Creative Biomart Blog

Thu, 2025/11/13

New Research Structurally Reveals the Mechanism of Nucleolin Protein Recognizing G-Quadruplex in the c-MYC Gene Promoter

The Human Body's Natural "Cancer Brake" Has Been Found! In images achieved at single-atom resolution, researchers demonstrated how this "brake" functions: a protein binds to a cancer-related segment of DNA, much like two Lego blocks snapping together. Is it possible to harness the natural cancer inhibition mechanism to stop this disease? It might be, but to harness the systems designed by nature, we first need to understand it. Researchers, led by a team from Purdue University, are exploring a molecular mechanism that can suppress the rampant cell division associated with cancer. Their work op

Thu, 2025/11/13

How the Language Gene FOXP2 Can Help Treat Huntington's Disease

The team is now testing whether the insights gained from their study of FOXP2 can assist in treating Huntington's disease and other polyglutamine diseases. Ultimately, they aim to design drugs that can mimic the anti-aggregation effects of DNA binding and phosphorylation. In deadly genetic disorders like Huntington's disease and spinocerebellar ataxias, proteins form long chains of repeat sequences that stick together like Velcro. When these proteins aggregate in the brain, they damage and kill neurons, resulting in severe cognitive decline. Clinicians currently have no therapies targeting the

Thu, 2025/11/13

Father’s Protein Intake Determines Daughters’ “Metabolic Physique”?

This study found in C57BL/6J mice that male dietary macronutrients affect over 50% of the brown adipose tissue (BAT) proteome and negatively regulate the expression of basement membrane proteoglycan in daughters’ BAT, providing a basis for dietary intervention in metabolic health. Fig1. Graphical abstract Modern individuals increasingly focus on the relationship between diet and health, from weight management to the prevention of metabolic diseases, with dietary details closely linked to bodily functions. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), as a key organ in regulating energy expenditure and m

Thu, 2025/11/13

Cells produce two types of proteins locally in mitochondria to support energy generation

The paper introduces a new tool called LOCL-TL for precise studies of local translation, with new findings on two classes of proteins involved in mitochondrial local translation. Human cells produce various proteins, each with specific functions, often requiring them to be located at specific sites in the cell where that function is needed. One way cells ensure that certain proteins reach the correct location at the right time is through a process called local translation, which ensures proteins are synthesized near where they are needed. Jonathan Weissman, a member of the Whitehead Institute,

Sun, 2025/09/07

V(D)J Recombination "By-products" Can Self-replicate and Trigger Leukemia Relapse

This landmark study offers a new paradigm for understanding leukemia relapse. It elevates a long-neglected cellular by-product—the excised signal circle (ESC)—from a "harmless bystander" to a "central culprit." In the prolonged battle against cancer, "relapse" is a heart-wrenching term. For pediatric patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), despite modern medicine being able to cure most initial cases, around 15-20% of children still relapse post-treatment. These relapsed leukemia cells are often more aggressive and have developed resistance to chemotherapy. What secrets l

Sun, 2025/09/07

Highlights from Cell Journal July 2025 (II)

Groundbreaking Breakthrough! A Single Injection Alters Brain DNA, Offering Hope to Mice with Rare Neurological Diseases DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.038 In the field of gene therapy, a result that could shake the academic community and patients alike has recently emerged. A team of elite researchers from the Jackson Laboratory (JAX), the Broad Institute, and the nonprofit RARE Hope collaborated to achieve a landmark medical exploration—directly editing DNA in the brains of mice through a single injection, successfully correcting the genetic mutation that leads to an ultra-rare disease. T

Sun, 2025/09/07

Highlights from Cell Journal July 2025 (I)

What makes the human brain unique? Cell: New study identifies two genes associated with human brain traits DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.037 What makes the human brain stand out? A new study published in Cell has identified two genes linked to human brain traits and offers a roadmap for discovering more such genes. This research could help in understanding the functions and evolution of the human brain, as well as the roots of language disorders and autism. Dennis and his colleagues used the telomere-to-telomere human genome to identify duplicated genes. They then filtered these based on sequen

Sun, 2025/09/07

Guidelines for Designing Protein Transformers

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence model named ProDomino. By "learning" from nature's evolutionary wisdom, it can accurately predict the optimal "modification sites" on protein molecules. Proteins are the cornerstone of life, acting as tireless nano-sized molecular machines. Some are responsible for catalyzing biochemical reactions, others for transmitting signals, while some provide the framework for our bodies. However, these natural molecular machines do not always fully meet our needs. In the era of synthetic biology and precision medicine, we aspire to control these mac