Poxviruses have found a unique way of translating their genes into proteins in the infected organism. For the first time, scientists of the University of Würzburg's Biocenter have been able to gain atomic-level insights into the functioning of the molecular machinery involved in the process. The pictures taken enable them to represent the early phase of transcription in a movie-like manner.
The proteins of SARS-CoV-2 play key roles in how the virus manages to evade immune defense and replicate itself in patients’ cells. An international research team – with significant contribution from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) – has now compiled the most detailed view of the virus' protein structures available to date. The analysis employing artificial intelligence methods has revealed surprising findings.
Scientists have long been aware of a link between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system (CNS). Until now, however, the immune cells that move from the gut into the CNS and thus the brain had not been identified. A team of researchers in Munich has now succeeded in using violet light to make these migrating T cells visible for the first time. This opens up avenues for developing new treatment options for diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer.
Against infections, tumours and inflammations, immune cells are locally positioned as rapid reaction forces in the organs of the body. On site, they specialise and take on various tasks.
T cells play a decisive role in fighting the coronavirus and preventing infected individuals from becoming seriously ill. They identify and fight the virus directly within the infected cells. A team of researchers working in Munich have produced a precise profile of the T cells that respond to SARS-CoV-2 and described them at various stages of the illness. This novel methodological approach may in the future also help to assess the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines or in the development of T cell-based treatments for serious cases.
The start-up Flux Polymers, which has its roots at the University of Würzburg, offers a simple and easy solution to keep plastic surfaces free of bacteria. Recently, it has found an investor and can now start its operational business.
The potassium channel KCNQ3 is required for our brain to generate accurate spatial maps. In mice, defects in KCNQ3 function have measurable effects on the internal navigation system. The findings of a research team including researchers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) recently published in Nature Communications are also relevant for Alzheimer’s-type dementia research.
Why people suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis is only partially understood. However, it is known that the bacteria of the intestinal flora and dysfunction in the immune system play an important role. In patients with IBD, an increased number of cells in the intestinal wall, known as epithelial cells, die. Bacteria then pass from the interior of the intestine into the damaged intestinal wall, causing inflammation and further cell death. The epithelial barrier, the barrier between the intestinal contents and the intestinal wall also becomes more permeable.
It all started with joint pain and a red facial rash: the then 16-year-old Thu-Thao V had already undergone several medical examinations in three cities when she was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in February 2017 at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen. In the life-threatening autoimmune disease, which mainly affects young women, the immune system attacks its own cells in various organ systems. After different immunosuppressive therapies failed to improve her symptoms, Thu-Thao V was treated with CAR-T cells by researchers from the German Centre for Immunotherapy (DZI) at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen in March 2021.
Healthy skin has a bacterial shield to protect against germs: the microbiome. This complex assembly of microorganisms was previously believed to be difficult to decipher. A team of researchers has now succeeded in using the enzyme benzonase to identify the living bacteria in skin swabs through sequencing. Their method opens up new possibilities for diagnosis and treatment in dermatology.
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