Curated News: Cell (journal)

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One often thinks that the early embryo is fragile and needs support. However, at the earliest stages of development, it has the power to feed the future placenta and instructs the uterus so that it can nest. Using ‘blastoids’, in vitro embryo models formed with stem cells, the Lab of Nicolas Rivron at IMBA showed that the earliest molecular signals that induce placental development and prepare the uterus come from the embryo itself. The findings, now published in Cell Stem Cell, could contribute to a better understanding of human fertility.

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UC San Diego researchers say they may have found the reason why multiple human clinical trials of staphylococcus vaccines have failed: the bacteria knows us too well.

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The eye’s light-sensing retina taps different circuits depending on whether it is generating image-forming vision or carrying out a non-vision function such as regulating pupil size or sleep/wake cycles, according to a new mouse study from the National Eye Institute (NEI) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

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Researchers have solved a medical mystery in a poorly understood disease by uncovering which cells cause tumours in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

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UC San Diego researchers found that in mice how much they ate and when altered the nature of their gut microbiome: too much food too frequently resulted in poorer microbial and metabolic health.

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Could the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine reawaken previous antibody responses and point the way to a universal coronavirus vaccine? A new analysis of the antibody response to a COVID-19 vaccine suggests the immune system’s history with other coronaviruses, including those behind the common cold, shapes the patient’s response, according to a recently published study published in Cell Reports.

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Even before carbohydrates reach the bloodstream, the very sight and smell of a meal trigger the release of insulin.

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Researchers identify new mechanism that teaches immune cells-in-training to spare the body’s own tissues while attacking pathogens.

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A new study in mice describes how different cell types in the brain work together to suppress nausea

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Researchers have uncovered a new function for alpha-synuclein, a well-known protein marker of Parkinson’s, with relevance toward treatment for the disease

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A robotic finger with living skin tissue points to future manufacturing methods.

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A new tool can quickly and reliably identify the presence of Ebola virus in blood samples, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues at other institutions.

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The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a region of the brain that has been almost exclusively studied in the context of fear and emotion.

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UC San Diego researchers report that the causes and death rates of liver cancer are changing around the world.

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Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have applied a novel stem cell model to map disease risk variants in human neurons, which could help provide insights into the biological mechanisms that underlie neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.

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"Just understanding the immune responses to these vaccines will help us integrate what is successful into vaccine designs going forward.”

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According to a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine study, asymptomatic COVID-19 infection during pregnancy could still have potential long-term consequences for a developing baby. The study led by Ilhem Messoudi, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, was published in Cell Reports May 25. The research shows that COVID-19 infection in pregnant mothers who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms still triggered immune responses causing inflammation in the placenta.

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Processes in the human body could turn groups of harmless immune cells into ruthless killers, capable of attacking other cells infected with viruses or parasites, and potentially tumour cells, a new study reveals.

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New research from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and collaborators from other institutions provides insights into some of the genetic characteristics resulting in the development of relapse in patients with Wilms tumor (nephroblastoma), the most common type of pediatric cancer of the kidney.

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The cornea - the transparent protective outer layer of the eye critical to helping us see – produces a delicate and limited immune response to fight infections without damaging our vision, according to a ground-breaking new study from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute).

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The surface of a coral is rugged. Its hard skeleton is populated by polyps that stretch their tentacles into the surrounding water to filter out food.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a previously unknown function for the fragile X protein, the loss of which is the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability. The researchers showed that the protein modulates how neurons in the brain’s memory center process information, a central part of learning and memory.

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New research describes a “chaperone” protein that delivers zinc, a trace element essential for survival in all living things, to where it’s needed. The chaperone could be especially important when access to zinc is limited—for example in nutrient deficient diets and for growing crops on depleted soils.

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New research from scientists at UC Davis Health provides clues for how friendly bacteria in the gut — probiotics — may help eradicate bacterial pathogens like Salmonella by being able to compete with them for needed resources.

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A study led by UC Davis Cancer Center identified a binding protein in cancer cell’s nucleus, known as CHD4, as a critical agent keeping Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) dormant and undetected by the body’s immune system. CHD4 is linked to cancer cell growth in many types of cancers.

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In a new study published in the journal Cell Reports, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers show that cancer cells in an acidic environment undergo lipid synthesis and accumulation. The team identified the key signaling molecules responsible for these changes and discovered that these alterations are associated with poor outcomes and disease progression among breast cancer patients.

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Using second-long electrical shocks, UC San Diego scientists discovered they could control the types of cells in a community of bacteria. Being able to direct the ratio of cells holds implications for settings spanning agriculture to health care, where antibiotic resistance is a significant threat.

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A planetary scientist worked with engineers to measure the physical limits of a liquid for salty water under high pressure. Results suggest where robotic missions should look for life on the ice-covered oceans of Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Titan.

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Elevated levels of an enzyme called PHGDH in the blood of older adults could be an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Research led by UC San Diego has consistently found high levels of PHGDH expression in brain tissue and blood samples of older adults with different stages of the disease.

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In a new brain-wide circuit tracing study, scientists at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory focused selective attention on a circuit that governs, fittingly enough, selective attention.