Cell & Microbiology news

Pathogen protection and virulence: Dark side of fungal membrane protein revealed

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 06, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and Montana State University have discovered a fungal protein that plays a key role in causing disease in plants and animals and which also shields ...

Genomes of biofuel yeasts reveal clues that could boost fuel ethanol production

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 05, 2009 | 1 / 5 (3) | 1

As global temperatures and energy costs continue to soar, renewable sources of energy will be key to a sustainable future. An attractive replacement for gasoline is biofuel, and in two studies published online in Genome Re ...

Study reveals how plants and bacteria 'talk' to thwart disease

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 05, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1

When it comes to plants' innate immunity, like many of the dances of life, it takes two to tango. A receptor molecule in the plant pairs up with a specific molecule on the invading bacteria and, presto, the immune system ...

Scientists obtain clearer view of how eye lens proteins are sorted

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 03, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

New research reveals how proteins that are critical for the transparency of the eye lens are properly sorted and localized in membrane bilayers. The study, published by Cell Press in the November 3rd issue of Biophysical Jo ...

Unraveling the mechanisms behind organ regeneration in zebrafish

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 02, 2009 | 5 / 5 (4) | 1

The search for the holy grail of regenerative medicine -- the ability to "grow back" a perfect body part when one is lost to injury or disease -- has been under way for years, yet the steps involved in this ...

Bacteria 'invest' wisely to survive uncertain times, scientists report

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 02, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Like savvy Wall Street money managers, bacteria hedge their bets to increase their chances of survival in uncertain times, strategically investing their biological resources to weather unpredictable environments.

The entwined destinies of mankind and leprosy bacteria

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 02, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Leprosy still affects hundreds of thousands of people today throughout the entire world. An international team headed by EPFL professor Stewart Cole has traced the history of the disease from ancient Egypt to today and in ...

Bacteria 'launch a shield' to resist attack

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Nov 02, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Bacteria that cause chronic lung infections can communicate with each other to form a deadly shield against the body's natural defenses. Studying these interactions could lead to new ways of treating bacteria that are resistant ...

Breakthrough in fight against Hendra virus

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 30, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- There has been a breakthrough in the fight against the deadly Hendra virus following the development of a treatment which shows great potential to save the lives of people who become infected ...

Scientists discover influenza's Achilles heel: Antioxidants

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 29, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (7) | 1

As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama researchers have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the flu—antioxidants. In an article appearing in ...

Researchers Create First Synthetic Cellulosome in Yeast

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 29, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers led by University of California, Riverside (UCR) Professor of Chemical Engineering Wilfred Chen has constructed for the first time a synthetic cellulosome in yeast, which is much more ...

Two-pronged protein attack could be source of SARS virulence

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 29, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

Ever since the previously unknown SARS virus emerged from southern China in 2003, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston virologists have focused on finding the source of the pathogen's virulence — its ability to ...

Placental precursor stem cells require testosterone-free environment to survive

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 29, 2009 | 3 / 5 (1) | 0

Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), cells found in the layer of peripheral embryonic stem cells from which the placenta is formed, are thought to exhibit "immune privilege" that aids cell survivability and is potentially beneficial ...

Scientists turn stem cells into precursors for sperm, eggs

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 28, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

Human embryonic stem cells derived from excess IVF embryos may help scientists unlock the mysteries of infertility for other couples struggling to conceive, according to new research from the Stanford University School of ...

Biologists reveal structure of cell nucleus 'gatekeeper'

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 27, 2009 | 4 / 5 (5) | 6

(PhysOrg.com) -- Biologists led by associate professor Thomas Schwartz (MIT) have worked out a rudimentary architectural plan for the nuclear pore complex (NPC), the gatekeeper of the cell's nucleus.

Research May Help Plants, Humans Survive Stress, Disease

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 27, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- New technology to analyze gene expression at the level of different cell types offers new insights in the ways that plants and animals react to the environment and how they change when they ...

Protein critical for insulin secretion may be contributor to diabetes

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 26, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

A cellular protein from a family involved in several human diseases is crucial for the proper production and release of insulin, new research has found, suggesting that the protein might play a role in diabetes.

Scientists first to see RNA network in live bacterial cells

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Oct 22, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Scientists who study RNA have faced a formidable roadblock: trying to examine RNA's movements in a living cell when they can't see the RNA. Now, a new technology has given scientists the first look ever at RNA in a live ...