Microscopy

Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy combined with different labeling approaches for the visualization and quantification of ACE2 on different cells

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In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers performed dSTORM (direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy) with several labeling techniques for visualizing and quantifying angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor expression on various cells. Studies: Coronaviruses use ACE2 monomers as entry receptors. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock Background Studies have reported that ACE2 receptors are … Read more

Children’s immune systems do not develop ‘adaptive’ memory to protect against second time SARS-CoV-2 infection

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Children have largely avoided severe COVID-19 symptoms because they have a strong initial ‘innate’ immune reaction that quickly defeats the virus. And now, researchers led by scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have uncovered what this might mean for the immune system. Unlike those of adults, children’s immune systems don’t remember the virus … Read more

Study suggests cortical hemorrhage in fetal brain may be associated with COVID-19

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In a recent study published in BRAINresearchers evaluated the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections on fetal brain health. Studies: Haemorrhage of human fetal cortex associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Image Credit: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock Background Previous studies have reported that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections and immunological responses elevate the risk of altered fetal brain … Read more

Cryo-electron microscopy reveals detailed blueprint of viral genome replication machinery

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RNA viruses, such as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, are in a life-and-death race the moment they infect a cell. These viruses have only minutes to establish their replication machinery inside the host cell before the genetic instructions contained in their vulnerable RNA genomes – which are more fragile than DNA – would otherwise be … Read more

The loss of epigenetic information accelerates the aging process

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The basis of life depends upon the complex interplay of information stored in the epigenome, genome, and cellular machinery. This is thought to be the software and biological hardware. However, whether a breakdown in the software or hardware causes aging is not yet known. In the 1950s, Szilard and Medawar independently proposed that aging results … Read more

Bacteria play specific roles in cancer

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In a recent article published in the journal Immunitythe authors discussed the findings from a 2022 study by Galeano Niño et al.which reported that microbiota associated with tumors form micro-niches and play a role in epithelial and immune mediations of cancer. Studies: Putting bacteria on the cancer map. Image Credit: Volodimir Zozulinskyi/Shutterstock Background A growing … Read more

Innovations in expansion microscopy allow an unprecedented view of the interior of cells

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Unprecedented views of the interior of cells and other nanoscale structures are now possible thanks to innovations in expansion microscopy. The advancements could help provide future insight into neuroscience, pathology, and many other biological and medical fields. In the paper “Magnify is a universal molecular anchoring strategy for expansion microscopy,” published Jan. 2 in the … Read more

Human cortical organoids implanted in mice establish functional connectivity and respond to sensory stimuli

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A team of engineers and neuroscientists has demonstrated for the first time that human brain organoids implanted in mice have established functional connectivity to the animals’ cortex and responded to external sensory stimuli. The implanted organoids reacted to visual stimuli in the same way as surrounding tissues, an observation that researchers were able to make … Read more

New sensor uses MRI to detect light deep in the brain | MIT News

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Using a specialized MRI sensor, MIT researchers have shown that they can detect light deep within tissues such as the brain. Imaging light in deep tissues is extremely difficult because as light travels into tissue, much of it is either absorbed or scattered. The MIT team overcame that obstacle by designing a sensor that converts … Read more

Cryo-electron microscopy reveals atomic structure of Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteriophage

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Cryo-electron microscopy by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers has exposed the structure of a bacterial virus with unprecedented detail. This is the first structure of a virus able to infect Staphylococcus epidermidis, and high-resolution knowledge of structure is a key link between viral biology and potential therapeutic use of the virus to quell bacterial … Read more