Department of Biochemistry Archive — Page 3 of 10

Multiple pipettes dispense pink liquid into the wells of a laboratory microplate.
May 19, 2020

Probing innate immunity

Manuel Ascano team validates an inhibitor of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, which is important for cellular innate immunity against bacteria, viruses, and our own damaged DNA.

Portrait of Manuel Ascano, Ph.D., smiling in a biochemistry laboratory, with lab equipment and shelves visible in the background.
May 7, 2020

New method captures early viral-host protein interactions

Researchers have developed a method to identify the primary interactions between incoming viral RNA genomes and host proteins.

Blue toggle switch between red “ON” and black “OFF” labels.
May 5, 2020

A dual-purpose metabolic switch

John York and colleagues have demonstrated that the protein Vip1 is a rare type of bifunctional enzyme: it can both synthesize and destroy key cellular signaling molecules.

Colorful 3D cutaway illustration of a spherical virus particle, showing coiled green genetic material inside a layered shell surrounded by blue and magenta surface proteins.
March 23, 2020

Cellular factor helps package flu genome

New insights on influenza genome packaging could guide strategies for interfering with the virus’s life cycle and ability to cause infection.

Hooded person holding a glowing blue, wand-like object in a dark, underwater-looking setting.
March 10, 2020

Loss of ‘Jedi’ alters neuron activity

This is not the Jedi you’re thinking of. This Jedi is a receptor that helps clear away dead neurons during development, and its loss changes the activity of dorsal root ganglia neurons, which could have implications for treating chronic pain.

Abstract visualization of DNA sequencing data, with multicolored nucleotide letters and fluorescent waveform peaks reflected across a digital data surface.
February 6, 2020

New tool probes gene regulation

Vanderbilt biochemists got unexpected results when they used their new approach to explore the role of DNA methylation in gene regulation.