Feature Channels: Cell Biology

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The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) once again have teamed up to produce the largest gathering of cell scientists in the world. The 2019 ASCB|EMBO Meeting takes place Dec. 7-11, in Washington, DC, and is expected to attract more than 6,000 cell scientists. Those interested in attending can visit the meeting website for a complete program, a full listing of abstracts, and registration. https://www.ascb.org/2019ascbembo/

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Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found that a protein involved in immune response to microbes, TBK1, also can fuel cancer development and suppress immune response to the disease.

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New work from the lab of La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) investigator Anjana Rao, Ph.D., reveals a previously unrecognized activity for a highly conserved DNA repair factor. The study reports that mouse lymphocytes engineered to lack that protein (known as HMCES and pronounced Hem'-sez) cannot recombine their DNA in a manner necessary to make new classes of antibodies, called Immunoglobulins G or A (IgG or IgA).

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An additively manufactured polymer layer applied to specialized plastic proved effective to protect aircraft from lightning strikes in lab test; injecting shattered argon pellets into a super-hot plasma, when needed, could protect a fusion reactor’s interior wall from runaway electrons; ORNL will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Liane Russell on December 20.

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UCLA scientists have discovered a link between a protein and the ability of human blood stem cells to self-renew. In a study published today in the journal Nature, the team reports that activating the protein causes blood stem cells to self-renew at least twelvefold in laboratory conditions

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Neurobiologists solve long-standing question over how brains orchestrate complex behaviours. The scientists from the lab of Manuel Zimmer showed that such behaviours are controlled by hierarchical neural activity, as they now reported in the journal Neuron.

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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is among a group of leading hospitals, universities, large pharmaceutical companies, small biotech firms and industry partners working together to create a new center for advanced biological innovation and manufacturing.

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Each year millions of Americans become sick with the flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and tens of thousands die. Getting the flu shot can reduce the chances of infection. But, at best, the vaccine is only effective 40% to 60% of the time, according to the CDC. Now Michigan State University researchers have data that show how cellular RNA levels change following infection or vaccination.

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The health of cells is maintained, in part, by two types of movement of their nucleoli. This dual motion within surrounding fluid, it reports, adds to our understanding of what contributes to healthy cellular function and points to how its disruption could affect human health.

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Researchers from the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore have shown that cells can attach to the fibrous protein meshwork that surrounds them only if the fibres are spaced close enough. The team’s findings can explain the abnormal motility patterns displayed by cancer cells.

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This research marks the first time scientists have been able to model very specific chemical changes to the protein GFAP that occur inside the Alexander disease brain using an in vitro system derived from patient cells. This is allowing researchers to probe the details of how GFAP misfolding and accumulation alters cellular mechanics to lead to disease progression and death.

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Fifty-two faculty members and researchers at the University of California San Diego are among the world’s most influential in their fields, according to Web of Science Group's 2019 listing.

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By the second trimester, long before a baby's eyes can see images, they can detect light.

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Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified that a gene critical to clearing up unnecessary proteins plays a role in brain development and contributes to the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia.

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A process called sporulation that helps the dangerous bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) to survive inhospitable conditions and spread is regulated by epigenetics, factors that affect gene expression beyond the DNA genetic code.

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Weekend binge drinking and chronic alcoholism have long been known to contribute to alcoholic liver diseases (ALD). A new study reveals how alcohol affects the liver's circadian rhythm, uncovering a potential new target for ALD treatments.

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New insights into the process of DNA-looping change our view of how the genome is organised within cells. The discoveries by IMP-researchers elucidate a fundamental mechanism of life and settle a decade long scientific dispute.

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According to a new Cell study, extra DNA scooped up and copied alongside cancer-causing genes helps keep tumors going — elements that could represent new drug targets for brain tumors and other cancers notoriously difficult to treat.

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Earlier this year, the call went out to the worldwide scientific community to submit their most beautiful and intriguing images and videos created using green fluorescent protein (GFP), the glowing molecule that revolutionized cell imaging 25 years ago. Now the votes are in, and the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), its Public Information Committee, and the public have determined the winners in each category.

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After heart attack, ALX/FPR2 is activated by resolvin D1 in immune cells in the spleen and at the heart attack site. This speeds resolution of the heart injury. Research with mice that completely lack ALX/FPR2 reveals more about the pathways this resolution sensor uses to target inflammation.