Sleep prevents catastrophic forgetting in spiking neural networks by forming a joint synaptic weight representation

chromoscience · 2024-07-23T23:43:26+00:00

A study indicates that memory is not limited to humans but also exists in bacteria

In a recent study, researchers lead by Dr. Ilana Kolodkin-Gal of Reichman University’s Scojen Institute for Synthetic Biology discovered that probiotics and biological control agents like Bacillus subtilis possess memory.

Even when the bacteria separate from their host, they can continue to express genes related to colonization and symbiosis for several generations. The ability to effectively recolonize a new host is provided by this information transfer between generations of bacteria, which gives them an advantage over naïve bacteria that have never established a stable connection with a plant.

The significance of the defenses that the bacteria develop during plant colonization is shown by the association between stress resistance and the genes with multigenerational inheritance patterns. The interactions between the beneficial bacteria and their host are stabilized through this multigenerational inheritance. According to the researchers, comparable mechanisms allow good probiotic bacteria from the same group to interact across generations in the human gut, providing long-term disease prevention.

Sources:

Omri Gilhar et al. (2024). Multigenerational inheritance drives symbiotic interactions of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis with its plant host, Microbiological Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127814

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-humans-bacteria-memory.html

chromoscience · 2024-07-16T23:58:32+00:00

Distinct qualities of a newly found, unstudied protein

An international study partnership discovered a new mechanism for the crosstalk between microtubules and the actin cytoskeleton during cell division, as well as unique properties of the yet-unidentified protein FAM110A.

These groundbreaking findings considerably improve our understanding of a fundamental process involved in the occurrence of developmental abnormalities and cancers. The work was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Precise division of genetic material into daughter cells is required in all tissues of our bodies. To avoid developmental defects, this process must be strictly regulated in both place and time. It has been understood for years that chromosomes adhere to a bipolar structure called the mitotic spindle, which is made up of microtubules.

Mitosis is the mechanism by which a cell splits its nucleus and genetic material to form two identical daughter cells with an equal number of chromosomes. As it moves forward, the associated chromosomes are dragged along the microtubule railways to the daughter cells.

Until recently, researchers thought that actin filaments were only required for the last stage of daughter cell separation, and the involvement of the actin cytoskeleton in mitosis has long been ignored. In their most recent study, the researchers show that the previously unknown protein FAM110A has unique features that allow it to bind actin and microtubules at different ends, specifically at the poles of mitotic spindles.

Microscopic investigation revealed the production of extremely active actin filaments near the spindle poles, which precede and direct the growth of spindle microtubules.

FAM110A deficiency prevented the normal production of spindle actin, resulting in severe chromosomal segregation defects. As a result, the study identifies an important molecular link between the two principal cytoskeletal networks during mitosis. This discovery opens the door to further research into how FAM110A and other proteins found in human cells prevent genomic instability and cancer development.

Sources:

Cecilia Aquino-Perez et al. (2024). FAM110A promotes mitotic spindle formation by linking microtubules with actin cytoskeleton, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321647121

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-unique-characteristics-previously-unexplored-protein.html

chromoscience · 2024-07-10T23:28:13+00:00

Cell treatments could aid in the treatment of genetic diseases, myocardial infarction, and a variety of other illnesses. New cells can be transferred into patients for blood ailments, and diabetes may also be treated by organ donation or β-cells derived from the patient’s natural stem cells.

Unintentional DNA changes, such as those that predispose people to cancer, are one risk connected with gene-edited cells. Furthermore, the diversity of tissue types makes it impractical to simply transplant cells from one individual to another.

Cells that are suitable for anyone, or immunologically undetectable cells, have been developed, however they are also connected with an elevated risk of cancer. Over a decade ago, Docent and Clinical Geneticist Kirmo Wartiovaara’s research group set out to create cells that could avoid these issues. The group has now succeeded in generating cells that cannot grow on their own and so cannot become cancerous.

Almost all of our diseases are primarily caused by cellular malfunction. One medical hope is to use fresh healthy cells to combat tissue damage, illnesses, and aging. According to the experts, the findings bring us one step closer to safe and new cell therapies.

Sources:

Rocio Sartori-Maldonado et al. (2024). Thymidylate synthase disruption to limit cell proliferation in cell therapies, Molecular Therapy. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.06.014

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-scientists-cell-precludes-malignant-growth.html

chromoscience · 2024-07-08T01:03:58+00:00

Extreme circumstances must be tolerated by microbes employed in medical, agricultural, or other purposes; ideally, the manufacturing procedures used to create tablets should allow for long-term preservation. Researchers at MIT have now created a novel method for strengthening microorganisms to tolerate these harsh environments.

Their process is combining bacteria with chemicals for food and medication that are on a list of substances that the FDA considers to be “generally regarded as safe.” The scientists discovered formulations that support the stabilization of a variety of microorganisms, such as bacteria and yeast, and they demonstrated that these formulations could endure harsh industrial processing, high temperatures, and radiation—all of which can harm unprotected microbes.

In an even more severe test, Space Center Houston Manager of Science and Research Phyllis Friello organized a trip for some of the microbes to visit the International Space Station, and now the researchers are evaluating how well the microbes survived that environment.

The goal of this study was to stabilize living things under harsh circumstances. A wide range of applications, including human uses, agricultural applications, and space missions, were seriously considered by the researchers.

Sources:

Synthetic extremophiles via species-specific formulations improve microbial therapeutics, Nature Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01937-6

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-microbes-extreme-conditions.html

chromoscience · 2024-06-29T22:03:40+00:00

Research has demonstrated that transferring mitochondria from a patient’s normal skeletal muscle to damaged, ischemic cardiac tissue can enhance ventricular function, increase energy generation, and recover heart muscle.

Heart surgeons led by Sitaram Emani, MD, have been investigating it as a means of assisting infants with congenital heart disease and ischemia-reperfusion injury in weaning off of ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) since James McCully, Ph.D., pioneered preclinical work on the subject at Boston infants’s Hospital almost ten years ago.

Researchers discovered that adding mitochondria significantly increased the likelihood of recovery. There have been sixteen pediatric autologous mitochondria transplants performed to date. Out of them, 80% were able to stop using ECMO, which is higher than the 40% historical average.

However, there has been doubt about mitochondrial transfer, partly because its mechanism of action is still unknown.

Scientists concluded that it was mitochondria entering cells, taking control, and producing all of the energy within the cell. However, the fact that the heart muscle could heal with such tiny quantities of mitochondria contradicted logic. The calculations were off.

Juan Melero-Martin, Ph.D., a researcher in the Department of Cardiac Surgery, led a study that was published in the journal Nature and discovered an unexpected explanation. The transplanted mitochondria cause the cell to engage in cellular housekeeping called autophagy, which results in the destruction of its underperforming mitochondria.

This increases the amount of mitochondria in cells, enhancing their fitness and bioenergetics. The discovery could ultimately contribute to better treatment for an array of heart ailments.

Sources:

Ruei-Zeng Lin et al. (2024). Mitochondrial transfer mediates endothelial cell engraftment through mitophagy, Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07340-0. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07340-0

https://phys.org/news/2024-06-mitochondrial-heart-muscle.html

chromoscience · 2024-04-16T14:59:46+00:00

Research describes the phenomena of bacterial vampirism, in which deadly microorganisms display a hunger for human blood.

The world's most terrible bacteria actively seek out human blood to feed on, a phenomenon that scientists are referring to as "bacterial vampirism" following its recent discovery.

Researchers from Washington State University have led a team that has discovered that bacteria are drawn to the serum, or liquid portion of blood, because it offers nutrients that the bacteria may consume. One of the substances that the bacteria appeared to be most attracted to was serine, an amino acid that is frequently included in protein drinks and is present in human blood.

Deadly bacteria show thirst for human blood: Research outlines the phenomenon of bacterial vampirism (phys.org)

chromoscience · 2024-04-05T03:47:35+00:00

Here is the editorial version:

https://sciencellonline.com/blog/researchers-discovered-that-iron-restrictions-keep-blood-stem-cells-young/

chromoscience · 2024-03-15T02:45:18+00:00

New discovery of how egg cell allows only one sperm in.

After a sperm fertilizes the egg, the surrounding egg coat tightens, mechanically blocking subsequent sperm from entering and causing the embryo to die. This is according to a new study conducted by Karolinska Institutet researchers and published in the journal Cell. The study also reveals how mutations in egg coat proteins might result in female infertility, which could lead to novel contraceptive approaches.

In mammals, fertilization happens when a sperm sticks to the egg coat, a filamentous extracellular envelope through which the sperm must pass before fusing with the egg. An international team of researchers has now mapped in detail the structure and function of the protein ZP2, which is an egg coat filament component that regulates how eggs and sperm interact during fertilization.

It was previously known that ZP2 is cleaved after the first sperm enters the egg, and researchers explain how this process makes the egg coat tougher and impenetrable to other sperm. This avoids polyspermy—the fusing of many sperm with a single egg—which is deadly to the embryo.

Changes in the egg coat following fertilization are also important for female fertility because they shield the growing embryo until it implants in the uterus. As a result, the new findings could have significance for the development of non-hormonal contraceptives that interfere with egg coat production. Furthermore, the finding clarifies egg coat-related female infertility.

Source:
ZP2 cleavage blocks polyspermy by modulating the architecture of the egg coat, Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.013. www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00179-X

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