Molecular Awards

  The two main approaches for discovering disease genes reveal distinct aspects of biology, a new study shows. Although both methods are widely used, the research found that they identify different genes, with major implications for drug development. Published online November 5 in  Nature , the study revolves around the human genome, which contains thousands of genes that provide instructions for making proteins, as well as regulatory DNA that controls when genes turn on. The new investigation takes a genome-wide view of how small DNA differences—called variants—can influence traits such as height, hair color, and disease risk. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health; Stanford University; University of California, San Francisco; and the University of Tokyo, the new work analyzed two main methods used to determine how genetic differences influence disease biology. These are genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which test common variants across the genome—in genes and regula...

  Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have found a previously unknown way that viruses infecting bacteria take control of their hosts. They discovered a tiny RNA molecule that acts as a molecular ‘switch’ to speed up infection, providing key insights on phage biology that could support future efforts to develop alternatives to antibiotics. The study focused on bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – and revealed an unexpected regulatory role for a small RNA molecule called PreS. The findings demonstrate that phages can manipulate bacterial cells not only through proteins, but also by using RNA to reprogramme the cell from within. A new layer of viral control The research team, led by Dr Sahar Melamed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem alongside PhD student Aviezer Silverman, MSc student Raneem Nashef and computational biologist Reut Wasserman, worked in collaboration with Professor Ido Golding from the University of Illinois Urbana-C...

  In mice, limited intakes of one specific essential amino acid can slow the effects of aging and even extend their lifespan, research from the US shows. Scientists wonder if these findings could help people improve their longevity and quality of life. Isoleucine is one of three branched-chain amino acids that our bodies use to make proteins. It's essential for our survival, but our cells can't produce it from scratch, so we have to get it from sources like eggs, dairy, soy protein, and meats. In the most recent study, a genetically diverse group of mice was fed either a diet containing 20 common amino acids as a control, a diet where all amino acids were reduced by about two-thirds, or a diet where only isoleucine was reduced by the same amount. The mice were around six months old at the start of the study, which is the equivalent age of a 30-year-old person. They could eat as much as they wanted, but only from the specific kind of food provided to their group. Event Name : I...

  Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a novel artificial intelligence tool that not only identifies disease-causing genetic mutations but also predicts the type of disease those mutations may trigger. The method, called V2P (Variant to Phenotype), is designed to accelerate genetic diagnostics and aid in the discovery of new treatments for complex and rare diseases. The findings were reported in the December 15 online issue of  Nature Communications . How V2P advances genetic diagnostics Current genetic analysis tools can estimate whether a mutation is harmful, but they cannot determine the type of disease it might cause. V2P fills that gap by using advanced machine learning to link genetic variants with their likely phenotypic outcomes—that is, the diseases or traits a mutation might cause—effectively predicting how a patient's DNA could influence their health. "Our approach allows us to pinpoint the genetic changes that are most relevant t...

  Liquids and solutions are complex environments—think, for example, of sugar dissolving in water, where each sugar molecule becomes surrounded by a restless crowd of water molecules. Inside living cells, the picture is even more complex: tiny liquid droplets carry proteins or RNA and help organize the cell's chemistry. Despite their importance, liquid environments are notoriously difficult to study at the level of individual molecules and electrons. The core challenge is that liquids lack a fixed structure, and the ultrafast interactions between solute and solvent—where chemistry actually happens—have remained largely invisible to scientists. High-harmonic spectroscopy reveals new details A team of researchers from Ohio State University and Louisiana State University has now shown that high-harmonic spectroscopy (HHS)—a nonlinear optical technique capable of capturing electron dynamics on attosecond timescales—can reveal the tiny, local structures that form when one liquid dissolv...

  Molecular movement and interaction form an intricate choreography, where each insight enriches our understanding and downstream applications. The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is expanding ways to share emerging research across the breadth of the molecular life sciences by adding  Insights in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , or IBMB, to its family of journals. Joining the society’s flagship  Journal of Biological Chemistry , as well as  Molecular & Cellular Proteomics  and the  Journal of Lipid Research , IBMB will further strengthen ASBMB’s commitment to advancing discovery through biochemistry and molecular biology. Together, ASBMB’s family of journals will reinforce ASBMB’s leadership as a home for research that drives fundamental understanding across the molecular life sciences, which is essential for long-term progress for health and human benefit. Like all ASBMB journals, IBMB will be gold open access, a leadin...

  A calm patch of seawater looks simple from above. Chemically, however, it’s anything but simple. Right where air meets liquid, water molecules and dissolved ions arrange themselves in ways that control how gases react, how droplets age in the atmosphere, and how electric charges move in devices. Water molecules and surfaces In the standard explanation, large, easily distorted ions, such as  iodide , were treated as surface lovers. They were expected to collect in the top layer of water. Smaller, less flexible ions such as  fluoride  were thought to avoid that boundary and stay deeper in the solution. If positive and negative ions separated even slightly near the surface, they would form an electric double layer – a thin charged region that nudged the  O-H bonds  in water molecules to point more in one direction than in the other. This scheme was applied to many common dissolved substances: sodium halides, hydroxide, sulfate, perchlorate, and similar ions ...