Tag Archives: cells

Key role of protein in segregation of genetic material during cell division

Cell-cycle Cells in all organisms grow and divide into two daughter cells by an ordered sequence of events called "cell cycle." Basically , the cells have to complete four main processes during the cell cycle : growth ( G1 and G2 phases ) , doubling the DNA ( S phase ) , segregate chromosomes ( M phase , mitosis) and divide ( cytokinesis ) . …

Dysfunctional mitochondria may underlie resistance to radiation therapy

Maxim Frolov, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and colleagues investigated the effects of a mutation in a gene called E2F, which controls other genes responsible for initiating programmed cell death, a normal function in most cells. Cells undergo programmed cell death — or apoptosis — when they are no longer needed, as a normal part of aging, or in response to environmental factors like radiation that damage cellular DNA. …

Scientists show how cells protect DNA from catastrophic damage

An international team of researchers led by Professor Jiri Lukas from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen have unveiled a process that explains how DNA can be damaged during genome replication, due to the lack of a critical protein. Cells need to keep their genomic DNA unharmed to stay healthy and the scientists were able to visualize the process of DNA replication and damage directly in cells with an unprecedented detail. They discovered a fundamental mechanism of how proteins protect chromosomes while DNA is being copied (a process called DNA replication), which relies on a protein called RPA. …

Clearest new pictures of immune cells

They show how the cells, which are responsible for fighting infections and cancer in the human body, change the organisation of their surface molecules, when activated by a type of protein found on viral-infected or tumour cells. Professor Daniel Davis, who has been leading the investigation into the immune cells, known as natural killers, said the work could provide important clues for tackling disease…

Tumors disable immune cells by using up sugar

The scientists found that when they kept sugar away from critical immune cells called T cells, the cells no longer produced interferon gamma, an inflammatory compound important for fighting tumors and some kinds of infection. "T cells can get into tumors, but unfortunately they are often ineffective at killing the cancer cells," said Erika Pearce, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and immunology. …