Researchers at the International Laboratory of Microphysiological Systems of the HSE Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology investigated how different isoforms of the same microRNA influence gene function in prostate adenocarcinoma. The study found that in some cases, microRNAs can reinforce each other’s effects by targeting and suppressing the same genes. This finding offers a fresh perspective on the molecular mechanisms underlying tumour development and on the search for disease biomarkers. The results have been published in PeerJ.

How do cells know when to activate or slow down their activity? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) provides new insights by studying TORC2, an essential but still poorly understood protein complex. Using ultra-high-resolution imaging, scientists were able to observe its structure in detail for the first time. The team notably reveals the existence of a  molecular “cork” that controls its activation at the cell surface. Published in the journal Molecular Cell, these findings pave the way for new strategies to target this mechanism, which is involved in diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Human Frontier Science Program Foundation (HFSP) has awarded a highly competitive international research grant to Prof. Orna Amster-Choder of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Prof. Kerwyn Casey Huang of Stanford University and Prof. Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj of Imperial College London.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. About 10% of breast cancers are hereditary, and approximately 60% of these cases carry BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Individuals harboring BRCA1 mutations exhibit a markedly increased risk of developing breast cancer. BRCA1 plays a critical role in maintaining genomic stability by repairing DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) through homologous recombination (HR).

Flinders University researchers have taken a revealing look inside the head of one of the first animals to crawl from the water to live on land more than 380 million years ago.  

Using high-tech neutron imaging, they scanned the skull and braincase of the only known specimen of Koharalepis jarviki, a large fossil fish found in freshwater rivers in the vast Lashly Mountains region of Antarctica which lived during the Devonian Period or 'Age of Fishes'.

 

This interpretation article summarizes groundbreaking research on sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, focusing on the structural basis of allosteric and bitopic ligand binding in S1P2 and S1P3 receptors. The study reveals novel binding mechanisms that provide a framework for designing selective therapeutic agents targeting these important G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of misfolded alpha-synuclein (α-syn) protein aggregates in dopaminergic neurons. These toxic aggregates trigger pathological hyperactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), an enzyme that accelerates α-syn fibrillization and promotes neuronal death. Interestingly, epidemiological studies have suggested that nicotine, acting through nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), may confer neuroprotective effects in PD. This study investigates whether stimulating α7 nAChRs—a subtype widely expressed in the mammalian brain—can suppress PARP1 activity and thereby offer disease-modifying therapeutic potential for PD.

Most of the carbon fixed by plants through photosynthesis is ultimately stored in the cell wall, primarily in the form of polysaccharides such as cellulose, xylan, and glucomannan. Yet how plants efficiently synthesize these wall polymers has remained unclear, particularly because polysaccharides such as glucomannan and xylan are prone to aggregation through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. A research team comprising Aina Kikuchi, who was then a master’s student in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Saitama University, Eriko Sato, a master’s student in the same graduate school, Associate Professor Daisuke Takahashi, Professor Toshihisa Kotake, Lecturer Yoshihisa Yoshimi of the Faculty of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology at Kindai University, and Professor Paul Dupree of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge has discovered that mannanases (MANs)—enzymes degrading glucomannan—are also required for normal glucomannan synthesis in plants. The study shows that glucomannan biosynthesis includes an unexpected, previously unrecognized hydrolytic step in the Golgi apparatus. 

Roaring over long distances is a key behaviour of lions. They communicate within prides as well as with other animals using distinct sequences of moans and grunts. Scientists from the GAIA Initiative have now published a machine learning approach in the journal “Ecological Informatics” that improves how roaring behaviour can be studied. The algorithm can reliably detect long-distance roaring based solely on acceleration data (ACC) that is recorded by collars – without a microphone and without energy- and storage-intensive audio files. For the first time, such an algorithm works reliably with both male and female lions, and even with mixed signals when lions are walking while roaring.