Feature Channels: Cell Biology

• share
• favorite_border

A team involving Kobe University researchers has succeeded in developing Target-AID, a genome editing technique that does not cleave the DNA. The technique offers, through high-level editing operation, a method to address the existing issues of genome editing. It is expected that the technique will be applied to gene therapy in the future in addition to providing a powerful tool for breeding useful organisms and conducting disease and drug-discovery research. The findings were published online in Science on August 5 (Japan Standard Time).

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the Stowers Institute have established a definitive link between the makeup of the microbiome, the host immune response, and an organism’s ability to heal itself.

• share
• favorite_border

The researchers discovered that cells derived from autistic donors grew faster than those from control subjects and activated their genes in distinct patterns.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified RNA-based biomarkers that distinguish between normal, aging hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia stem cells associated with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML), a particularly problematic disease that typically afflicts older patients who have often already experienced a bout with cancer.

• share
• favorite_border

A new biomaterial can be used to study how and when stem cells sense the mechanics of their surrounding environment. With further development, this biomaterial could be used to control when immature stem cells differentiate into more specialized cells for regenerative and tissue-engineering-based therapies.

• share
• favorite_border

SCIENTISTS have demonstrated for the first time the 'perfect storm' of conditions that cells need to start forming cancer, helping to explain why some organs are more susceptible to developing the disease, according to a new study published in Cell today (Thursday).

• share
• favorite_border

Okazaki, Japan - Microglia are cells that combat various brain diseases and injuries by swallowing foreign or disruptive objects and releasing molecules that activate repair mechanisms. Recent findings have suggested these brain cells are also active under normal conditions, where they can contribute to maturation and sculpting of neuronal circuits. Researchers centered at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) have now revealed new mechanisms by which microglia sculpt neural circuits. They show that microglia directly contact neurons to induce the formation of new neuron projections that eventually will connect with other neurons and thereby increase and/or strengthen brain connectivity. These new findings could deepen understanding of how developmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia may occur.

• share
• favorite_border

Lobsters eat jellyfish without harm from the venomous stingers due to a series of physical adaptations. Researchers from Hiroshima University examined lobster feces to discover that lobsters surround their servings of jellyfish in protective membranes that prevent the stingers from injecting their venom. The results are vial for aquaculture efforts to sustainably farm lobsters for diners around the world.

• share
• favorite_border

A University of Texas at Dallas physicist has developed a novel technology that not only sheds light on basic cell biology, but also could aid in the development of more effective cancer treatments or early diagnosis of disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Using a new, lightning-fast camera paired with an electron microscope, Columbia University Medical Center scientists have captured images of one of the smallest proteins in our cells to be “seen” with a microscope.

• share
• favorite_border

In a new study, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute offer new insights how calcium in mitochondria—the powerhouse of all cells—can impact the development of the brain and adult cognition.

• share
• favorite_border

Preventing cells of beige fat — a calorie-burning tissue that can help to ward off obesity and diabetes — from digesting their own mitochondria traps them in a beneficial, energy-burning state. In mice, this successfully protected against obesity and pre-diabetic symptoms, raising hopes for future applications in human patients.

• share
• favorite_border

A group of proteins best known for helping to activate all mammalian genes has been found to play a particularly commanding role in the natural development of specialized stem cells into healthy blood cells, a process known as hematopoiesis.

• share
• favorite_border

Experiments reveal the crucial contribution of stem cells to the origins of cancer in different organs.

• share
• favorite_border

New research has shown how a cell surface molecule, Lymphotoxin β receptor, controls entry of T-cells into the thymus; and as such presents an opportunity to understanding why cancer patients who undergo bone-marrow transplant are slow to recover their immune system.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have created a nanovaccine that could make a current approach to cancer immunotherapy more effective while also reducing side effects.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists from Harvard Medical School have identified a key instigator of nerve cell damage in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorder.  Researchers say the findings of their study, published Aug. 5 in the journal Science, may lead to new therapies to halt the progression of the uniformly fatal disease that affects more than 30,000 Americans.

• share
• favorite_border

Biomedical investigators at Cedars-Sinai have identified an enzyme found in all human cells that alerts the body to invading bacteria and jump-starts the immune system. In their study, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Cell, the investigators provide clues to unraveling some of the mysteries surrounding the human immune system, which defends the body against harmful microbes such as bacteria.

• share
• favorite_border

In a very severe, genetic form of microcephaly, stem cells in the brain fail to divide, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center study that may provide important clues to understanding how the Zika virus affects the developing brain.

• share
• favorite_border

A new paper co-authored by a UC Santa Barbara researcher reveals that Latinos age at a slower rate than other ethnic groups. The findings, published in the current issue of Genome Biology, may one day help scientists understand how to slow the aging process for everyone.