A mammalian embryo cannot develop on its own. It has to implant in the uterus, where it is supplied with everything it needs to survive. Until this happens, the egg cell nourishes the early embryo. Among other things, it provides essential proteins. Researchers led by Melina Schuh at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences, together with colleagues in Göttingen, have now elucidated how egg cells store proteins. Their experiments also provide important insights into how errors in protein…

MYC proteins play an important role in many types of cancer. A research team at the University of Würzburg has now succeeded in indirectly influencing these proteins – with clear consequences for the tumor. MYC family genes are essential for the human organism. According to current knowledge, they regulate the expression of most cellular genes. Misregulation of MYC proteins significantly contributes to the development of many types of cancer. Unsurprisingly, MYC proteins are in the focus of cancer research worldwide….

…to treat autoimmunity or fight cancer. Salk researchers pinpoint Foxp3 as the protein that determines regulatory T cell genome structure and fate in mice. Regulatory T cells are specialized immune cells that suppress the immune response and prevent the body from attacking its own cells. Understanding how these cells work is key to determining how they might be manipulated to encourage the destruction of cancer cells or prevent autoimmunity. Cell behavior is influenced by chromatin architecture (the 3D shape of…

A new mathematical model predicts that mammalian sperm cells have two distinct swimming modes. This prediction opens new questions about potential connections between sperm cells’ motor activity and their transitions to hyperactivation phases that may play an important role in fertilization. The finding is part of a larger effort to use math and fluid dynamics to describe how mammalian sperm move. The research is led by a team of engineers at the University of California San Diego. The new work…

… may be underestimated. The fight against dengue fever has a new weapon: a mosquito infected with the bacteria Wolbachia, which prevents the spread of the virus. These mosquitoes have now been deployed in several trials demonstrating their potential in preventing disease transmission. Now, researchers at the University of Notre Dame have conducted an analysis of the World Mosquito Program’s randomized control trial of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in Indonesia, looking at how excluding transmission dynamics impacted the original interpretation of the…

Chemists develop new sensor for microvolume pH detection. Researchers develop new environmentally friendly, durable pH sensor that is sensitive enough to accurately measure pH variation in just a few microliters of samples. Measuring the pH of substances gives us vital clues about the world around us, such as identifying contaminated water or checking the toxicity of medical or cosmetic products. Often, only small amounts of samples are available, but monitoring the variation in pH in these miniscule volumes matters. For…

… during the immune response with promising implications for vaccine design. The finding has major implications for the generation of a strong CD8 T lymphocyte response, a crucial factor in the effectiveness of vaccines against infection. A team of scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) and Hospital de la Princesa-UAM in Madrid have discovered that dendritic cells, an important cell type in the immune response to viral and bacterial infections, are profoundly changed by their involvement in…

Cancer is caused by mutations, but not all mutations have the same effects. While some mutations are barely noticeable, others are quite crucial for the growth of cancer cells. One example is BAP1. BAP1 is an important tumor suppressor that is frequently mutated in very aggressive cancers such as uveal melanoma, kidney cancer, bile duct cancer, and malignant mesothelium. To date, there are no treatments specifically targeting these BAP1-mutated cancers. In a joint project with colleagues from the German Cancer…

Textbook knowledge turned on its head… Study on environmentally relevant microorganisms shows greater diversity than previously assumed. A team of researchers from the Leibniz Institute DSMZ- German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH and Technische Universität Braunschweig, in collaboration with the University of Vienna and the University of Wisconsin, USA, has now been able to show that there is an incredibly high biodiversity of environmentally relevant microorganisms in nature. This diversity is at least 4.5 times greater than previously…

When carrying out root canal treatment procedures, dentists need to insert a file deep into the root canal to remove the inflamed tissue. The rotating file often gets jammed and must be cleaned regularly. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS have developed a piezoceramic stack actuator that overlays the rotating motion with a vibrating motion. The file does not get jammed as often, meaning that procedures on patients can be completed faster. This technology is…

A team of scientists led by Dr. Ulrich Kleinekathöfer, professor of Theoretical Physics at Constructor University in Bremen, has now discovered how B12 is absorbed by certain intestinal bacteria. Published in the journal “Nature Communications” at the beginning of August, the findings will serve as a basis for research on how to better fight diseases and develop better antibiotics. Kleinekathöfer and his team’s breakthrough finding, what they call “pedal-bin mechanisms”, offers critical understanding for how bacteria in the intestine known…

… for the production and processing of hydrogen for the energy trans. Hydrogen technology plays a crucial role in the energy transition and offers climate-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels. For the successful ramp-up of the hydrogen economy, highly productive technologies are needed for the cost-effective production of the required assemblies for generation and use. The in-line vacuum coating plant for sheets and metal strips for plasma-activated electron beam evaporation was qualified at Fraunhofer FEP for the highly productive and efficient…

A surprising mechanism that makes some cancers treatment-resistant has been discovered by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.  The mechanism, which involves the shuttling of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, ultimately facilitates DNA repair in cancer cells. These cancer cells can thereby thwart treatments aimed at damaging their DNA. In a project encompassing both fundamental research and clinical studies they demonstrated that a combination of approved chemotherapies, one of which targets the DNA repair-facilitating mechanism, could…

Mount Sinai researchers have shed valuable light on the mechanism of a key protein that regulates the plasticity and function of the hippocampus, a key brain region involved in memory and learning, and that decreases with age in mice. The team’s findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, could pave the way for a better understanding of how the protein, known as tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2), could potentially be targeted in age-related disorders like Alzheimer’s disease to help restore affected…

Scientists shoot first true-to-life 3D image of the thick filament of mammalian heart muscle. The human heart, often described as the body’s engine, is a remarkable organ that tirelessly beats to keep us alive. At the core of this vital organ, intricate processes occur when it contracts, where thick and thin protein-filaments interact within the sarcomere, the fundamental building block of both skeletal and heart muscle cells. Any alterations in thick filament proteins can have severe consequences for our health,…

Fraunhofer at MEDICA and COMPAMED 2023… With long waiting lists, significant journey times, an ever-shrinking number of doctor’s practices, medical care services in sparsely populated regions are under mounting pressure. As part of its Neighborhood Diagnostics project, the Fraunhofer ZDD® is working to develop a digital ecosystem for delivering patient treatment close to where they live in order to ensure that people in rural areas can access high-quality medical care despite the shortage of doctors. One of the digital ecosystem’s…