Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have reconciled two closely related but contentious mechanisms underlying transcription, the process of converting genetic information in DNA into messenger RNA. Phase separation has been proposed as a driving force in transcription due to its ability to selectively concentrate proteins and DNA in discrete droplets.

Mechanism of sphingosine mediated tumor suppression.

Both sphingosine and ceramide suppress tumor growth, but the molecular details of this regulation are currently unclear.

Sphingosine-like compounds bind to their target proteins and trigger structural changes that activate PP2A (the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) scaffold (PPP2R1A)) and inhibit the importins (KPNB1, TNPO1, IPO7, IPO5).

Together, these actions disable proteins that drive cancer initiation and progression (e.g., YAP, JUN, MYC, the androgen receptor, hnRNPA1, NF-κB, and ribosomal proteins) by triggering their proteasomal degradation and/or inhibiting their nuclear import.

Together, these pathways elicit more robust effects than activating PP2A or inhibiting importins individually.

The effect of endogenous sphingosine on these oncoproteins is limited by its metabolic conversion into ceramide or sphingosine-1-phosphate. https://sciencemission.com/Sphingosine-simultaneously-inhibits

A new study shows that gene therapy can significantly improve hearing in both children and adults with congenital deafness caused by mutations in the OTOF gene.

Chemists at the School of Science of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have recently made significant progress in photocatalysis by unveiling a “super” photoreductant, marking a major advancement in organic synthesis.

Quantum dots (QDs) hold great promise as photocatalysts for promoting photoredox chemistry. However, their application in photocatalytic organic transformations has lagged behind that of small molecule photosensitizers due to the limited understanding of their photophysics.

While various studies have explored the generation of hot electrons from QDs as a strategy to enhance photoreduction efficiencies, achieving effective hot-electron generation under mild conditions has posed a significant challenge.

Managing radioactive waste is one of the core challenges in the use of nuclear energy. In particular, radioactive iodine poses serious environmental and health risks due to its long half-life (15.7 million years in the case of I-129), high mobility, and toxicity to living organisms.

A Korean research team has successfully used artificial intelligence to discover a new material that can remove iodine for nuclear environmental remediation. The team plans to push forward with commercialization through various industry–academia collaborations, from iodine-adsorbing powders to contaminated water treatment filters.

Professor Ho Jin Ryu’s research team from the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, in collaboration with Dr. Juhwan Noh of the Digital Chemistry Research Center at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, developed a technique using AI to discover new materials that effectively remove radioactive iodine contaminants. Their research is published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Small, 3D-printed devices, designed to be implanted directly under the skin, could allow people with type 1 diabetes to produce their own insulin

This study found that involvement of the superior cerebellar peduncles is frequent in patients with GAA-FGF14 ataxia (SCA27B)

ObjectivesGAA-FGF14 ataxia (SCA27B) is a recently reported late-onset ataxia caused by a GAA repeat expansion in intron 1 of the FGF14 gene. After the clinical observation of superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) involvement in some affected patients, we sought to verify the prevalence of this finding in our cohort and 4 additional independent cohorts of patients with SCA27B.

People with Chiari malformations have a skull shape similar to Neanderthals, suggesting that the condition may be caused by DNA inherited from archaic humans

A new study by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reveals that joint tissue from patients with early-stage rheumatoid arthritis often have high levels of a protein called granzyme used by the immune system to attack pathogens.

The study also detected remnants of a bacteria that causes gum disease —gingivitis—in the tissue samples. While a connection between gingivitis and rheumatoid arthritis has long been suspected, this is the first time physical evidence of the bacteria in the joint tissue has been detected.

Researchers said the findings strongly support the hypothesis that these bacteria, initially colonizing gum tissue, somehow drive the development of rheumatoid arthritis, at least in some patients. How the bacteria get into the joints remains unknown. These findings, they said, could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of this chronic disease.

A new AI model is much better than doctors at identifying patients likely to experience cardiac arrest. The linchpin is the system’s ability to analyze long-underused heart imaging, alongside a full spectrum of medical records, to reveal previously hidden information about a patient’s heart health.

The work, led by Johns Hopkins University researchers, could save many lives and also spare many people unnecessary medical interventions, including the implantation of unneeded defibrillators.

“Currently, we have patients dying in the prime of their lives because they aren’t protected and others who are putting up with defibrillators for the rest of their lives with no benefit,” said senior author Natalia Trayanova, a researcher focused on using artificial intelligence in cardiology. “We have the ability to predict with very high accuracy whether a patient is at very high risk for sudden cardiac death or not.”