Category Biology/Biotechnology

A new Method for converting solar energy into electrical power using photo-bioelectrochemical cells. Credit: Image courtesy Prof. Itamar Willner

In the natural photosynthetic apparatus, photosynthetic reaction is coupled to biocatalytic transformations leading to CO2 fixation and O2 evolution. Although significant progress has been achieved in the integration of native photosystems with electrodes for light-to-electrical energy conversion, the conjugation of the photosystems to enzymes to yield photo-bioelectrocatalytic solar cells remains a challenge.

The photo-bioelectrochemical cells use glucose oxidase or glucose dehydrogenase and modified integrated electrodes that include the natural photosynthetic reaction center, known as photosystem I, conjugated to these enzymes...

Empirical design parameters determine in-cell performance

It could lead to an artificial sensing system that could control a cell’s behavior in response to such stimuli as the presence of toxins or the development of cancer. The research uses DNA strand displacement, a technology that has been widely used outside of cells for the design of molecular circuits, motors and sensors. Researchers modified the process to provide both “AND” and “OR” logic gates able to operate inside the living cells and interact with native messenger RNA (mRNA).

The tools they developed could provide a foundation for bio-computers able to sense, analyze and modulate molecular information at the cellular level...

A sleep study in process is shown. Credit: The University of Chicago Medicine

2 consecutive nights of extended sleep, a typical weekend occurrence, appears to counteract the increased risk of diabetes associated with short-term sleep restriction during the work week, at least in lean, healthy, young men eating a controlled diet. The finding, based on a study performed at the University of Chicago sleep lab could affect large numbers of people who work long hours.

Even short-term sleep restriction, with 4 or 5 hours of sleep per night, can increase the risk of developing diabetes by about 16%—comparable to the increase in risk caused by obesity.

The researchers recruited 19 volunteers, all healthy young men. On one occasion, they were allowed to sleep normally, spending 8...

Binding of p53 to non‐canonical response elements in human subtelomeres confers enhancer‐like activities and correlates with increased telomere stability. Non‐canonical p53 binding sites were identified in the subtelomeres of both human and mouse. Subtelomeric p53 response elements confer transcription activation in vitro and p53‐dependent induction of TERRA, eRNA‐like transcripts, and more distal subtelomeric genes. p53 status correlates with enhanced telomere stability and survival in response to etoposide‐induced DNA damage. Stress‐induced p53 binding to the subtelomere correlates with increased histone acetylation and decreased γH2AX. CRISPR deletion of the p53 response element ameliorates these effects.

New research shows p53 is able to suppress accumulated DNA damage a...