Curated News: Cell (journal)

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Conditions encountered in the womb - when the embryo consists of only about 100 cells - can have life-long impact on health. Scientists previously assumed that this is because embryos respond to adverse conditions by programming their gene expression. Now an international team of researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center, Wageningen University and Research, Lund University, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York propose a radically different alternative. Rather than being programmed by the environment, random differences in gene expression may provide some embryos with a survival advantage, in particular when conditions are harsh. By studying DNA methylation, an important mechanism to control gene activity, the researchers found that a specific part of the DNA methylation pattern was missing among famine-exposed individuals. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.

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Research shows an immune response to parasitic intestinal worms provides new insights into possible treatments for the deadly disease

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Borrowing methods from another field, researchers can now study the ever changing nature if Influenza A.

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Why do humans have hair on our arms and legs but not on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet? It’s a fundamental question in human evolution that researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania say they’ve found clues to in a new study.

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UT Southwestern researchers have found that an enzyme on the surface of some lung cancer cells helps feed the cancer, making it a tempting treatment target.

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New research has identified rogue cells – namely brain and muscle cells – lurking within kidney organoids. The presence of such cells indicates that the “recipes” used to coax stem cells into becoming kidney cells inadvertently are churning out other cell types.

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In a world where Big Data reigns, fast, open, and free analysis is key

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In a study published today in the journal Cell, University of California, Irvine researchers reported that they have accelerated and simplified directed evolution by having live cells do most of the heavy lifting. By inserting a specially engineered DNA replication system into yeast, the scientists were able to coax selected genes to rapidly and stably mutate and evolve as the host yeast cells reproduced.

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The first high-quality ancient DNA data from Central and South America reveals two previously unknown genetic exchanges between North and South America, one representing a continent-wide population turnover Findings link the oldestCentral and South American samples with the Clovis culture, the first widespread archaeological culture of North America; however, this lineage disappeared within the last 9,000 years Analyses show shared ancestry between ancient Californians from the Channel Islands and groups that became widespread in the southern Peruvian Andes by at least 4,200 years ago

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Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis more than double the risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study shows that immune cells that arise during autoimmune disease can cause cholesterol to become trapped inside blood vessels.

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An unprecedented comparison of hundreds of species of yeasts has helped geneticists brew up an expansive picture of their evolution over the last hundreds of millions of years, including an analysis of the way they evolved individual appetites for particular food sources that may be a boon to biofuels research.

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A new study by scientists from the University of Chicago shows how cyanobacteria, or bacteria that produce energy through photosynthesis like plants, change the way they grow and divide in response to different levels of light.

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Researchers led by Tufts University biologists and engineers have found that delivering progesterone to an amputation injury site can induce the regeneration of limbs in otherwise non-regenerative adult frogs—a discovery that furthers understanding of regeneration and could help advance treatment of amputation injuries. The researchers created a wearable bioreactor attached to the wound site to deliver the progesterone locally for a 24-hour period and observed that it had a lasting beneficial effect on tissue regrowth, allowing the frogs to partially regenerate their hind-limbs. A mere 24 hour of exposure led to 9 months of changes in gene expression, innervation, and patterned growth. The finding, published today in Cell Reports, suggests the drug-device combination could be a new model for systematically testing and deploying therapeutic cocktails that could induce regeneration in non-regenerative species.

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New research shows how metastatic melanoma becomes resistant to a common class of targeted therapy.

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Researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Somali, Latino, and Hmong Partnership for Health and Wellness have new evidence that the gut microbiota of immigrants and refugees rapidly Westernize after a person’s arrival in the United States. The study could provide insight into fighting obesity and diabetes.

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A paper published today (Nov. 1, 2018) in the journal Cell Stem Cell describes the global scope and economic impact of stem cell science, including the clinical, industrial and research use of the cells.

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A single protein regulates a battery of key genes inside developing sperm, according to a new study out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Scientists discovered the protein—called Dazl—controls a network of genes essential for developing sperm to replicate and survive. The findings, published in Cell Reports, could lay the groundwork for future research into therapies for infertile men.

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By studying barn owls, scientists believe they’ve taken an important step toward solving the longstanding mystery of how the brain chooses what most deserves attention.

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Université de Montréal researchers are able to see how frontline diabetes drug metformin alters cell glucose uptake using new technology that probes how drugs act on all cellular functions.

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Navitoclax plus A-1210477 not only killed melanoma cells, but also killed the melanoma initiating cells (aka cancer stem cells) that often resist therapy.

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Comparing two strains of Salmonella – one that causes disease in humans and the other in reptiles – researchers discovered a covert way that the human-affecting bacteria essentially tricks the immune system into not attacking.

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A pioneer in the study of neural cells revealed today (Oct. 23, 2018) how a single mutation affecting the most common protein in a supporting brain cell produces devastating, fibrous globs. These, in turn, disturb the location of cellular processing units, harm the flow of energy and signals through the brain, and reduce the formation of myelin, an essential insulator for neurons.

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Novel gene editing technique reveals cancer weakness in the immune system and opens possibilities to identify disease-causing genes and new drug targets

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A special issue of the journal Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering will recognize assistant professors Emily Day and Jason Gleghorn as Young Innovators, while featuring their latest research.

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BOSTON (October 15, 2018) – Harnessing the power of digital health technology --- smart phone apps, telemedicine and mobile health (m-health) --- can provide powerful tools to help people with diabetes self-management, ultimately improving A1c levels, reducing complications and lowering healthcare costs, suggests a recent systematic review of studies first published online September 27 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

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Predictors of future diabetes and cardiovascular disease for a person with obesity can be found among their body's metabolites.

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With the development of an adaptive, multi-view light sheet microscope and a suite of computational tools, researchers have captured the first view of early organ development inside the mouse embryo.

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In a UCI-led study, researchers found evidence that mast cells, an important group of immune cells typically associated with allergies, actually enable the body to survive fasting or intense exercise. The study was published today in Cell Metabolism.

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Some people suffer unpredictable bouts of abdominal pain and constipation. A new study in mice, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, shows that viruses that target the nervous system can kill neurons in the gut that coordinate the process of moving waste along. Such viruses may be involved in causing people's digestive woes.

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The relationship between the gut microbiome and human health is widely accepted in the medical community. Now, new research shows that the breast gland also has a microbiome, and like the gut microbiome, it too can be affected by diet, according to scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine.

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In the quest to develop a vaccine that triggers the immune system to prevent HIV infection, researchers have focused on identifying and eliciting a particular type of antibody that is capable of neutralizing the virus.

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Rutgers researchers discover possible cause for Alzheimer’s and Traumatic Brain Injury. The new mechanism may have also led to the discovery of an effective treatment.

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A compound secreted in the bloodstream could be the key factor that causes wounds in older people to heal with less scarring than in younger people.

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Using a bioinformatics approach, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers found that CD4+ T cell’s binding partner, a molecule called MHC-II, may have even more influence on emerging tumors than MHC-I, the better known partner of CD8+ T cells. The finding, published September 20 in Cell, may help researchers improve cancer immunotherapies and predict which patients will respond best.

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Mount Sinai study identifies novel pathway that could help inform new vagal stimulation approaches to affective disorders

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Scientists working to bioengineer the entire human gastrointestinal system in a laboratory now report using pluripotent stem cells to grow human esophageal organoids. The newly published research in the journal Cell Stem Cell is the first time scientists have been able to grow human esophageal tissue entirely from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which can form any tissue type in the body.

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Researchers have identified an independent prognostic factor, cancer/testis antigen 45, that is associated with extended disease-free survival for women with advanced ovarian cancer. Patients with high levels of CT45 in their tumors lived more than seven times as long as patients who lacked sufficient CT45.

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UNC Scientists discovered the anti-inflammatory protein NLRP12 helps protect mice against obesity and insulin resistance when fed a high-fat diet. The researchers also reported the NLRP12 gene is underactive in people who are obese, making it a therapeutic target for treating obesity and diabetes.

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Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have unraveled new insights into the way cells leverage G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their cellular waste disposal systems to control inflammation. The findings, published September 18 in Cell Reports, suggest some existing cancer drugs that inhibit these cellular activities might be repurposed to treat vascular inflammation, which occurs when artery-blocking plaques form in atherosclerosis.

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UCLA researchers have discovered genetic similarities between the adult stem cells responsible for maintaining and repairing epithelial tissues — which line all of the organs and cavities inside the body — and the cells that drive aggressive epithelial cancers. Their findings could bring about a better understanding of how aggressive, treatment-resistant cancers develop and progress, and could eventually lead to new drugs for a range of advanced epithelial cancers such as lung, prostate and bladder cancers.

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Separated entry and exit doors for calcium keep energy production smooth in the powerhouses of heart cells.

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Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered using mice and human clinical specimens, that caspase-2, a protein-cleaving enzyme, is a critical driver of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a chronic and aggressive liver condition. By identifying caspase-2’s critical role, they believe an inhibitor of this enzyme could provide an effective way to stop the pathogenic progression that leads to NASH — and possibly even reverse early symptoms.

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Differences in the DNA within the mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells, can determine the severity and progression of heart disease caused by a nuclear DNA mutation. When combined with a nuclear DNA mutation in mice, one mitochondrial variant made heart disease worse, while another variant conferred protection.

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UCLA researchers have found that an often overlooked component of a cell, the extracellular matrix, can influence how much sugar the cell consumes and its migratory behavior.

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Two Weizmann Institute scientists, Profs. Eran Elinav and Eran Segal, have revealed that our gut microbes' relationship with probiotics may not be as healthy as we think

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Ovarian cancer cells that interact with cancer-associated fibroblasts can mobilize glycogen as an energy source, leading to proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Blocking glycogen mobilization in cancer cells might reduce tumor spread.

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Mayo Clinic的研究人员确认了HER2阳性乳腺癌生长所需的一个重要新途径，并发现一种名为环肌酸 (cyclocreatine) 的膳食补充剂可能阻止HER2阳性乳腺癌 (HER2 positive breast cancer) 的生长。 他们的研究结果发表在《细胞代谢杂志》(Cell Metabolism) 上。

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Los investigadores de Mayo Clinic identificaron una nueva vía importante mediante la cual prolifera el cáncer de mama HER2 positivo y descubrieron que un suplemento alimentario llamado ciclocreatina podría obstruir esa proliferación del cáncer de mama HER2 positivo. Los resultados se publicaron hoy en Cell Metabolism (Metabolismo Celular).

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Pesquisadores da Mayo Clinic identificaram uma nova via importante pela qual os cânceres de mama HER2 positivo se desenvolvem e descobriram que um suplemento alimentar chamado ciclocreatina pode bloquear o crescimento do câncer de mama HER2 positivo. As descobertas foram publicadas na Cell Metabolism.