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Efficient removal of abnormal myelin allows survival of nerve fibers targeted by adaptive immune cells, according to a novel study by scientists of the University Hospital Würzburg. Myelin is an insulating sheath around axons - the processes connecting nerve cells - that is mostly composed of lipids and proteins.

Bonn researchers uncover contribution of Cylicin proteins to male fertility For successful fertilization, sperm should move forward rapidly and be shaped correctly. The unique structure of the sperm cells forms during spermiogenesis. Now, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Transdisciplinary Research Unit "Life & Health" at the University of Bonn have found that fertility problems in both mice and humans can be caused by loss of so-called cylicines.

Damage to the body's peripheral nerves can cause pain and movement disorders. Researchers at the Leipzig University have recently investigated how damaged nerves can regenerate better. They found that fat tissue strongly supports the Schwann cells needed for repair during the healing process. The results were published in the renowned journal "Cell Metabolism".

Plants in which an ion channel of the vacuole is hyperactive are extremely stressed and grow poorly. But the broad bean is an exception, as Würzburg researchers have discovered. Like the human body, plants also use electrical signals to process and pass on information. In addition to the cell membrane, the membrane of the central vacuole plays an important role in this process.

A heat shock protein protects the cells against protein clumping. It degrades, however, over longer treatment periods. Plasmas are used, for example, in wound treatment against pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics. However, bacteria can defend themselves: They employ a heat shock protein that protects them.

A new study by Würzburg botanist Kenji Fukushima shows the role of subgenome dominance for plants in the evolutionary development of special traits, such as a carnivorous lifestyle. In a recent study, a team led by Würzburg botanist Kenji Fukushima investigates the genomic structure of the carnivorous pitcher plant Nepenthes gracilis and shows how polyploidy - the phenomenon of having more than two sets of chromosomes in cells - contributes to evolutionary innovation.

Plasmas can provide the co-substrate needed for biocatalysis of valuable substances, but are also harmful to enzymes. By attaching enzymes to small beads the enzymes are protected and remain active up to 44 times longer. Some enzymes, such as the one derived from fungi and investigated in this study, are able to produce valuable substances such as the fragrance (R)-1-phenylethanol.

As we all know, only what goes in goes out: how flexible the heart walls are is therefore also crucial for the heart's pumping function. A working group from the Institute of Physiology II at the Medical Faculty of the University of Münster has been able to show for the first time which structural elements influence this flexibility and to what extent.

The rising resistance of bacteria to antibiotics presents an escalating global health risk. Now, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany, have combined synthetic biology and artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a more efficient approach to finding and creating new antimicrobial peptides that are effective against a wide range of bacteria.

Stanley Milgram's groundbreaking "Six Degrees of Separation" experiment demonstrated the surprisingly close connections between us humans back in the 1960s. Now the research team led by Professor Matthias Mann at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, has shown that the proteins in our cells are equally well connected.

The discovery of the phantom touch illusion provides insights into human perception and opens up new perspectives for interaction with virtual reality technology. Virtual reality (VR) is not only a technology for games and entertainment, but also has potential in science and medicine. Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have now gained new insights into human perception with the help of VR.

Researchers at the University of Bonn take a look behind the scenes of machine learning in drug research Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise. Until now, AI applications generally have "black box" character: How AI arrives at its results remains hidden. Jürgen Bajorath, a cheminformatics scientist at the University of Bonn, and his team have developed a method that reveals how certain AI applications work in pharmaceutical research.

Fasting interventions, which involve alternating periods of fasting and refeeding, are generally thought to improve health. But these interventions don't work as well in old animals. The question is: Why? By studying the short-lived killifish, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne have shown that older fish deviate from a youthful fasting and refeeding cycle, and instead enter a state of perpetual fasting, even when ingesting food.

For years, researchers have been working to synthetically recreate the genome, or more precisely, the chromosomes of brewer's yeast. Now it has been possible to combine all transfer RNA genes in an artificial chromosome. The result sets a milestone in the development of the first synthetic eukaryotic genome and opens up new avenues for basic research.

How do men and women regulate their emotions under stress? A new study in cognitive psychology that makes use of the socially evaluated cold-pressor test has answered this question. The response to stress varies from person to person. "We're trying to find out which factors may account for these different susceptibilities," explains Dr. Katja Langer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Cognitive Psychology.

Looking around us, we can see that people age at different rates. But what about inside? Do all cells age in the same way? And does the location of a cell in the organ make a difference to the ageing process? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne and CECAD Excellence Cluster for Ageing Research have now shown in the liver of mice that liver cells age differently depending on where they are located in the organ.

MYC proteins play an important role in many types of cancer. A research team at the University of Würzburg has now succeeded in indirectly influencing these proteins - with clear consequences for the tumor. MYC family genes are essential for the human organism. According to current knowledge, they regulate the expression of most cellular genes.

Cytoplasmic lattices in the egg cell supply the early embryo as protein storage sites When mammals have offspring, they invest a lot. Unlike fish or frogs, the embryo cannot develop on its own. It has to implant in the uterus, where it is supplied with everything it needs to survive. Until this happens, the egg cell nourishes the early embryo.

In the immune system's fight against cancer and infections, the T cells often lose their power. The team of Würzburg immunologist Martin Vaeth has found a possible explanation for this phenomenon. In the immune system, chronic infections and the defence against tumors often lead to the phenomenon of T cell exhaustion: In this process, the T lymphocytes gradually lose their function, which impairs their responses against cancer and infections.

Researchers from Heidelberg and London decode genetic programmes that underlie the development of sex-specific characteristics of mammalian organs The development of sex-specific characteristics is frequently seen in mammals. These characteristics stem from the activation of corresponding genetic programmes that until now have been largely undescribed by the scientific community.