Hotter conditions prevent two tiny organisms working together for mutual benefit, new research shows. University of Exeter scientists studied a single-celled organism (Paramecium bursaria) which can absorb and host algae (Chlorella spp). This pairing is common in freshwater worldwide, and their symbiotic relationship provides benefits including trading of nutrients and protection for the algae. But when scientists made the water 5°C warmer, the partnership stopped working – and the results suggest the algae may even become parasitic. The breakdown of…
With new technique, patient-derived neurons accurately model late-onset Alzheimer’s, point to potential treatments. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a way to capture the effects of aging in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. They have devised a method to study aged neurons in the lab without a brain biopsy, an advancement that could contribute to a better understanding of the disease and new treatment strategies. The scientists transformed skin cells taken from patients with…
Human Odorant Receptor for Geosmin Identified for the First Time. Geosmin is a volatile compound of microbial origin with a distinct “earthy” to “musty” odor that can affect the quality of water and food. A research team led by Dietmar Krautwurst from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now identified and characterized the human odorant receptor for geosmin for the first time. Geosmin is responsible for the typical odor that occurs when…
MHH researchers explain how pathogens establish a connection between their cell surface and their protective capsules. Bacteria have different strategies for protecting themselves. Some bacterial pathogens surround themselves with a shell made of many sugar chains that lie close together, also known as capsular polymers. This protects the bacteria from drying out and physical stress. In addition, the capsule makes the pathogens invisible to our body’s own defences, so to speak, and helps them to survive in the body. Preventing…
The innermost layer of blood vessels is formed by endothelial cells, which in turn play a role in the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Human endothelial cells are therefore required for the “in vitro” investigation of the causes of these diseases. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now established a highly efficient, cost-effective and reproducible way to generate functional endothelial cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for tests in…
Research team achieves breakthrough: chemical synthesis of high-density RNA microarrays now faster and more efficient. An international research team led by the University of Vienna has succeeded in developing a new version of RNA building blocks with higher chemical reactivity and photosensitivity. This can significantly reduce the production time of RNA chips used in biotechnological and medical research. The chemical synthesis of these chips is now twice as fast and seven times more efficient. The results of the research were…
… revolutionises drug discovery. A breakthrough in high-performance computing (HPC) and quantum chemistry, powered by the world’s fastest supercomputer and leading technology, is set to revolutionise drug discovery and unlock new ways to target a range of diseases. Led by University of Melbourne theoretician and HPC expert Associate Professor Giuseppe Barca, a research team has achieved the first quantum simulation of biological systems at a scale necessary to accurately model drug performance. Utilising the unprecedented “exascale” power of the Frontier supercomputer at the Oak Ridge…
Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have together succeeded in identifying and synthesising a group of molecules that can act against the cause of tuberculosis in a new way. In the scientific journal Cell Chemical Biology, they describe that the so-called callyaerins act against the infectious disease by employing a fundamentally different mechanism compared to antibiotic agents used to date. Pharmacy: Publication in Cell Chemical Biology. The infectious disease tuberculosis is caused by…
Leipzig scientists analyse 21,000 cells from tissue samples. The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate. This property is crucial for maintaining organ function and recovery after injury or surgery. Scientists from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, TU Dresden and ETH Zurich have used clinical samples to investigate how cell types in the liver change before and after regeneration. They have created a cell atlas from the recent study data published in…
AP180 is a protein involved in endocytosis and thus in signal transmission between nerve cells. This protein, which largely lacks a three-dimensional structure, has never been fully studied. Using solution NMR spectroscopy, scientists from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) were now able to examine each of its 600 unstructured amino acids individually and discovered a new interaction network. The work has model character. The paper was recently published in “Nature Communications.” To allow substances such as neurotransmitters, nutrients, and…
HIPS researchers develop innovative model for drug testing against hair follicle infections. Hair follicle infections are often difficult to treat because bacteria settle in the gap between hair and skin, where it is difficult for active substances to reach them. In order to investigate this scenario more closely in the laboratory, researchers from the Department of Drug Delivery Across Biological Barriers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now developed a model with human hair follicles embedded…
Regenerative effects of the molecules might be universal across tissue types. In November 2021, Northwestern University researchers introduced an injectable new therapy, which harnessed fast-moving “dancing molecules,” to repair tissues and reverse paralysis after severe spinal cord injuries. Cartilage cells generate more protein components (collagen II and aggrecan) for regeneration when treated with fast-moving dancing molecules (left) compared to slower moving molecules. Credit: Stupp Research Group/Northwestern University Now, the same research group has applied the therapeutic strategy to damaged human cartilage…
Zirconium combined with silicon nitride enhances the conversion of propane — present in natural gas — needed to create in-demand plastic, polypropylene. Polypropylene is a common type of plastic found in many essential products used today, such as food containers and medical devices. Because polypropylene is so popular, demand is surging for a chemical used to make it. That chemical, propylene, can be produced from propane. Propane is a natural gas commonly used in barbeque grills. Scientists from the U.S….
Researchers combined single-molecule experiments, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics to validate the findings published in PNAS. What puts the electronic pep in peptides? A folded structure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Electron transport, the energy-generating process inside living cells that enables photosynthesis and respiration, is enhanced in peptides with a collapsed, folded structure. Interdisciplinary researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology combined single-molecule experiments, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics…
By identifying mechanisms unique to leukaemia-causing cells, a French-Swiss team has discovered a new way to fight the disease. Acute myeloid leukaemia is one of the deadliest cancers. Leukaemic stem cells responsible for the disease are highly resistant to treatment. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), University Hospital of Geneva (HUG), and Inserm has made a breakthrough by identifying some of the genetic and energetic characteristics of these stem cells, notably a specific iron utilisation process. This process…
How pharmaceuticals act, how efficient catalysts are and how effective and accurate printing inks function all depend on the size of the nanoparticles they contain. However, there are as of yet no methods for monitoring the particle size distribution during grinding processes. In the EU-funded PAT4Nano project, a consortium from industry and research has spent the last four years looking for practicable approaches for such inline measurements. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen has developed a promising…
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