Baby formula improved by ingredient often removed during homogenization

A clinical trial shows infants who consume formula containing milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) score higher in cognitive, language and motor development than infants consuming a milk-based formula that didn't contain MFGM.

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Structural protein essential for ciliary harmony in comb jellies

Researchers have identified a structural protein that is essential for the coordinated beating of millions of tiny cilia on the surface of comb jellies. When the protein was eliminated, the cilia began beating out of formation, stalling the locomotion of the jellies. These findings will help uncover how various organisms have adapted to life in different aquatic environments.

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Newly discovered protein is the permit to the powerhouse of cells

Researchers report the discovery of a protein, P17/PERMIT, that is key to recycling aging and damaged mitochondria. Defective mitochondria are characteristic of a number of age-related diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's. The MUSC team showed P17/PERMIT transports the machinery that produces ceramide, a molecule that signals old mitochondria for destruction, to the mitochondria. There, it can mass-produce ceramide at the location needed for mitochondrial regulation.

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Protein movement in cells hints at greater mysteries

A new imaging technique that makes it possible to match motor proteins with the cargo they carry within a cell is upending a standard view of how cellular traffic reaches the correct destination. The research focuses on neurons and sheds light on some neurodegenerative diseases.

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Special cells contribute to regenerate the heart in Zebrafish

It is already known that zebrafish can flexibly regenerate their hearts after injury. An international research group now shows that certain heart muscle cells play a central role in this process. The insights gained could be used to initiate a similar repair process in the human heart.

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Strategies of a honey bee virus

The Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus is a pathogen that affects honey bees and has been linked to Colony Collapse Disorder, a key factor in decimating the bee population. Researchers have now analyzed in detail how the virus hijacks the cellular protein production machinery and misuses it for its own purposes.

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Scientists enhance color and texture of cultured meat

Researchers are exploring the development of cultured meat found that the addition of the iron-carrying protein myoglobin improves the growth, texture and color of bovine muscle grown from cells in culture. This development is a step toward the ultimate goal of growing meat from livestock animal cells for human consumption.

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Single mutation dramatically changes structure and function of bacteria's transporter proteins

Swapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study. The study — conducted using E. coli bacteria — can help researchers to better understand the evolution of transporter proteins and their role in drug resistance.

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Listening in to how proteins talk and learning their language

A research team has created a third approach to engineering proteins that uses deep learning to distill the fundamental features of proteins directly from their amino acid sequence without the need for additional information.

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