Repeated vaccination and infection leads T cells and B cells to build an “immunity wall”. New research from scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) suggests people who received COVID-19 vaccines and then experienced “breakthrough” infections are especially well armed against future SARS-CoV-2 infections. By analyzing blood samples from study volunteers, the LJI researchers discovered that people who experienced symptomatic breakthrough infections develop T cells that are better at recognizing and targeting SARS-CoV-2, including the Omicron and Delta variants….
This is where the Nottingham team, led by Dr Aditi Borkar, Assistant Professor in Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, has achieved a transformative feat. Dr Borkar developed a powerful method that combines a cutting-edge mass spectrometry technology called cryogenic OrbiSIMS – a unique imaging capability of the University, with advanced computational modelling and automation. This combination enabled the team to analyse attomole quantities of RNAs and determine their 3D structures at par with…
New fundamental research provides a better understanding of the origin of eosinophils and eosinophilia, and the effects of treatments targeting them. Eosinophils are specialized cells of our immune system. They are identified by their distinctive granules that stain red when treated with an acidic reagent, eosin, which gave them their name. Eosinophils are typically rare in our blood and tissues, accounting for about 3% of our white blood cells. Their biological roles are poorly understood, but recent studies suggest that…
A study from the University of Adelaide has discovered molecular pathways regulated by a gene traditionally used to control wheat-flowering behaviour could be altered to achieve greater yields. The gene is called Photoperiod-1 (Ppd-1) and it is used regularly by breeders to ensure wheat crops flower and set grain earlier in the season, avoiding the harsh conditions of summer. However, there are known drawbacks. “While this variation benefits wheat productivity by aligning pollination and grain development with more favourable environmental…
New Group Leader at LIKAT for the Application of Electrochemical Reactions. The Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, LIKAT, has established a new research group for “Continuous Electrochemical Processes” with a focus on industrial applications. It is headed by Dr. Wen Ju, who has been conducting research at LIKAT since the beginning of the year. One focus is on the conversion of CO2 from air and industrial waste gases into basic chemical substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) and ethylene….
– the molecular biomechanics of collagen. HITS researcher Frauke Gräter receives an HFSP Research Grant Award for a project on a novel form of mechanosensing. Together with colleagues from Israel and USA, she investigates the effects of physical force on the collagen protein in two different animal model systems. Their goal is to measure the effects of mechanoradicals on the integrity of the tissue and the well-being of the organism, with impact on health and aging. As we move around…
New catalyst transforms carbon dioxide from industrial emissions into commonly used chemicals. A low-cost, tin-based catalyst can selectively convert carbon dioxide to three widely produced chemicals — ethanol, acetic acid and formic acid. Lurking within the emissions from many industrial operations is an untapped resource — carbon dioxide (CO2). A contributor of greenhouse gas and global warming, it could instead be captured and converted to value-added chemicals. In a collaborative project involving the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National…
A molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the basic unit of biochemical energy that fuels the activities of all cells. Now a team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus has developed and tested a high-resolution sensor for tracking the real-time dynamics of ATP levels in cells and within subcellular compartments. The new tool represents a major advance over prior ATP sensor technology, and the researchers expect it to accelerate…
The way cancer cells die from chemotherapy appears to be different than previously understood. Chemotherapy kills cancer cells. But the way these cells die appears to be different than previously understood. Researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, led by Thijn Brummelkamp, have uncovered a completely new way in which cancer cells die: due to the Schlafen11 gene. “This is a very unexpected finding. Cancer patients have been treated with chemotherapy for almost a century, but this route to cell death…
Viruses keep the most common marine bacteria in check. Marine microbes control the flux of matter and energy essential for life in the oceans. Among them, the bacterial group SAR11 accounts for about a third of all the bacteria found in surface ocean waters. A study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, now reveals that at times nearly 20% of SAR11 cells are infected by viruses, significantly reducing total cell numbers. The viruses…
Plants have special corrective molecules at their disposal that can make retrospective modifications to copies of genes. However, it would appear that these “Tipp-Ex proteins” do not have permission to work in all areas of the cell, only being used in chloroplasts and mitochondria. A study by the University of Bonn has now explained why this is the case. It suggests that the correction mechanism would otherwise modify copies that have nothing wrong with them, with fatal consequences for the…
Significant attempts 20 years ago… The study focused on the protein peptide deformylase (PDF). Involved in protein maturation processes in cells, PDF is essential for the survival of bacteria. However, it’s found in both bacteria and human cells. “Some 20 years ago, significant attempts were made to combat PDF with antibiotic agents,” Raphael Stoll points out. “Yet, the original drug candidate, i.e. actinonin, had to be discarded for several reasons. One of the problems faced was the newly discovered human…
HIPS researchers discover new family of bacteria with high pharmaceutical potential. Most antibiotics used in human medicine originate from natural products derived from bacteria and other microbes. Novel microorganisms are therefore a promising source of new active compounds – also for the treatment of diseases such as cancer or viral infections. A team from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has now been able to isolate a completely new family of bacteria that has particularly high potential for…
A new paper published in Nature Nanotechnology outlines a way to create dozens of new “colors” to multiplex single-molecule measurements. Researchers often study biomolecules such as proteins or amino acids by chemically attaching a “fluorophore,” a sensitive molecule that absorbs and re-emits energy from light. When activated by a laser and imaged through a high-powered microscope, these fluorophore tags or labels explode in a rainbow of color and information. They provide a wealth of insight that can, for example, help…
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in millions of deaths. Despite an unparalleled collaborative research effort that led to effective vaccines and therapies being produced in record-breaking time, a complete understanding of the structure and lifecycle of the coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 is still lacking. Scientists used the biolabs and the SPB/SFX instrument at the European XFEL to study the main protease, or Mpro, of the virus to understand how it protects itself from oxidative damage. The results add key knowledge to…
How Bitter Food Constituents Influence Gastric Acid Production. In the stomach, so-called parietal cells are responsible for acid production. They react not only to the body’s own messenger molecules, but also to bitter-tasting food constituents such as caffeine. A research team from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now carried out a study on a human gastric cell line. Their results help to clarify the molecular regulatory mechanisms by which bitter substances…
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