A cloud-based repository that creates a digital fingerprint of engineered microorganisms has been successfully trialled. An international team led by Newcastle University has launched CellRepo, a species and strain database that uses cell barcodes to monitor and track engineered organisms. Reported in a new study in the journal Nature Communications, the database keeps track and organises the digital data produced during cell engineering. It also molecularly links that data to the associated living samples. Available globally, this resource supports international…

Phosphorus is one of the most important nutrients for plants. Among other functions, it is needed to create substances for the plant’s immune system, for the healthy development of seeds and for root growth. A team of researchers led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have now demonstrated how a root symbiosis with fungi is driven at the molecular level by the plant’s phosphate status. Land plants absorb phosphate better when they…

Gender influences survival chances. MHH study: Vessels of girls suffer more damage than those of boys Gender plays a role: chronic kidney disease has a greater effect on the vessels of girls than on those of boys. Researchers at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) have now been able to show this in a European study. Although the mortality rate in children after kidney transplantation has fallen in recent decades, it is still very high compared to the general population due…

Several layers of nanographenes stacked on top of each other: such functional elements could one day be used in solar cells. Würzburg chemists have paved the way for this. Graphene is a carbon material that forms extremely thin layers. Because of its unusual properties, it is interesting for many technical applications. This also applies to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can be regarded as cut-outs of graphene. They are considered promising materials for organic photovoltaics or for field-effect transistors. Large,…

A gene-silencing tool could enable new opportunities for advancing basic biomedical research and drug development. The technique draws on the power of small noncoding RNA molecules that normally suppress gene activity. Known as Piwi-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, these regulatory molecules normally play a critical role in bringing genomic parasites to heel. But geneticist Christian Frøkjær-Jensen and his colleagues at KAUST co-opted this piRNA pathway to deliberately quell the activity of target genes of interest1. Working in nematode worms — a…

… to remove 99% of carbon dioxide from air. UD researchers carbon capture advance could bring environmentally friendly fuel cells closer to market. University of Delaware engineers have demonstrated a way to effectively capture 99% of carbon dioxide from air using a novel electrochemical system powered by hydrogen. It is a significant advance for carbon dioxide capture and could bring more environmentally friendly fuel cells closer to market. The research team, led by UD Professor Yushan Yan, reported their method in Nature Energy on…

University of Exeter scientists have discovered new information about the tiny propellers used by single-cell organisms called archaea. Like bacteria, archaea are found in a vast range of habitats – including inside human bodies – but unlike bacteria they are not known to cause disease. Some archaea propel themselves to incredible speeds by rotating a spiral-shaped filament called an archaellum. Using a powerful cryo-electron microscope, the new study examined this closer than ever before. The research team – which included…

Mechanical engineers and surgeons from the University of Magdeburg jointly develop a training model for operations in the thoracic cavity. Engineers and physicians at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg have jointly developed an educational and training model for operations in the human thoracic cavity. In future, the model, which has been created from real patient data using a 3D printer, will be used both in the teaching of students and in thoracic surgery as a realistic training model for surgeons….

These new findings about their vision could help you hide from these disease vectors. Beating the bite of mosquitoes this spring and summer could hinge on your attire and your skin. New research led by scientists at the University of Washington indicates that a common mosquito species — after detecting a telltale gas that we exhale — flies toward specific colors, including red, orange, black and cyan. The mosquitoes ignore other colors, such as green, purple, blue and white. The…

… tethering of viral particles at the surface of cells. Teams at the Institut Pasteur, CNRS, Vaccine Research Institute (VRI) and Université de Paris have discovered a new function of anti-HIV-1[1] antibodies by applying cutting-edge microscopy techniques to in vitro viral cultures. The scientists found that certain antibodies already known for effectively targeting HIV-1 envelope (Env) protein can prevent infected cells from releasing viral particles, thus halting viral spread. The antibodies are Y-shaped, enabling them to attach themselves between the…

Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Regensburg have elucidated the structure of a central cellular inflammatory switch. Their work shows which site of the giant protein called NLRP3 inhibitors can bind to. This opens the way to develop new pharmaceuticals that could target inflammatory diseases such as gout, type 2 diabetes or even Alzheimer’s disease. The results are published in the journal Nature. In their study, the researchers investigated a protein molecule with the cryptic abbreviation NLRP3. This is…

Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) is a signalling protein whose dysregulation can cause developmental disorders and cancer. Dr Xinlai Cheng and his colleagues at the Goethe University Frankfurt have discovered how a tumour suppressor known as pVHL influences signal transmission involving TGF-β. Their findings suggest possible starting points for developing new drugs. Signal transmission inside cells is a complex process. TGF-β, for example, regulates many cell functions during the early development of both humans and animals, but also in adult…

Scientists at the University of Cologne show in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that intestinal cells check the quality of oocytes and intervene when they detect defects / Publication in ‘Nature Communications’. Inheriting a normal and intact number of chromosomes in germ cells, egg and sperm, is essential for the preservation of all species. With increasing age, the risk of the egg cell not inheriting the normal set of chromosomes increases. This results in so-called aneuploidy, which can mean either too…

A molecular movie shot at PSI reveals the mechanism of a light-driven chloride pump. Many bacteria and unicellular algae have light-driven pumps in their cell membranes: proteins that change shape when exposed to photons such that they can transport charged atoms in or out of the cell. Thanks to these pumps, their unicellular owners can adjust to the environment’s pH value or salinity. One such bacteria is Nonlabens marinus, first discovered in 2012 in the Pacific Ocean. Among others, it…

According to experts, bringing an end to the pandemic will require rapid screening of people attending large gatherings, such as conferences and weddings. Even those who are asymptomatic can still transmit COVID-19 to others, making it important to identify and isolate them until they are no longer contagious. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a prototype “breathalyzer” that can sensitively and accurately diagnose COVID-19, even in asymptomatic individuals, in less than 5 minutes. Currently, the “gold standard” for…

Researchers use epigenetic factors to investigate the role of stress in the development of tumor diseases. Test subjects are wanted. Experts believe that stress plays a major role in the development of tumors. One occupational group, for example, that experiences extreme stress over a short period of time is astronauts. Dr. Philipp Rathert from the University of Stuttgart and Prof. Stephan Beck from University College London, along with company partners Active Motif and Microsynth, plan to use epigenetic changes in…