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Acrobatic duo in the cells

Misfolded proteins are non-functional and cause cell damage. In order to prevent this, there is a whole arsenal of proteins – called chaperones – that assist with folding and carry out quality control. In the bacterium…


Like a zipper – How cells form new blood vessels

The blood vessels form a widely ramified supply system that passes through our body from head to toe. They serve as pathways for blood cells and transport oxygen as well as nutrients into each individual organ. In the…


How neuromuscular connections are maintained after nerve lesions

The protein complex mTORC1 promotes muscle growth and is important for the self-cleaning process of the muscle cells. The role of mTORC1 in skeletal muscle fibers in response to nerve injury has so far not been studied in…


Engineered T cells promote long-term organ transplant acceptance

When someone is confronted with ‘foreign’ material, be it viruses, bacteria, fungi, but also donor organs following transplantation, immune cells called T cells come into action to inactivate and destroy the ”foreign”…


Safeguarding the cell nucleus

The nuclear pore is responsible for regulating the transport of proteins from the cytoplasm into the cell nucleus and for ushering RNA out of it. It works like a molecular sieve that controls the entry and exit of…


Keep on moving: Sports relieve tumor-associated anemia

The two major symptoms of cancer are muscle atrophy (loss of muscle mass) and anemia (reduced hemoglobin level), leading to weight loss, fatigue, lethargy and reduced physical performance. Moreover, both are also symptoms…


A bacterial toxin facilitating chronic infection

When pathogens invade our body the immune system is put on alert. The body’s immune cells are recruited to the site of infection and an inflammatory reaction is initiated to rapidly eliminate the invaders. Some pathogens,…


How bacteria reinforce their protective shield against stress

When infecting a host, pathogens not only need to evade the immune defense but also to survive diverse living conditions, such as the acidic conditions in the stomach or the salty intestinal environment. Gram negative…


Protective shield: How pathogens withstand acidic environments in the body

Each year, thousands of patients in Swiss hospitals become infected with dangerous pathogens that can hardly be controlled with antibiotics. The methicillin-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus , MRSA for short, is…


Yin and Yang: Two signaling molecules control growth and behavior in bacteria

Whether they are pathogens, deep-sea microbes or soil-dwelling organisms, in order to survive, microorganisms must be able to adapt rapidly to diverse changes in their environment, including nutrient depletion. Bacteria owe…