Centromeres are the chromosomal domains at which the kinetochore, a protein complex required for the correct separation of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis, is assembled. The incorporation of the histone variant CenH3 into centromeric nucleosomes is a prerequisite for the proper assembly and function of the kinetochore. A new study describes the chaperone protein NASPSIM3 and how it affects the depositioning of CenH3.
Read moreA high-resolution bioprinting process has been developed: Cells can now be embedded in a 3D matrix printed with micrometer precision — at a printing speed of one meter per second, orders of magnitude faster than previously possible. Tissue growth and the behavior of cells can be controlled and investigated particularly well by embedding the cells in a delicate 3D framework. This is achieved using so called 'bioprinting' techniques.
Read moreThe first complete genetic sequences of individual mountain lions point the way to better conservation strategies for saving threatened populations of the wild animals.
Read moreResearchers discover a new principle — how cells protect themselves from mitochondrial defects.
Read moreResearchers find genes that help maintain the 50-50 balance between male and female offspring in mice — and that have major implications for male infertility.
Read moreScientists discover that a brain region known to control sex and violence contains rare cell types that differ in male versus female mice.
Read moreThe roots of plants can do a lot of things: They grow in length to reach water, they can bend to circumvent stones, and they form fine root hairs enabling them to absorb more nutrients from the soil. A team of researchers has now identified an important regulator of this process.
Read moreResearchers present new insights into the development of the human brain and differences in this process compared to other great apes. The study reveals features of brain development that are unique to humans, and outlines how these processes have diverged from those in other primates.
Read moreComputational biologists have devised a software tool that can play a high-speed 'Match Game' to identify bioactive molecules and the microbial genes that produce them so they can be evaluated as possible antibiotics and other therapeutic agents.
Read moreA recent study has revealed more details about how the synaptonemal complex performs its job, including some surprising subtleties in function.
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