Molecular biology ( /məˈlɛkjʊlər/) is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between the different types of DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated. Writing in Nature in 1961, William Astbury described molecular biology as Researchers in molecular biology use specific techniques native to molecular biology but increasingly combine these with techniques and ideas from genetics and biochemistry. There is not a defined line between these disciplines. The figure above is a schematic that depicts one possible view of the relationship between the fields: Much of the work in molecular biology is quantitative, and recently much work has been done at the interface of molecular biology and computer science in bioinformatics and computational biology. As of the early 2000s, the study of gene structure and function, molecular genetics, has been among the most
A Rutgers study has discovered that vitamin D regulates calcium in a section of the intestine that previously was thought not to have played a key role. The findings have important implications on how bowel disease, including ...
Dec 2, 2020
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A therapeutic intervention for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, could be on the horizon thanks to unexpected findings by University of Arizona researchers.
Feb 11, 2020
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Genes encode proteins and proteins dictate cell function. Therefore, the thousands of genes expressed in a cell determine what that cell can do. Among the multiple elements that are involved in the precise regulation of gene ...
Mar 20, 2018
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Researchers have developed a novel reagent capable of detecting rare, antigen-specific B cells that indicate successful vaccination in veterinary animals. The method used to create a B cell tetramer that can detect a memory ...
Oct 16, 2017
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Scientists at Rice and Duke universities have identified a set of genes they say make sarcoma cells less aggressive. They hope to turn the discovery into new therapeutic approaches to fight metastatic cancers.
Sep 20, 2016
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UCLA scientists have identified a protein that has the potential to prevent the growth of cervical cancer cells. The discovery could lead to the development of new treatments for the deadly disease.
May 31, 2016
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The motor protein Myo1c binds to Neph1, a protein crucial for ensuring effective filtration by the kidney, and serves as one mode of its cellular transport, according to findings by investigators at the Medical University ...
May 16, 2016
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The human placenta is an organ unlike any other. During the course of nine months it is formed by the embryo, sustains life and then is shed.
May 9, 2016
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The investigation of a simple protein has uncovered its uniquely complicated role in the spread of the childhood cancer, osteosarcoma. It turns out the protein, called ezrin, acts like an air traffic controller, coordinating ...
Jul 6, 2015
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Stress, an unhealthy diet and also the prolonged use of painkillers do not only upset the stomach, but are also associated with chronic colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. A team led by Thomas Decker from the University ...
Jun 2, 2015
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