Why paternal mitochondria aren’t inherited by offspring

Mitochondria are organelles within eukaryotic cells most commonly known for their role in cellular respiration and the generation of ATP. Mitochondria are unique from other organelles in that they contain their own circular DNA and reproduce independently from the rest of the cell. Interestingly, only maternal mitochondria are passed on to offspring. In order to 

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Zika therapeutic targets identified using CRISPR technology

University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers, led by Kerafast providing investigator Dr. Abraham L. Brass, have used CRISPR technology to identify human proteins required for Zika virus infection and replication. These proteins now represent potential targets for the development of Zika treatments. Zika is a flavivirus, a family of mosquito-trasmitted viruses that also includes dengue, 

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Why Individual Mycobacteria Respond Differently to Antibiotics

Tuberculosis infects almost 10 million people every year and is challenging to treat. Treatment consists of multiple antibiotics taken over several months, partly because of variations in antibiotic tolerance among subpopulations of the tuberculosis-causing bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis.A specific combination of factors that determine why individual mycobacteria of the same genetic background can respond differently to 

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4 Recent Advances in Click Chemistry

Biomolecule labeling requires reaction procedures that can be performed under physiological conditions (e.g., neutral pH, aqueous solution, ambient temperature) with low reactant concentrations to ensure non-toxic, low background labeling at reasonable time scales while still preserving biological function. Click chemistry can be an excellent method to accomplish this. Below, we explain how traditional copper-catalyzed click 

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Using CAR T to fight solid tumors

T cells that have been genetically altered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have demonstrated cancer-fighting activity against hematologic cancers. However, CAR T cell therapy’s potential to treat solid tumors remains a question because of the lack of cell surface antigens specific to cancer cells. A recent study published in the journal Immunity has shown 

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