Journal Club

Highlighting recent, timely papers selected by Academy member labs

Category Archives: Cell Biology

Prion-like protein acts as water sensor in seeds

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Jyoti Madhusoodanan

The sprouting of a seed is clearly a crucial stage in a plant’s life. Yet one part of the process has long been shrouded in mystery: How do seeds know when there’s enough water to germinate? Researchers recently reported the … Continue reading →

New culturing techniques track crucial stage of embryo development

Posted on June 28, 2021 by David Adam

The second week of gestation is crucial for human development, as the growing embryo needs to implant in the mother’s womb to survive. Many early pregnancies fail at this point, but it has been difficult to determine exactly why. Lacking … Continue reading →

Easily made, robust chemical reagents could be game changer for developing world science

Posted on June 11, 2021 by David Adam

Enzymes and other chemical reagents are crucial for all sorts of life sciences research. Typically, they’re produced in industrial processes by modified bacteria; then they’re extracted and purified. But scientists in many parts of the world struggle to access such … Continue reading →

Venus flytrap mechanism could shed light on how plants sense touch

Posted on April 3, 2021 by David Adam

Labelled by Charles Darwin as a “most wonderful” plant, the Venus flytrap is more than a carnivorous curiosity. The rapid closing of its leaves when brushed by prey offers researchers a way to investigate how plants sense their environment through … Continue reading →

Categories: Cell Biology | Journal Club | Plant Biology | Tagged calcium channel, FLYCATCHER1, ion channel, protein, sense of touch, venus flytrap | Leave a comment

PREVIEW News Feature: To counter the pandemic, clinicians bank on repurposed drugs

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Jyoti Madhusoodanan

Teams are pursuing a dizzying array of therapeutic strategies to stymie COVID-19. It’s not yet clear which approach, or combination of approaches, will work best. *Editor’s Note: We’re providing a preview of this content due to the urgent and rapidly … Continue reading →

Dopamine-making neurons, an ongoing mystery, play a bigger role in reinforcing learning than in initiating action

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Amber Dance

Deep in the midbrain, one type of neuron has two crucial jobs when it comes to acting while anticipating a reward—a state also known as Pavlovian conditioning. Called dopaminergic (DA) neurons, they can link a signal, such as a sound … Continue reading →

New protein structure reveals hotspot for cystic fibrosis drug binding

Posted on June 29, 2019 by Amber Dance

The newly revealed structure of a cystic fibrosis drug, captured in tandem with its target channel protein, could help scientists design better medications for the condition. Cystic fibrosis results from mutations in the gene for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane … Continue reading →

Categories: Biophysics and Computational Biology | Cell Biology | Journal Club | Medical Sciences | Tagged cell membrane, chloride channel, corrector, cryoelectron microscopy, cystic fibrosis, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, ion channel, ivacaftor, potentiator | Leave a comment

Journal Club: Neurons fire in sync, helping elucidate the biological basis of learning

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Amber Dance

Our brains change as we learn. But how exactly does a cluster of neurons change their activity or connections? It seems the phenomenon is due, at least in part, to neurons starting to fire in sync, according to a recent … Continue reading →

Categories: Cell Biology | Journal Club | Neuroscience | Tagged learning, maze, memory, neurons, plasticity, prefrontal cortex, rat | Leave a comment

Journal Club: Newly discovered ion channel gene promises disease insights

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Amy McDermott

The molecular identity and precise function of a commonly expressed cell-membrane chloride channel has long been a mystery. A recent study in Science uncovers the gene responsible for the channel, potentially shedding light on its role in the body. Researchers … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Understanding how a plant makes a hook could someday improve crops

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Amber Dance

This spring, as the first shoots of new plants emerge from the soil, many are bent over in a hook. This simple act protects the fragile stem tip and leaves as the sprout pokes up through the dirt. But how … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Tumors create an acidic environment that helps them invade surrounding tissues

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Jessica P. Johnson

Cancer cells tend to turn their extracellular environment acidic, thus helping these rogue cells thrive while creating a hostile environment for normal ones. Acidosis promotes tumor growth, metastasis and drug resistance, while helping tumor cells evade the immune system. But … Continue reading →