Microbiology Now

How much a single cell breathes

Friday, May 24, 2013 00:00 MST

How active a living cell is can be seen by its oxygen consumption. The method for determining this consumption has now been significantly improved by chemists in Bochum. The problem up to now was that the measuring electrode altered the oxygen consumption in the cell's environment much more than the cell itself. "We already found that out twelve years ago," says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schuhmann from the Ruhr-Universit�t. "Now we have finally managed to make the measuring electrode an spectator."

Study defines level of dengue virus needed for transmission

Friday, May 24, 2013 00:00 MST

Researchers have identified the dose of dengue virus in human blood that is required to infect mosquitoes when they bite. Mosquitoes are essential for transmitting the virus between people so the findings have important implications for understanding how to slow the spread of the disease.

Not all cytokine-producing cells start out the same way

Thursday, May 23, 2013 00:00 MST

Not all IL17-producing cells are the same, and the rules regarding how particular cell types are instructed to produce this important mediator differ. Understanding the rules that govern IL17 cell development and function will suggest ways to specifically modulate one population or the other.

But what does it do?

Thursday, May 23, 2013 00:00 MST

It is now easier to pinpoint exactly what molecules a phosphatase -- a type of protein that's essential for cells to react to their environment -- acts upon in human cells, thanks to the free online database DEPOD, created by EMBL scientists. Published today in Science Signaling, the overview of interactions could even help explain unforeseen side-effects of drugs.

Newly described type of immune cell and T cells share similar path to maturity

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 00:00 MST

Innate lymphoid cells protect boundary tissues such as the skin, lung, and the gut from microbial onslaught. They also have shown they play a role in inflammatory disease. Researchers have found that maturation of ILC2s requires T-cell factor 1 to move forward. They describe in Immunity that one mechanism used to build ILCs is the same as that in T cells.

New method for the early detection of vineyard mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 00:00 MST

The Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Neiker-Tecnalia, has developed a new method for the early detection of the diseases mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis in vines. The new methodology based on molecular biology techniques makes it possible to detect the disease before the symptoms appear on the plant.

Exit discovered in cellular garbage truck

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 00:00 MST

A protein known as Alix is present in cells during viral infections. It is also found in build-ups of cholesterol. So what does it do? Researchers from the Department of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Science at UNIGE have detailed the role in the journey that it makes from the inner wall of the membrane towards the outside; they have also uncovered that its main activity consists of opening a final exit in the evacuation process and the treatment of cellular waste.

Same musicians: Brand new tune

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 00:00 MST

Stowers investigators discover how an unusual interplay of signaling pathways shapes a critical eye structure.

New advance in biofuel production

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 00:00 MST

Joint BioEnergy Institute researchers have developed an enzyme-free ionic liquid pretreatment of cellulosic biomass that makes it easier to recover fermentable sugars for biofuels and to recycle the ionic liquid.

Engineered spider toxin could be the future of anti-venom vaccines

Monday, May 20, 2013 00:00 MST

New engineered spider protein could be the start of a new generation of anti-venom vaccines, potentially saving thousands of lives worldwide. The new protein, created from parts of a toxin from the reaper spider, is described today in the Elsevier journal Vaccine.

Cutting-edge bacteria research leads to more effective treatment of complex infections

Monday, May 20, 2013 00:00 MST

Bacteria play a huge role when inflammations attack our body. Now researchers from University of Southern Denmark have succeeded in revealing one of the devastating effects of bacteria, and thus it will be possible for the pharmaceutical industry to treat even very complicated bacterial infections.

Scientists identify critical link in mammalian odor detection

Sunday, May 19, 2013 00:00 MST

Researchers at the Monell Center have identified a protein that is critical to the ability of mammals to smell. Mice engineered to be lacking the Ggamma13 protein in their olfactory receptors were functionally anosmic -- unable to smell. The findings may lend insight into the underlying causes of certain smell disorders in humans.

Researchers develop new technique to track cell interactions in living bodies

Saturday, May 18, 2013 00:00 MST

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a new technique to see how different types of cells interact in a living mouse.

Endogenous antibiotic in the brain

Friday, May 17, 2013 00:00 MST

Scientists from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg have discovered that immune cells in the brain can produce a substance that prevents bacterial growth: namely itaconic acid. Until now, biologists had assumed that only certain fungi produced itaconic acid. A team working with Dr. Karsten Hiller, head of the Metabolomics Group at LCSB, and Dr. Alessandro Michelucci has now shown that even so-called microglial cells in mammals are also capable of producing this acid.

New insights into Ebola infection pave the way for much-needed therapies

Friday, May 17, 2013 00:00 MST

The Ebola virus is among the deadliest viruses on the planet, killing up to 90 percent of those infected. A study published in the Biophysical Journal reveals how the most abundant protein making up the Ebola virus -- viral protein 40 -- allows the virus to leave host cells and spread infection to other cells throughout the human body. The findings could lay the foundation for the development of new drugs and strategies for fighting Ebola infection.