Researchers at the University of Bayreuth and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have described a previously unknown mechanism in the perception of light and heat in plants. The results contribute to a better understanding of plant physiological processes. The researchers report on their findings in the journal “The Plant Cell”.

Ein Forschungsteam vom Institut für Biochemie gibt Einblicke in den mRNA-Export unter Normal- und Stressbedingungen – Publikation in „Molecular Cell“

The EU has banned animal testing for cosmetics and non-animal alternative methods are preferable for the risk assessment of new chemical substances. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, a three-dimensional skin model has now been set up for the first time that directly displays the skin’s reaction to substances: The reporter skin. Thanks to the built-in reporter, the cellular response can be measured precisely and quickly – using a living model. This means that not only cosmetics can be tested effectively, but also allergens and the inflammation-causing or toxic effects of biocides, pesticides and chemicals.

Computer Science: Publication in PLOS Biology

Transport proteins are responsible for the ongoing movement of substrates into and out of a biological cell. However, it is difficult to determine which substrates a specific protein can transport. Bioinformaticians at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have developed a model – called SPOT – which can predict this with a high degree of accuracy using artificial intelligence (AI). They now present their approach, which can be used with arbitrary transport proteins, in the scientific journal PLOS Biology.

Certain developmental signals shape not only the human embryo but also play a significant role in maintaining our genetic blueprints. They prevent alterations in the genome, known as mosaicism. The underlying biological mechanism helps the DNA to produce an identical copy of itself during cell division using the original genetic blueprint. However, it can also contribute to genomic mosaicism during nerve cell development, according to the findings of an international research team led by scientists from Heidelberg University.

Eine bahnbrechende Studie eines internationalen Forschungsteams hat eine wichtige Verbindung zwischen Gehirn und Darm aufgedeckt. Sie erklärt, wie psychische Zustände das Darmmikrobiom beeinflussen und dadurch Immunprobleme und andere Krankheiten auslösen können. Die jetzt in der Fachzeitschrift Cell veröffentlichte Arbeit führt aus, dass das Gehirn über die Brunner-Drüsen im Dünndarm die Zusammensetzung des Darmmikrobioms beeinflusst. Dieses neue Verständnis der komplexen Mechanismen, über die sich psychische Zustände auf die körperliche Gesundheit auswirken können, zeigt neue Möglichkeiten für therapeutische Interventionen auf, etwa bei entzündlichen Darmerkrankungen.

A groundbreaking study has uncovered a critical brain-gut connection that links psychological states to changes in the gut microbiome, with profound implications for immune function and stress-related health conditions. The research, now published in the journal Cell, reveals how stress-sensitive brain circuits influence the composition of gut bacteria through Brunner’s glands in the small intestine. It sheds light on the intricate mechanisms by which mental states can impact physical health, pointing to new possibilities for therapeutic intervention, for example against inflammatory bowel disease.

Imaging: Publication in Science Advances

How can molecular structures be analysed when the resolution of the techniques available is not sufficient? Researchers from the fields of physics, chemistry and medicine at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have combined and further developed various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques in order to examine a protein arrangement in the cell membrane that is important for “programmed cell death”. In the scientific journal Science Advances, they now describe the circumstances under which the CD95 receptor – which is responsible for cell death – reacts.

A new molecular engineering technique can precisely influence the development of organoids. Microbeads made of specifically folded DNA are used to release growth factors or other signal molecules inside the tissue structures. This gives rise to considerably more complex organoids that imitate the respective tissues much better and have a more realistic cell mix than before. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research developed the technique.

A 3D in vitro cell culture model as a basis for the development of new treatment strategies for one of the most common diseases in industrialized nations

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology now reveal how a bacterial parasite infects and reproduces in the nuclei of deep-sea mussels from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. They show how a single bacterial cell invades the mussel’s nucleus where it reproduces to over 80,000 cells, while ensuring that its host cell stays alive.

Ageing is a complex biological process that also takes place in the brain. Researchers have discovered that the gene activity changes in different cell types in the brain. A certain type of neuron is particularly affected. In the long term, the findings could provide starting points for slowing down the ageing process and delaying neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s-type dementia.

Ein interdisziplinäres Forschungsteam unter Leitung des Fachbereichs Biologie der Universität Hamburg und des Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge (England) hat die erste dreidimensionale Computersimulation einer Spindel geschaffen. Diese Simulation kann nun genutzt werden, um fundamentale Prinzipien der Zellteilung besser zu verstehen und wurde in der Fachzeitschrift „Developmental Cell“ veröffentlicht.

The elimination of damaged cell components is essential for the maintenance of the body’s tissues and organs. An international research team led by the University of Bonn has made significant findings on mechanisms for the clearing of cellular wastes, showing that strength training activates such mechanisms. The findings could form the basis for new therapies for heart failure and nerve diseases, and even afford benefits for manned space missions. A corresponding article has been published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology. EMBARGOED: Do not publish until 5 pm CEST on August, 23rd!

New AI-based digital platform enables extremely fast and accurate analysis of tissue sections from lung cancer patients / publication in ‘Cell Reports Medicine’

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) studied hundreds of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They discovered that specific mutations in the STAG2 protein cause altered DNA folding in the cell nucleus, thereby contributing to the development of AML.

Inside each cell, individual structures known as organelles perform key functions, but how these organelles contribute to the formation of tissues and organs is unknown. Groundbreaking research from the Campàs group at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life of TU Dresden now reveals that the cell’s nucleus controls the stiffness of eye and brain tissues, and even the ordered arrangements of cells in them. These results add a new role for the cell’s nucleus in tissue organization, well beyond its established role in genetic regulation.

A previously unknown mechanism of active matter self-organization essential for bacterial cell division follows the motto ‘dying to align’: Misaligned filaments ‘die’ spontaneously to form a ring structure at the center of the dividing cell. The study, led by the Šarić group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), was published in Nature Physics. The work could find applications in developing synthetic self-healing materials.

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), University Hospital Regensburg (UKR) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have engineered CD8+ T cells to artificially express the gene LMO4, thereby enhancing their effectiveness against tumors.

Pharmacy: Publication in Cell Chemical Biology

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have together succeeded in identifying and synthesising a group of molecules that can act against the cause of tuberculosis in a new way. In the scientific journal Cell Chemical Biology, they describe that the so-called callyaerins act against the infectious disease by employing a fundamentally different mechanism compared to antibiotic agents used to date.

MHH researchers explain how pathogens establish a connection between their cell surface and their protective capsules

A research team from HIRI and THWS develops a tool for visualizing single-cell data

Die Spinale Muskelatrophie (SMA) ist eine schwerwiegende Nervenerkrankung, für die es bislang keine Heilung gibt, wenngleich die derzeitigen Therapien die Symptome lindern können. Für die Suche nach besseren Behandlungsmöglichkeiten lenken Forschende des DZNE und der Technischen Universität Dresden nun den Blick auf bisher unerkannte Anomalien in der Embryonalentwicklung. Sie berufen sich dabei auf Untersuchungen an sogenannten Organoiden: Im Labor gezüchtete Gewebekulturen, an denen sich Krankheitsprozesse nachvollziehen lassen. Ihre Befunde sind in der Fachzeitschrift „Cell Reports Medicine“ veröffentlicht.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a severe neurological disease for which there is presently no cure, although current therapies can alleviate symptoms. In the search for better treatment options, scientists at DZNE and the Dresden University of Technology are now drawing attention to previously unnoticed abnormalities in embryonic development. They base their argument on studies of so-called organoids: Laboratory-grown tissue cultures that can reconstruct disease processes. Their findings are published in the journal “Cell Reports Medicine”.

Pharmazie: Veröffentlichung in Cell Chemical Biology

Gemeinsam ist es Forschenden der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (HHU) und der Universität Duisburg-Essen (UDE) gelungen, eine Gruppe von Molekülen zu identifizieren und zu synthetisieren, die auf neue Art und Weise gegen den Auslöser der Tuberkulose wirken. In der Fachzeitschrift Cell Chemical Biology beschreiben sie, dass die sogenannten Callyaerine grundlegend anders als bisherige antibiotische Wirkstoffe gegen die Infektionskrankheit wirken.