cells

How a tiny protein senses all the communications in cell

harminka — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:42:13 -0500

Cells rely on calcium as a universal means of communication. For example, a sudden rush of calcium can trigger nerve cells to convey thoughts in the brain or cause a heart cell to beat. A longstanding mystery has been how cells and molecules manage to appropriately sense and respond to the variety of calcium fluctuations within cells

Being control freak aids dividing cells

harminka — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:18:50 -0500

Micromanagers may generate resentment in an office setting, but they get results in your body. New data indicate that a dividing cell takes micromanagement to the extreme, tagging more than 14,000 different sites on its proteins with phosphate, a molecule that typically serves as a signal for a variety of biological processes.

MIT researchers offer glimpse of rare mutant cells

harminka — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:14:23 -0500

MIT biological engineers have developed a new imaging system that allows them to see cells that have undergone a specific mutation.

Discovery of mechanism that regulates cell movement

harminka — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:43:36 -0500

A study performed by researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), in collaboration with researchers at the Instituto de Biología Molecular of the CSIC, reveal a mechanism that controls the movement of cells in a tissue by regulating cell adhesion.

Researchers unveil near-complete protein catalog for mitochondria

harminka — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:08:43 -0500

Imagine trying to figure out how your car's power train works from just a few of its myriad components: It would be nearly impossible. Scientists have long faced a similar challenge in understanding cells' tiny powerhouses — called "mitochondria" — from scant knowledge of their molecular parts.

Molecular motor works by detecting minute changes in force

harminka — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:40:34 -0500

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that the activity of a specific family of nanometer-sized molecular motors called myosin-I is regulated by force. The motor puts tension on cellular springs that allow vibrations to be detected within the body.

Power plants in human cells could lead to targeted therapies

harminka — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:40:21 -0500

Scientists have determined that human cells are able to shift important gene products into their own mitochondria, considered the power plants of cells. The finding could eventually lead to therapies for dozens of diseases.

New paradigm for cell-specific gene delivery

harminka — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:54:46 -0500

Researchers from Northwestern University and Texas A & M University have discovered a new way to limit gene transfer and expression to specific tissues in animals.

Duke scientists show why cells starved of iron burn more glucose

harminka — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:19:59 -0500

Duke University Medical Center scientists have found a mechanism that allows cells starved of iron to shut down energy-making processes that depend on iron and use a less efficient pathway involving glucose. This metabolic reshuffling mechanism, found in yeast cells, helps explain how humans respond to iron deficiency, and may help with diabetes research as well.

Forum to focus on math and mechanics behind life processes

harminka — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:06:19 -0500

Developing fundamental math and mechanics to explain life processes like embryo development, cellular migration and growth could open doors to a new frontier in biology, many researchers say.

New way to think about Earth's first cells

harminka — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:20:29 -0500

A team of researchers at Harvard University have modeled in the laboratory a primitive cell, or protocell, that is capable of building, copying and containing DNA.

Artificial vesicles and bacterial cells communicate by way of sugar components

harminka — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:12:57 -0500

For an organism to develop and function, the individual cells must exchange information, or communicate, with each other.