Researchers uncover mechanisms behind enigmatic shapes of neutrophil nuclei
Nearly 150 years ago, scientists discovered that specialized blood cells serve a vital role in immune system protection against infection and illness.
Feb 14, 2024
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Nearly 150 years ago, scientists discovered that specialized blood cells serve a vital role in immune system protection against infection and illness.
Feb 14, 2024
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A research group led by Nagoya University's Graduate School of Engineering has uncovered how rapid tendon regeneration occurs in newts. The research, published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, compared the regeneration ...
Nov 29, 2023
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Associative learning was always thought to be regulated by the cortex of the cerebellum, often referred to as the "little brain." However, new research from a collaboration between the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, ...
Nov 20, 2023
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) consists of multiple episodes of partial or complete closure of the upper airway that occur during sleep, leading to breathing cessation lasting more than ten seconds and sometimes even several ...
Aug 23, 2023
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Tracing the metabolism of tumor cells using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been feasible in routine clinical settings hitherto. Now, an interdisciplinary research team including the Technical University of Munich ...
Nov 10, 2022
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Researchers in Brazil affiliated with the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), D'Or Institute and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) have identified molecular processes that may help explain microcephaly in ...
Sep 19, 2022
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Stimulation of certain cerebellar areas could help combat absence seizures. However, what happens at the cellular and molecular level in the brain in this form of epilepsy and how exactly stimulation has an effect is not ...
May 4, 2022
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Research carried out at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) has demonstrated that mixing mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) of different origins can have damaging effects over the medium and long term. ...
Mar 16, 2022
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A UT Southwestern research team has cataloged gene activity in the skeletal muscle of mice, comparing healthy animals to those carrying a genetic mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in humans. The findings, ...
Dec 21, 2020
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Usually, each cell has exactly one nucleus. But the cells of our skeletal muscles are different: These long, fibrous cells have a comparatively large cytoplasm that contains hundreds of nuclei. But up to now, we have known ...
Dec 11, 2020
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In cell biology, the nucleus (pl. nuclei; from Latin nucleus or nuculeus, or kernel), also sometimes referred to as the "control center", is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in eukaryotic cells. It contains most of the cell's genetic material, organized as multiple long linear DNA molecules in complex with a large variety of proteins, such as histones, to form chromosomes. The genes within these chromosomes are the cell's nuclear genome. The function of the nucleus is to maintain the integrity of these genes and to control the activities of the cell by regulating gene expression--the nucleus is therefore the control center of the cell.
The main structures making up the nucleus are the nuclear envelope, a double membrane that encloses the entire organelle and separates its contents from the cellular cytoplasm, and the nuclear lamina, a meshwork within the nucleus that adds mechanical support, much like the cytoskeleton supports the cell as a whole. Because the nuclear membrane is impermeable to most molecules, nuclear pores are required to allow movement of molecules across the envelope. These pores cross both of the membranes, providing a channel that allows free movement of small molecules and ions. The movement of larger molecules such as proteins is carefully controlled, and requires active transport regulated by carrier proteins. Nuclear transport is crucial to cell function, as movement through the pores is required for both gene expression and chromosomal maintenance.
Although the interior of the nucleus does not contain any membrane-bound subcompartments, its contents are not uniform, and a number of subnuclear bodies exist, made up of unique proteins, RNA molecules, and particular parts of the chromosomes. The best known of these is the nucleolus, which is mainly involved in the assembly of ribosomes. After being produced in the nucleolus, ribosomes are exported to the cytoplasm where they translate mRNA.
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