Tag: molecular

Scientists snap together molecular building blocks of brain computing

Synapses are specialized brain structures where learning and memory occur. The efficient transmission of synaptic signals relies on the delicate structure and complex molecular composition of the synapses. However, the small size (several hundred nanometers in diameter) and heterogeneous nature of the synapses pose significant challenges in direct observation of the molecules inside synapses. Based

New pieces added to the molecular puzzle of rheumatoid arthritis

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have revealed new details about how joint inflammation evolves in rheumatoid arthritis, and the cells that prolong the inflammatory attack. In both laboratory models and human clinical samples, the research team pinpointed immune cells called natural killer (NK) cells as an unexpected source of the inflammatory protein GM-CSF in

A new molecular mechanism could explain the origins of the depressive symptoms in Huntington’s disease

About 40 percent of the affected patients with Huntington’s disease—a neurodegenerative pathology- show depression symptoms, even in early stages before the apparition of the typical motor symptoms of the disease. An altered function of Cdk5 kinase—an essential enzyme in several cell signalling pathways- could explain the physiopathology of the depressive-like behaviour in Huntington’s disease, according

Researchers determine atomic structure of molecular complex associated with birth defects

In a study published today in Science, UT Southwestern and Rockefeller University researchers used advanced microscopes to determine at atomic resolution the structure of a molecular complex implicated in birth defects and several cancers. The Hedgehog signaling pathway, which transmits information to embryonic cells, is crucial to human health. Insufficient signaling during development leads to

PSD as a molecular platform for understanding synapse formation and plasticity

Synapses, the structures that allow neurons to pass signals to one another, are essential to neuronal function. Proper formation and responses to stimulation of synapses both during development and in adulthood are fundamental to mammalian brains, but the molecular processes governing formation and modulation of compartmentalized synaptic assemblies are unclear. In a recent study, a

Researchers uncover molecular mechanisms of rare skin disease

Keratinocyte skin cells are common targets of the beta subtype of human papilloma virus. This usually harmless infection causes skin disease in people with rare gene mutations.[/caption] You’re probably infected with one or more subtypes of the human papilloma virus—and, as alarming as that may sound, odds are you will never show any symptoms. The

Molecular Autopsy May Shed Light on Sudden Death in Young

FRIDAY, July 20, 2018 — Ultrarare, nonsynonymous variants are seen in 64 percent of victims of sudden unexplained death in the young (SUDY), with 10 of the 27 variants considered pathogenic or likely pathogenic, according to a study published in the June 19 issue of Circulation. Garrett W. Shanks, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,

Molecular basis for varied presentations of ETEC explored

(HealthDay)—The EtpA adhesion molecule, which is secreted by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strain H10407, is a dominant ETEC blood group A-specific lectin/hemagglutinin, according to a study published online May 17 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Pardeep Kumar, Ph.D., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues examined the molecular basis

Molecular ‘rabble-rouser’ fuels pancreatic cancer growth

A type of molecular ‘rabble-rouser’ that triggers pancreatic cancer to become aggressive and spread around the body has been identified by scientists. The team behind the early-stage research, led by Imperial College London and funded by Pancreatic Cancer UK, say the findings may open avenues for treatments that target these molecules. The molecules, called microRNAs,

A new molecular target identified in depression

The discovery of a new mechanism involved in depression – and a way to target it with a drug as effective as classical antidepressants—provides new understanding of this illness and could pave the way for treatments with fewer side effects. In a study published in Nature Medicine, a team of scientists at McGill University and