Feature Channels: Cell Biology

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22-Apr-2015 1:00 PM EDT
Toxic Mushroom-Based Drug May Help Battle Colorectal Cancer
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

For some time, cancer scientists have considered the toxin, alpha-amanatin derived from “death cap” mushrooms, as a possible cancer treatment. However, due to its penchant for causing liver toxicity, its potential as an effective therapy has been limited.

Released: 21-Apr-2015 2:05 PM EDT
Major Pathway Identified in Nerve Cell Death Offers Hope for Therapies
Washington University in St. Louis

New research highlights how nerves – whether harmed by disease or traumatic injury – start to die, a discovery that unveils novel targets for developing drugs to slow or halt peripheral neuropathies and devastating neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

20-Apr-2015 1:05 PM EDT
Breathless: How Blood-Oxygen Levels Regulate Air Intake
University of Chicago Medical Center

Researchers have unraveled the precise mechanism that cells in the carotid bodies use to detect oxygen levels in the blood and send signals through the carotid sinus nerve to stimulate or relax breathing rates.

Released: 21-Apr-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Messenger RNA-Associated Protein Drives Multiple Paths in T-Cell Development
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The lab of Kristen Lynch, PhD studies how this splicing occurs in T cells and how it is regulated by multiple proteins. A new study describes a cascade of events that may explain changes in gene expression that occur during the development of the human immune system.

Released: 20-Apr-2015 12:05 PM EDT
Breast Tumor Stiffness and Metastasis Risk Linked by Molecule’s Movement
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have discovered a molecular mechanism that connects breast tissue stiffness to tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. The study may inspire new approaches to predicting patient outcomes and halting tumor metastasis.

16-Apr-2015 12:00 PM EDT
Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough: Scientists Turn Cancer Cells into Normal Cells
Sanford Burnham Prebys

Scientists find a novel avenue for therapeutic intervention of the “silent cancer.”

17-Apr-2015 3:05 PM EDT
New Model to Predict Pharmacodynamic Activity May Improve Drug Discovery
Stony Brook University

A new mathematical model that uses drug-target kinetics to predict how drugs work in vivo may provide a foundation to improve drug discovery, which is frequently hampered by the inability to predict effective doses of drugs. The discovery by Peter Tonge, a Professor of Chemistry and Radiology, and Director of Infectious Disease Research at the Institute for Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (ICB & DD) at Stony Brook University, along with collaborators at Stony Brook University and AstraZeneca, will be published advanced online on April 20 in Nature Chemical Biology.

Released: 16-Apr-2015 12:05 PM EDT
Trending Stories Report for 16 April 2015
Newswise Trends

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include:sustainability, COPD, neurology, cancer, sleep, food, and genetics.

       
Released: 16-Apr-2015 12:05 PM EDT
First Steps in Basic Process Could Be Harnessed to Make Therapeutic Cells
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Understanding the molecular signals that guide early cells in the embryo to develop into different types of organs provides insight into how tissues regenerate and repair themselves. By knowing the principles that underlie the intricate steps in this transformation, researchers will be able to make new cells at will for transplantation and tissue repair in such situations as liver or heart disease.

14-Apr-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Molecular Spies Sabotage a Protein's Activities in Specific Cellular Compartments
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Cell biologists at Johns Hopkins designed several molecular tools that allowed them to watch, measure and manipulate the activity of the enzyme AMPK in individual compartments within the cell. The new tools have confirmed that at least some of AMPK’s ability to multitask comes from variations in its activity level in each cellular compartment.

Released: 15-Apr-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Weizmann Institute Scientists Reveal How Bacteria Cells Recognize Their Own DNA
Weizmann Institute of Science

Bacteria, which we so often fight, have an immune system, too – in their case, to fight off invasive viruses called phages. Like any immune system, its first challenge is to distinguish between “foreign” and “self.” A Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University team has now revealed exactly how bacteria are able to do this.

Released: 15-Apr-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Weizmann Institute Scientists Regenerate Heart Cells in Mice
Weizmann Institute of Science

Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of death worldwide, in part because heart cells don’t renew – except during a very small window early in life. In a breakthrough, a team of researchers that included the Weizmann Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, and the University of South Wales gets mouse heart cells to take a step backwards… and be renewed.

Released: 15-Apr-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Trending Stories Report for 15 April 2015
Newswise Trends

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: robotics, nicotine and alcohol, stem cells, vision, cancer, pregnancy, racial disparities in smoking risk, and herbal therapy for cardiac hypertrophy

       
Released: 14-Apr-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Trending Stories Report for 14 April 2015
Newswise Trends

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: organic chemistry, cybercrime, pancreatic cancer research from Mayo Clinic, diabetes, pediatrics, new cancer treatment in development at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, pain medicine research from the Ohio State University, marijuana in the workplace, and stem cells

       
Released: 14-Apr-2015 8:05 AM EDT
High Fidelity: SLU Researcher Finds Keys to Genome
Saint Louis University Medical Center

Lesions in DNA can occur as often as 100,000 times per cell per day. They can be the result of normal metabolic activities, like free radicals, as well as exposure to environmental factors such as UV radiation, X-rays and chemical compounds. Saint Louis University researchers share a discovery that explains how cells use a process called replication fork reversal in order to deal with these roadblocks and transmit accurate genetic data.

7-Apr-2015 11:30 AM EDT
U-M Researchers Find New Gene Involved in Blood-Forming Stem Cells
University of Michigan

Research led by the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute has identified a gene critical to controlling the body's ability to create blood cells and immune cells from blood-forming stem cells—known as hematopoietic stem cells.

Released: 13-Apr-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Limber Lungs: One Type of Airway Cell Can Regenerate Another Lung Cell Type
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

A new collaborative study describes a way that lung tissue can regenerate after injury. The team found that lung tissue has more dexterity in repairing tissue than once thought.

2-Apr-2015 1:05 PM EDT
Researchers Define Role of Tmem231 in Maintaining Ciliary Function
The Rockefeller University Press

Researchers reveal how a protein linked to Meckel syndrome and other human diseases regulates the membrane composition of cilia, finger-like projections on the surface of cells that communicate signals.

Released: 9-Apr-2015 2:05 PM EDT
Golgi Trafficking Controlled by G-Proteins
UC San Diego Health

A family of proteins called G proteins are a recognized component of the communication system the human body uses to sense hormones and other chemicals in the bloodstream and to send messages to cells. In work that further illuminates how cells work, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a new role for G proteins that may have relevance to halting solid tumor cancer metastasis.

Released: 9-Apr-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Trending Stories Report for 9 April 2015
Newswise Trends

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: Cancer treatment, meditation, careers in engineering, astronomy, marine conservation, effective dieting, internet marketing, Ebola treatments, and exercise as preventive health for seniors.

       
Released: 7-Apr-2015 2:05 PM EDT
Research Finds Cells Respond to Stress by Folding and Unfolding Their Genomes
Norris Cotton Cancer Center Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Uncovering cellular response to stress may provide leverage to determine how to trick undesirable cells, such as cancer or damaged cells, into dying instead of recovering from stress.

Released: 7-Apr-2015 1:05 PM EDT
TSRI Scientists Find Molecular Trigger of Schizophrenia-Like Behaviors and Brain Changes
Scripps Research Institute

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a molecule in the brain that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes and global gene expression in an animal model. The research gives scientists new tools for someday preventing or treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.

   
3-Apr-2015 5:00 PM EDT
Food for Thought: Master Protein Enhances Learning and Memory
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Salk scientists discover a single protein that energizes muscles and the brain

   
1-Apr-2015 4:05 PM EDT
More Anti-inflammatory Genes Mean Longer Lifespans for Mammals
UC San Diego Health

We age in part thanks to “friendly fire” from the immune system — inflammation and chemically active molecules called reactive oxygen species that help fight infection, but also wreak molecular havoc, contributing to frailty, disability and disease. The CD33rSiglec family of proteins are known to help protect our cells from becoming inflammatory collateral damage, prompting researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine to ask whether CD33rSiglecs might help mammals live longer, too.

Released: 7-Apr-2015 12:00 AM EDT
Tiny Hair Follicle Holds Big Clues About the Life and Death of Stem Cells
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

Inside the microscopic world of the mouse hair follicle, Yale Cancer Center researchers have discovered big clues about how stem cells regenerate and die. These findings, reported in the journal Nature, could lead to a better understanding of how the stem cell pool is maintained or altered in tissues throughout the body.

3-Apr-2015 7:00 AM EDT
Near-Death Brain Signaling Accelerates Demise of the Heart
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

What happens in the moments just before death is widely believed to be a slowdown of the body’s systems as the heart stops beating and blood flow ends. But there's a brainstorm happening, strongly synchronized with heart rhythm. Blocking this brain outflow may change the odds of survival for those who suffer cardiac arrest.

Released: 3-Apr-2015 9:05 AM EDT
Trending Stories Report for 3 April 2015
Newswise Trends

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: nanotech treating cancer, immunology, autism, patient monitoring, research ethics, lingering effects of dispersant in Gulf of Mexico, wildlife conservation.

       
Released: 2-Apr-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Microbes Scared to Death by Virus Presence
Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

University of Illinois researchers found that Sulfolobus islandicus can go dormant, ceasing to grow and reproduce, in order to protect themselves from infection by Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus 9 (SSV9). The dormant microbes are able to recover if the virus goes away within 24 to 48 hours—otherwise they die.

31-Mar-2015 9:05 AM EDT
Age-Discrimination During Cell Division Maintains the ‘Stem’ in Stem Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A team of Whitehead Institute scientists has discovered that during division, stem cells distinguish between old and young mitochondria and allocate them disproportionately between daughter cells.

Released: 2-Apr-2015 1:05 PM EDT
Dartmouth Investigators Develop Antibacterial Enzymes to Combat Drug-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens
Norris Cotton Cancer Center Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

By engineering antibacterial enzymes, Dartmouth investigators led by Karl Griswold, PhD are using novel strategies to target the prevalent drug-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

Released: 2-Apr-2015 8:00 AM EDT
CENTOGENE Revolutionizes the Clinical Interpretation of Rare Disease Genetic Variants
Centogene AG

CENTOGENE AG (“CENTOGENE”) announces the launch of the world’s largest genetic mutation database for rare diseases, CentoMD®.

30-Mar-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Key Mechanism Identified in Pediatric Bone Cancers That Allows Proliferation of Tumor-Forming Stem Cells
NYU Langone Health

A particular molecular pathway permits stem cells in pediatric bone cancers to grow rapidly and aggressively, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Released: 1-Apr-2015 1:00 PM EDT
Premature Aging of Stem Cell Telomeres, Not Inflammation, Linked to Emphysema
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Lung diseases like emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis are common among people with malfunctioning telomeres, the “caps” or ends of chromosomes. Now, researchers from Johns Hopkins say they have discovered what goes wrong and why.

25-Mar-2015 9:00 AM EDT
Antioxidant Therapy May Have Promising Potential in Concussion Treatment
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

A new study out of West Virginia University suggests antioxidants may play a key role in reducing the long-term effects of concussions and could potentially offer a unique new approach for treatment.

Released: 1-Apr-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Penn Neuroscientist-Led Team is Finalist in NIH "Follow that Cell" Challenge to Fund Single Cell Biology
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

A team led by James Eberwine was named one of 16 finalists in the first phase of the Follow that Cell Challenge funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Released: 31-Mar-2015 5:05 PM EDT
Protein May Improve Liver Regeneration
UC Davis Health

Researchers at UC Davis have illuminated an important distinction between mice and humans: how human livers heal. The difference centers on a protein called PPARα, which activates liver regeneration. Normally, mouse PPARα is far more active and efficient than the human form, allowing mice to quickly regenerate damaged livers. However, the research shows that protein fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) can boost the regenerative effects of human PPARα. The findings suggest that the molecule could offer significant therapeutic benefits for patients who have had a liver transplant or suffer from liver disease. The study was published in the journal Oncotarget.

Released: 30-Mar-2015 10:05 PM EDT
Biology in a Twist
National University of Singapore (NUS)

Researchers at the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore have discovered that the inherent ‘handedness’ of molecular structures directs the behaviour of individual cells and confers them the ability to sense the difference between left and right. This is a significant step forward in the understanding of cellular biology.

Released: 30-Mar-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Hormone Known for Mother's Milk Also Fosters Bond Between Parents
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Research has discovered a role for prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production in nursing mothers, in the bond between parents. The study on cotton-top tamarins found a link between prolactin levels and sexual activity and cuddling among paired adults. Although this was a first for prolactin, it has previously been found for oxytocin, a hormone that stimulates childbirth and is linked to a range of pleasurable emotions.

25-Mar-2015 10:05 AM EDT
New Molecular Clues About Mysterious Brain Blood Vessel Disorder
The Rockefeller University Press

Yale researchers have uncovered new details about the relationship between two proteins associated with the formation of cerebral cavernous malformations, a little understood neurovascular disorder.

   
25-Mar-2015 9:00 AM EDT
New Compounds Could Offer Therapy for Multitude of Diseases
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

An international team of more than 18 research groups has demonstrated that the compounds they developed can safely prevent harmful protein aggregation in preliminary tests using animals. The findings raise hope that a new class of drugs may be on the horizon for the more than 30 diseases and conditions that involve protein aggregation, including diabetes, cancer, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Released: 26-Mar-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Carnival Game Mimics Eye Growth
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)

The motion of coins in a “Penny Pusher” carnival game is similar to the movement of cells in the eye’s lens, as described in a new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS). This new insight may help scientists understand how the eye maintains its precise shape — critical for clear vision — and how cataracts develop.

Released: 25-Mar-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Protein Shake-Up
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A certain class of proteins has challenged researchers’ conventional notion that proteins have a static and well-defined structure.

Released: 25-Mar-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Control Switch That Modulates Cell Stress Response May Be Key to Multiple Diseases
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a control switch for the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular stress relief mechanism drawing major scientific interest because of its role in cancer, diabetes, inflammatory disorders and several neural degenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Released: 24-Mar-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Immunomagnetic Assay On-a-Chip Captures, Analyzes Circulating Tumor Cells
Norris Cotton Cancer Center Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Dartmouth bioengineers demonstrate a novel system that couples nano-engineered particles and microfluidic chips for capturing and manipulating circulating tumor cells.

Released: 24-Mar-2015 9:00 AM EDT
Brain Tumor Cells Decimated by Mitochondrial "Smart Bomb"
Houston Methodist

An experimental drug that attacks brain tumor tissue by crippling the cells' energy source called the mitochondria has passed early tests in animal models and human tissue cultures, say Houston Methodist scientists.

Released: 23-Mar-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Researchers Discover Mechanism to Control Multiple Processes of Cell Growth, Division
Norris Cotton Cancer Center Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Investigators from Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center find that the protein Pom1 possesses the ability to modify different sets of proteins to coordinate the processes of cell growth and division.

19-Mar-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Stress Granules Ease the Way for Cancer Metastasis
The Rockefeller University Press

Tumors that produce more stress granules are more likely to metastasize, according to researchers in Canada. The results suggest that drugs to inhibit the formation of these structures might rein in cancer metastasis.

16-Mar-2015 11:30 AM EDT
Microscope Technique Reveals for First Time When and Where Proteins are Made
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have developed a fluorescence microscopy technique that for the first time shows where and when proteins are produced. This allows researchers to directly observe individual mRNAs as they are translated into proteins in living cells. It should help reveal how irregularities in protein synthesis contribute to human disease processes, including Alzheimer’s disease and other memory-related disorders. The research publishes in the March 20 edition of Science.

16-Mar-2015 2:15 PM EDT
Johns Hopkins Researchers Identify 'Missing Culprit' in Heart Failure
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Working with lab animals and human heart cells, scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions have identified what they describe as “the long-sought culprit” in the mystery behind a cell-signaling breakdown that triggers heart failure.

Released: 17-Mar-2015 3:00 PM EDT
A Single-Cell Breakthrough
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers figure out a way to isolate and grow thousands elusive intestinal stem cells at one time, a high throughput technological advance that could give scientists the ability to study stem cell biology gastrointestinal disorders like never before.



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