Category Health/Medical

A four-millimeter-long larvae of zebrafish with visible nerve cells under the microscope. Credit: Research group Driever

The type and intensity of stimuli control the activity of nerve cells that release the neurotransmitter dopamine, report scientists. In their study of fish larvae, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Driever and his team of neurobiologists at the University of Freiburg have discovered that a group of nerve cells in the forebrain release the dopamine when activated by tactile or certain visual stimuli. These dopaminergic nerve cells send connections to almost all parts of the brain and spinal cord, thereby affecting the functions of many circuits...

2D hexagonal sheet-like and 3D capsid structures based on atomically precise gold nanoclusters as guided by hydrogen bonding between the ligands. The inset in the top left corner shows the atomic structure of one gold nanocluster. Credit: Image courtesy of Suomen Akatemia (Academy of Finland)

Self-assembly of matter is one of the fundamental principles of nature, directing the growth of larger ordered and functional systems from smaller building blocks. Self-assembly can be observed in all length scales from molecules to galaxies...

TZAP: A telomere-associated protein involved in telomere length control. Science, 2017

Scientists at TSRI have discovered a protein that fine-tunes the cellular clock involved in aging. TZAP binds the ends of chromosomes and determines how long telomeres, the segments of DNA that protect chromosome ends, can be. Understanding telomere length is crucial because telomeres set the lifespan of cells in the body, dictating critical processes such as aging and the incidence of cancer.

“Telomeres represent the clock of a cell,” said TSRI Associate Professor Eros Lazzerini Denchi. “You are born with telomeres of a certain length, and every time a cell divides, it loses a little bit of the telomere. Once the telomere is too short, the cell cannot divide anymore...

A visual description of the CRISPR/Cas9 research explored by UNT researchers using TACC supercomputers. Simulations found that Cas9 produces staggered, “sticky” ends, which may make them easier to manipulate for future use. Credit: Jin Liu and Zhicheng Zuo, UNT

The first all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of Cas9-catalyzed DNA cleavage in action has been performed. The simulations shed light on the process of Cas9 genome editing and helped resolve controversies about specific aspects of the cutting. Originally found as part of the immune system of the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria, CRISPR associated protein 9 (CAS9), in its native state, recognizes foreign DNA sequences and disables them...