxidation. According to an article reporting the study published in Chemical Communications, the reaction was the best obtained to date for conversion of methane…
Chemists at the University of Münster present new method for β-amino acid derivatives from alkenes or (hetero)arenes. Chemists at the University of Münster have developed a novel and straightforward way to produce complex organic molecules. Mild reaction conditions, simple operation, scalability and the use of an inexpensive and commercially available photosensitizer make the method interesting for industrial applications. The results of the study are currently (Aug. 1) published in Nature Chemistry. “Visible light has proven to be a powerful tool…
Researchers study historical developments of the periodic system of chemical elements. In the 1860s, the chemists, Lothar Meyer and Dmitri Mendeleev, independently presented the first periodic system. Since then, the well-known tabular arrangement of the elements has been the guiding principle of chemistry. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences and the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics at the University of Leipzig provides computational approaches based on extensive data sets from the Reaxys chemistry…
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI) in Jena, Germany have identified an enzyme that is a promising new therapeutic target to combat the dangerous bacterial disease melioidosis. It helps the pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei construct a toxic molecule that is critical in the infection process. The results were published in Nature Chemistry. Melioidosis is a life-threatening disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. “Without treatment, the disease is usually…
Scientists develop a simple, fast, and energy-efficient synthesis method for producing exceptional carbon nano-onions from fish scales. Thanks to their low toxicity, chemical stability, and remarkable electrical and optical properties, carbon-based nanomaterials are finding more and more applications across electronics, energy conversion and storage, catalysis, and biomedicine. Carbon nano-onions (CNOs) are certainly no exception. First reported in 1980, CNOs are nanostructures composed of concentric shells of fullerenes, resembling cages within cages. They offer multiple attractive qualities such as a high…
Scientists uncover mechanism that shapes centromere distribution. Since the 1800s, scientists have noted configuration of centromeres, a special chromosomal region that is vital for cell division, in the nucleus. Up until this point, however, the determining mechanisms and the biological significance of centromere distribution were poorly understood. A team led by researchers from the University of Tokyo and their collaborators recently proposed a two-step regulatory mechanism that shapes centromere distribution. Their findings also suggest that centromere configuration in the nucleus…
Genetically modified mouse studies reveal pathways for organ-damaging autoimmune response. A new study shows how mutation of the ADAR1 gene sets off biochemical pathways that produce an autoimmune response that harms the developing brain and other areas of the body. The ADAR gene contains instructions for making proteins used by the immune system. Normally, the body’s immune system fights off pathogens, foreign bodies, and cancers. An RNA-editing enzyme produced by the ADAR1 gene steps in to stop abnormal immune activation…
Fatty acids and their derivatives are promising raw materials for manufacturing advanced biofuels, detergents, lubricants, surfactants and so on. Current supply of fatty acids is mainly through extraction from plants, which requires large amounts of arable land. Methanol is an ideal and renewable feedstock for bio-manufacturing. Methanol biotransformation might provide a sustainable route for fatty acid production with independence of arable land and fresh water. Recently, a research group led by Prof. ZHOU Yongjin from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the…
… in patient-derived cells. New technology that can rewrite the genetic code raises hopes for gene therapy. Genetic mutations which cause a debilitating hereditary kidney disease affecting children and young adults have been fixed in patient-derived kidney cells using a potentially game-changing DNA repair-kit. The advance, developed by University of Bristol scientists, is published in Nucleic Acids Research. In this new study, the international team describe how they created a DNA repair vehicle to genetically fix faulty podocin, a common…
A fascinating new look at what drives T cells to guard the intestines. Cells in the gut send secret messages to the immune system. Thanks to new research from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) scientists, we can finally get a look at what they’re saying. A new study in Science Immunology reveals how the barrier cells that line the intestines send messages to the patrolling T cells that reside there. These cells communicate by expressing a protein called HVEM,…
Odorant Analysis 2.0. A research team from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB) has succeeded in automating an established method for the gentle, artifact-avoiding isolation of volatile food ingredients. As the team’s current comparative study now shows, automated solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (aSAFE) offers significant advantages over the manual process. It achieves higher yields on average and reduces the risk of contamination by nonvolatile substances. The optimized method is particularly important for odorant…
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