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By fusing a light-sensitive domain of an oat plant protein to Rac1, researchers created a genetically encoded protein fusion that can be reversibly activated with blue light and control cell movement—an attractive alternative to current caging tools.
Despite expansion of the fluorescent protein and optical highlighter palette into the orange to far-red range of the visible spectrum, achieving performance equivalent to that of EGFP has continued to elude protein engineers.
A wide range of methodology will be needed to bridge the gap between genome sequence and mechanistic understanding in biology. Recent advances in high-throughput genetic screening address this task.
Neuroscientists are taking advantage of powerful new tools for fluorescence imaging that enable detailed visualization of the structure and activity of neuronal circuits within the living brain.
Conceptual breakthroughs in science tend to garner accolades and attention. But, as the invention of tissue culture and the development of isotopic tracers show, innovative methods open up new fields and enable the solution of longstanding problems.
Researchers describe a genetic approach to identify the native components responsible for forming molecular transport junctions between the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum.
Although many intricate microfluidic devices have been created in academic laboratories around the world, far fewer have been commercialized for wider use. But several efforts are underway to bridge this divide.
Metagenomics sprang from advances in sequencing technology, and continued improvements are providing data in quantities unimaginable a few years ago. But without concerted efforts, the amount of data will quickly outpace the ability of scientists to analyze it.
A fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensor helps scientists monitor the activation of an essential signaling protein over the course of embryogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.