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Originally published by Stockholm University on May 21, 2025 edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan   Scientists reveal how ATP is transported into the ER by the protein SLC35B1. Credit: Surabhi Kokane using Biorender. A team of scientists has answered a long-standing question in cell biology , uncovering h ow the cell's main energy currency, ATP , is transported into the endoplasmic reticulum ( ER ) . Disrupted energy transport could affect diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders . The study, " Step-wise ATP translocation into the ER by human SLC35B1 " published in Nature , confirms that the transporter protein SLC35B1 is the key gateway for ATP entry into the ER . The research , led by David Drew, professor of biochemistry at Stockholm University and located at SciLifeLab , reveals the first structural and mechanistic insight into how ATP enters the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) using the transporter protein SL...

  Originally published by Justin Jackson , Phys.org, on May 19, 2025 Edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan Working model revealing the role of ALDH4A1 in maintaining an active MPC complex for mitochondrial pyruvate import and TCA cycle entry. Credit: Nature Cell Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41556-025-01651-8 Researchers at Duke University Medical Center and Wake Forest University School of Medicine have identified ALDH4A 1 , a mitochondrial proline-metabolizing enzyme , as a third structural component of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) complex . Forming a trimeric assembly with MPC1 and MPC2 , ALDH4A1 maintains MPC integrity and facilitates pyruvate import into mitochondria . M itochondrial pyruvate import serves as a c ritical step in cellular energy metabolism , linking cytosolic glycolysis to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Disruptions in this pathway can promote cancer cell proliferation by increasing cytosolic pyruvate and driving ...

An infant with a severe genetic condition has shown signs of improvement after receiving a gene-editing treatment tailored to his specific mutation Originally published   by Michael Le Page at newscientist.com on 15 May 2025 Baby KJ after a gene-editing infusion with researchers Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas and Kiran Musunuru Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia A baby boy with a life-threatening genetic condition has become the first person to receive a bespoke CRISPR gene-editing treatment , giving a glimpse into what t he future of medicine might look like. It’s the first time anyone has been given a gene-editing treatment designed t o correct a disease-causing mutation found only in that individual, Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , told a press briefing. “He’s showing some early signs of benefit,” she says, but it is too soon to tell how well the treatment worked. The researchers published the details as soon as possible...

Gene regulation is an innate biological phenomenon that enables an organism to toggle genes on and off with high precision. Originally publisched by Srishti Gupta , at  interestingengineering.com, on May 07, 2025   Representative image of a comb jelly. iStock A recent finding is changing what scientists thought they understood about the history of controlling genes. Research conducted on cone jellies and sponges by the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Centre Nacional d’Anàlisi Genòmica (CNAG) in Spain indicates that distal regulation – the capacity to control genes from a distance – developed much earlier in evolutionary history than previously thought . This sophisticated genomic mechanism is estimated to have developed from 650 to 700 million years ago , 150 million years earlier than previously thought, close to the very dawn of animal life . “ This creature could repurpose its genetic toolkit in different ways like a Swiss knife , enabling it...

Originally published at Science Daily by the University of California, San Diego, on May 7, 2025 Brain researchers have identified a bridge between the thalamus and the cortex as the key area that is modified during motor learning functions . They found that such learning does much more than adjust activity levels, it sculpts the circuit's wiring, refining the conversation between brain regions.     AI-generated image by Asaf Ramot using ChatGPT   A landmark study published by scientists at the University of California San Diego is redefining science's understanding of the way learning takes place . The findings, published in the journal Nature and supported by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. National Science Foundation , provide novel insights on how brain wiring changes during learning periods , offering a path to new therapies and technologies that aid neurological disorders . For many years, neuroscientists have isolated the brain's primary ...

Originally published at MedicalXpress.com by University of Maryland School of Medicine on May 5, 2025     Artist's illustration shows how surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center were able to remove a large spinal tumor that had invaded the patient's cervical spine and was pressing on her spinal cord. They gained access through the patient's eye socket, which the lead neurosurgeon calls "the third nostril." Credit: Tina Wang/University of Maryland Department of Neurosurgery In a f irst-of-its-kind surgery , a team led by a University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) neurosurgeon has successfully removed a rare cancerous tumor wrapped around the spine and spinal cord of a 19-year-old woman— through her eye socket (orbit). Although surgeons use a "transorbital" approach to access tumors in the brain and sinuses, this is the first time it has ever been used to remove a spinal tumor . In this case, the young woman had a slow-growing...