recent molecular biology research topics

• Search by keyword
• Search by citation

Page 1 of 17

PSMD1 and PSMD2 regulate HepG2 cell proliferation and apoptosis via modulating cellular lipid droplet metabolism

Obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are well-known risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The lipid-rich environment enhances the proliferation and metastasis abilities of tumor cells. Pre...

• View Full Text

The effect of BACE1-AS on β-amyloid generation by regulating BACE1 mRNA expression

The BACE1 antisense transcript (BACE1-AS) is a conserved long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). The level of BACE1-AS is significantly increased and the level of the BACE1 mRNA is slightly increased in subjects with AD....

Overlapping transcriptional expression response of wheat zinc-induced facilitator-like transporters emphasize important role during Fe and Zn stress

Hexaploid wheat is an important cereal crop that has been targeted to enhance grain micronutrient content including zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe). In this direction, modulating the expression of plant transporters i...

MiR-32-5p influences high glucose-induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation and phenotypic alteration by inhibiting DUSP1

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of miR-32-5p on cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) that were induced with high levels of glucose; we also aimed to identify the potential mechanisms involved in the re...

Correction to: A protocol for custom CRISPR Cas9 donor vector construction to truncate genes in mammalian cells using pcDNA3 backbone

The original article [1] contains three erroneous mentions of usage of a restriction enzyme— Bst Z17I—in the Methods section as displayed in the following sentences.

The original article was published in BMC Molecular Biology 2018 19 :3

Comparison of miRNA - 101a - 3p and miRNA - 144a - 3p regulation with the key genes of alpaca melanocyte pigmentation

Many miRNA functions have been revealed to date. Single miRNAs can participate in life processes by regulating more than one target gene, and more than one miRNA can also simultaneously act on one target mRNA....

Correction to: MicroRNA-325-3p protects the heart after myocardial infarction by inhibiting RIPK3 and programmed necrosis in mice

The original article [1] contains an error whereby Fig. 7 displays incorrect results; the correct version of Fig. 7 can be viewed ahead in this Correction article and should be considered in place of the origi...

The original article was published in BMC Molecular Biology 2019 20 :17

MicroRNA-325-3p protects the heart after myocardial infarction by inhibiting RIPK3 and programmed necrosis in mice

Receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3 (RIPK3)-mediated necroptosis has been implicated in the progression of myocardial infarction (MI), but the underlying mechanisms, particularly whether microRNAs (...

The Correction to this article has been published in BMC Molecular Biology 2019 20 :18

Giant group I intron in a mitochondrial genome is removed by RNA back-splicing

The mitochondrial genomes of mushroom corals (Corallimorpharia) are remarkable for harboring two complex group I introns; ND5-717 and COI-884. How these autocatalytic RNA elements interfere with mitochondrial ...

Exploration of carbohydrate binding behavior and anti-proliferative activities of Arisaema tortuosum lectin

Lectins have come a long way from being identified as proteins that agglutinate cells to promising therapeutic agents in modern medicine. Through their specific binding property, they have proven to be anti-ca...

Characterization of cadmium-responsive MicroRNAs and their target genes in maize ( Zea mays ) roots

Current research has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play vital roles in plant response to stress caused by heavy metals such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium (Cd), and mercury. Cd has become one of the most hazard...

Identification and validation of reference genes for real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis in jute

With the availability of genome sequences, gene expression analysis of jute has drawn considerable attention for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of fiber development and improving fiber quality. Gene e...

Small nucleolar RNA Sf-15 regulates proliferation and apoptosis of Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cells

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) function in guiding 2′- O -methylation and pseudouridylation of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs). In recent years, more and more snoRNAs have been found to play ...

Key genes differential expressions and pathway involved in salt and water-deprivation stresses for renal cortex in camel

Camels possess the characteristics of salt- and drought-resistances, due to the long-time adaption to the living environment in desert. The camel resistance research on transcriptome is rare and deficient, esp...

Development of a novel selection/counter-selection system for chromosomal gene integrations and deletions in lactic acid bacteria

The underlying mechanisms by which probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) enhance the health of the consumer have not been fully elucidated. Verification of probiotic modes of action can be achieved by using sin...

Selection of reference genes for the quantitative real-time PCR normalization of gene expression in Isatis indigotica fortune

Isatis indigotica , a traditional Chinese medicine, produces a variety of active ingredients. However, little is known about the key genes and corresponding expression profiling involved in the biosynthesis pathwa...

MEF2A alters the proliferation, inflammation-related gene expression profiles and its silencing induces cellular senescence in human coronary endothelial cells

Myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. Functional deletion or mutation in MEF2A predisposes individuals to cardiovascular disease mainly...

Transcriptomic responses to grazing reveal the metabolic pathway leading to the biosynthesis of domoic acid and highlight different defense strategies in diatoms

A major cause of phytoplankton mortality is predation by zooplankton. Strategies to avoid grazers have probably played a major role in the evolution of phytoplankton and impacted bloom dynamics and trophic ene...

RNA sequencing, selection of reference genes and demonstration of feeding RNAi in Thrips tabaci (Lind.) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Thrips tabaci is a severe pest of onion and cotton. Due to lack of information on its genome or transcriptome, not much is known about this insect at the molecular level. To initiate molecular studies in this ins...

A fragment activity assay reveals the key residues of TBC1D15 GTPase-activating protein (GAP) in Chiloscyllium plagiosum

GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) with a TBC (Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16) domain architecture serve as negative regulators of Rab GTPases. The related crystal structure has been studied and reported by other members of ...

HexA is required for growth, aflatoxin biosynthesis and virulence in Aspergillus flavus

Woronin bodies are fungal-specific organelles whose formation is derived from peroxisomes. The former are believed to be involved in the regulation of mycotoxins biosynthesis, but not in their damage repair fu...

Genome-wide identification of brain miRNAs in response to high-intensity intermittent swimming training in Rattus norvegicus by deep sequencing

Physical exercise can improve brain function by altering brain gene expression. The expression mechanisms underlying the brain’s response to exercise still remain unknown. miRNAs as vital regulators of gene ex...

Graphene oxide down-regulates genes of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes in a glioblastoma

Recently different forms of nanographene were proposed as the material with high anticancer potential. However, the mechanism of the suppressive activity of the graphene on cancer development remains unclear. ...

MiRNAs differentially expressed in skeletal muscle of animals with divergent estimated breeding values for beef tenderness

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides, highly conserved among species, which modulate gene expression by cleaving messenger RNA target or inhibiting translation. MiRNAs ar...

The Dictyostelium discoideum homologue of Twinkle, Twm1, is a mitochondrial DNA helicase, an active primase and promotes mitochondrial DNA replication

DNA replication requires contributions from various proteins, such as DNA helicases; in mitochondria Twinkle is important for maintaining and replicating mitochondrial DNA. Twinkle helicases are predicted to a...

Matrix association region/scaffold attachment region (MAR/SAR) sequence: its vital role in mediating chromosome breakages in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells via oxidative stress-induced apoptosis

Oxidative stress is known to be involved in most of the aetiological factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Cells that are under oxidative stress may undergo apoptosis. We have previously demonstrated that...

Molecular analysis of NPAS3 functional domains and variants

NPAS3 encodes a transcription factor which has been associated with multiple human psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. In mice, deletion of Npas3 was found to cause alterations in neurodevelopment, as w...

Integration of transcriptome and proteome profiles in glioblastoma: looking for the missing link

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common and aggressive tumor of the brain. Genotype-based approaches and independent analyses of the transcriptome or the proteome have led to progress in understanding the underly...

Analyses of changes in myocardial long non-coding RNA and mRNA profiles after severe hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation via RNA sequencing in a rat model

Ischemia–reperfusion injury has been proven to induce organ dysfunction and death, although the mechanism is not fully understood. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have drawn wide attention with their important ...

Coincidence cloning recovery of Brucella melitensis RNA from goat tissues: advancing the in vivo analysis of pathogen gene expression in brucellosis

Brucella melitensis bacteria cause persistent, intracellular infections in small ruminants as well as in humans, leading to significant morbidity and economic loss worldwide. The majority of experiments on the tr...

Positive cofactor 4 (PC4) contributes to the regulation of replication-dependent canonical histone gene expression

Core canonical histones are required in the S phase of the cell cycle to pack newly synthetized DNA, therefore the expression of their genes is highly activated during DNA replication. In mammalian cells, this...

Evaluation of suitable reference genes for qRT-PCR normalization in strawberry ( Fragaria  ×  ananassa ) under different experimental conditions

Strawberry has received much attention due to its nutritional value, unique flavor, and attractive appearance. The availability of the whole genome sequence and multiple transcriptome databases allows the grea...

Laser capture microdissection for transcriptomic profiles in human skin biopsies

The acquisition of reliable tissue-specific RNA sequencing data from human skin biopsy represents a major advance in research. However, the complexity of the process of isolation of specific layers from fresh-...

Targeting miR-9 in gastric cancer cells using locked nucleic acid oligonucleotides

Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Recently, it has been demonstrated that gastric cancer cells display a specific miRNA expression profile, with increasing eviden...

Quantitative profiling of BATF family proteins/JUNB/IRF hetero-trimers using Spec-seq

BATF family transcription factors (BATF, BATF2 and BATF3) form hetero-trimers with JUNB and either IRF4 or IRF8 to regulate cell fate in T cells and dendritic cells in vivo. While each combination of the heter...

pH-mediated upregulation of AQP1 gene expression through the Spi-B transcription factor

Bicarbonate-based peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluids enhance the migratory capacity and damage-repair ability of human peritoneal mesothelial cells by upregulating AQP1. However, little is known about the underly...

A protocol for custom CRISPR Cas9 donor vector construction to truncate genes in mammalian cells using pcDNA3 backbone

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) RNA-guided adaptive immune systems are found in prokaryotes to defend cells from foreign DNA. CRISPR Cas9 systems have been modified and employ...

The Correction to this article has been published in BMC Molecular Biology 2019 20 :20

Recommendations for mRNA analysis of micro-dissected glomerular tufts from paraffin-embedded human kidney biopsy samples

Glomeruli are excellent pre-determined natural structures for laser micro-dissection. Compartment-specific glomerular gene expression analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded renal biopsies could improve r...

Nutrient depletion and TOR inhibition induce 18S and 25S ribosomal RNAs resistant to a 5′-phosphate-dependent exonuclease in Candida albicans and other yeasts

Messenger RNA (mRNA) represents a small percentage of RNAs in a cell, with ribosomal RNA (rRNA) making up the bulk of it. To isolate mRNA from eukaryotes, typically poly-A selection is carried out. Recently, a...

An optimized rapid bisulfite conversion method with high recovery of cell-free DNA

Methylation analysis of cell-free DNA is a encouraging tool for tumor diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis. Sensitivity of methylation analysis is a very important matter due to the tiny amounts of cell-free DN...

Sumoylation in p27kip1 via RanBP2 promotes cancer cell growth in cholangiocarcinoma cell line QBC939

Cholangiocarcinoma is one of the deadly disease with poor 5-year survival and poor response to conventional therapies. Previously, we found that p27kip1 nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation confers proliferation ...

An optimised protocol for isolation of RNA from small sections of laser-capture microdissected FFPE tissue amenable for next-generation sequencing

Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue constitutes a vast treasury of samples for biomedical research. Thus far however, extraction of RNA from FFPE tissue has proved challenging due to chemical RNA–pr...

Physical shearing imparts biological activity to DNA and ability to transmit itself horizontally across species and kingdom boundaries

We have recently reported that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments derived from dying cells that circulate in blood are biologically active molecules and can readily enter into healthy cells to activate DNA damage...

Interaction between NFATc2 and the transcription factor Sp1 in pancreatic carcinoma cells PaTu 8988t

Nuclear factors of activated T-cells (NFATs) have been mainly characterized in the context of immune response regulation because, as transcription factors, they have the ability to induce gene transcription. N...

Splicing arrays reveal novel RBM10 targets, including SMN2 pre-mRNA

RBM10 is an RNA binding protein involved in message stabilization and alternative splicing regulation. The objective of the research described herein was to identify novel targets of RBM10-regulated splicing. ...

Growth arrest specific gene 2 in tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ): molecular characterization and functional analysis under low-temperature stress

Growth arrest specific 2 ( gas2 ) gene is a component of the microfilament system that plays a major role in the cell cycle, regulation of microfilaments, and cell morphology during apoptotic processes. However, li...

Identification of G-quadruplex structures that possess transcriptional regulating functions in the Dele and Cdc6 CpG islands

G-quadruplex is a DNA secondary structure that has been shown to play an important role in biological systems. In a previous study, we identified 1998 G-quadruplex-forming sequences using a mouse CpG islands D...

Mitochondrial RNA processing in absence of tRNA punctuations in octocorals

Mitogenome diversity is staggering among early branching animals with respect to size, gene density, content and order, and number of tRNA genes, especially in cnidarians. This last point is of special interes...

Microarray expression profiling in the denervated hippocampus identifies long noncoding RNAs functionally involved in neurogenesis

The denervated hippocampus provides a proper microenvironment for the survival and neuronal differentiation of neural progenitors. While thousands of lncRNAs were identified, only a few lncRNAs that regulate n...

Early growth response protein 1 regulates promoter activity of α -plasma membrane calcium ATPase 2, a major calcium pump in the brain and auditory system

Along with sodium/calcium (Ca 2+ ) exchangers, plasma membrane Ca 2+ ATPases (ATP2Bs) are main regulators of intracellular Ca 2+ levels. There are four ATP2B paralogs encoded by four different genes. Atp2b2 encodes t...

BMC Molecular Biology

ISSN: 1471-2199

• General enquiries: [email protected]

• Search by keyword
• Search by citation

Page 1 of 24

Upregulated dual oxidase 1-induced oxidative stress and caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis reflect the etiologies of heart failure

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Dual oxidase 1 (DUOX1) might be important in heart failure development through its mediating role in oxidative stress. This study was design...

• View Full Text

Comparing chemical transfection, electroporation, and lentiviral vector transduction to achieve optimal transfection conditions in the Vero cell line

Transfection is an important analytical method for studying gene expression in the cellular environment. There are some barriers to efficient DNA transfection in host cells, including circumventing the plasma ...

High-fat diet enhances cell proliferation and compromises intestinal permeability in a translational canine intestinal organoid model

Emerging evidence underscores the responsiveness of the mammalian intestine to dietary cues, notably through the involvement of LGR5 + intestinal stem cells in orchestrating responses to diet-driven signals. H...

mTOR signaling pathway regulation HIF-1 α effects on LPS induced intestinal mucosal epithelial model damage

Sepsis-induced small-intestinal injury is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Our previous study and other papers have shown that HIF-1α has a protective effect on intestinal mucosal injury in s...

Long non-coding RNA SOX2OT in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer

Hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer can become aggressive after developing hormone-treatment resistance. This study elucidated the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SOX2OT in tamoxifen-resistant (T...

Mice lacking DIO3 exhibit sex-specific alterations in circadian patterns of corticosterone and gene expression in metabolic tissues

Disruption of circadian rhythms is associated with neurological, endocrine and metabolic pathologies. We have recently shown that mice lacking functional type 3 deiodinase (DIO3), the enzyme that clears thyroi...

Optimization of seeding density of OP9 cells to improve hematopoietic differentiation efficiency

OP9 mouse stromal cell line has been widely used to induce differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). However, the whole co-culture procedure usuall...

Development of an in vitro human alveolar epithelial air-liquid interface model using a small molecule inhibitor cocktail

The alveolar epithelium is exposed to numerous stimuli, such as chemicals, viruses, and bacteria that cause a variety of pulmonary diseases through inhalation. Alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) cultured in vitr...

Mechanical stretch leads to increased caveolin-1 content and mineralization potential in extracellular vesicles from vascular smooth muscle cells

Hypertension-induced mechanical stress on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a known risk factor for vascular remodeling, including vascular calcification. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), an integral structural compo...

Melatonin reduces lung injury in type 1 diabetic mice by the modulation of autophagy

In recent years, the role of autophagy has been highlighted in the pathogenesis of diabetes and inflammatory lung diseases. In this study, using a diabetic model of mice, we investigated the expression of auto...

TonEBP/NFAT5 expression is associated with cisplatin resistance and migration in macrophage-induced A549 cells

Macrophages promote angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance in several cancers. Similarly, TonEBP/NFAT5 induces metastasis in renal carcinoma and colon cancer cells. However, the role of this transcripti...

Optimizing combination therapy in prostate cancer: mechanistic insights into the synergistic effects of Paclitaxel and Sulforaphane-induced apoptosis

Combination therapies in cancer treatment have demonstrated synergistic or additive outcomes while also reducing the development of drug resistance compared to monotherapy. This study explores the potential of...

CTC together with Shh and Nrf2 are prospective diagnostic markers for HNSCC

The lack of appropriate prognostic biomarkers remains a significant obstacle in the early detection of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), a cancer type with a high mortality rate. Despite considera...

Prioritization of Trypanosoma brucei editosome protein interactions interfaces at residue resolution through proteome-scale network analysis

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent for trypanosomiasis in humans and livestock, which presents a growing challenge due to drug resistance. While identifying novel drug targets is vital, the process is dela...

Sumoylation of SAP130 regulates its interaction with FAF1 as well as its protein stability and transcriptional repressor function

Fas-associated factor 1 (FAF1) is a multidomain protein that interacts with diverse partners to affect numerous cellular processes. Previously, we discovered two Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO)-interactin...

Loss of Dec1 inhibits alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation and circadian rhythm disorder

Chronic alcohol exposure increases liver damage such as lipid accumulation and hepatitis, resulting in hepatic cirrhosis. Chronic alcohol intake is known to disturb circadian rhythms in humans and animals. DEC...

Association between plasma L-carnitine levels and mitochondrial DNA copy number

Mitochondria are key cytoplasmic organelles in eukaryotic cells that generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy num...

Effect of Emi1 gene silencing on the proliferation and invasion of human breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumour in women. The early silk-splitting inhibitor protein 1 Emi1 is responsible for mediating ubiquitin protein degradation. The present study investigated the effe...

TNFα induces Caspase-3 activity in hematopoietic progenitor cells CD34+, CD33+, and CD41 + of myelodysplastic syndromes

Cytopenia is the primary feature of Myelodysplastic Syndrome, even in the presence of hypercellular bone marrow. TNFα is recognized as both a proinflammatory, and proapoptotic cytokine with a well established ...

From network analysis to experimental validation: identification of regulators of non-muscle myosin II contractility using the folded-gastrulation signaling pathway

The morphogenetic process of apical constriction, which relies on non-muscle myosin II (NMII) generated constriction of apical domains of epithelial cells, is key to the development of complex cellular pattern...

Simple, low-cost, and well-performing method, the outgrowth technique, for the isolation of cells from nasal polyps

Epithelial cells are an important part of the pathomechanism in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. It is therefore essential to establish a robust method for the isolation and culture of epithelial cell...

Comprehensive brain tissue metabolomics and biological network technology to decipher the mechanism of hydrogen-rich water on Radiation-induced cognitive impairment in rats

Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has been shown to prevent cognitive impairment caused by ionizing radiation. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of HRW on ionizing radiation by...

Mineral elements and adiposity-related consequences in adolescents with intellectual disabilities

Patients with intellectual disabilities are shown to have a limited capacity for cooperation, communication,and other biological consequences, which significantly require a specialized interest in healthcare p...

Glycyrrhizin inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses in goat ruminal epithelial cells in vitro

Inflammation plays a crucial role in the progression of Subacute Ruminal Acidosis (SARA). The experiment was designed to investigate anti-inflammatory effects of glycyrrhizin on goats ruminal epithelial cells ...

D-galactose-induced mitochondrial oxidative damage and apoptosis in the cochlear stria vascularis of mice

Age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis, is the result of auditory system degeneration. Numerous studies have suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial oxidative damage play importa...

Keratin 19 binds and regulates cytoplasmic HNRNPK mRNA targets in triple-negative breast cancer

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (HNRNPK) regulates pre-mRNA processing and long non-coding RNA localization in the nucleus. It was previously shown that shuttling of HNRNPK to the cytoplasm promotes ...

A computational peptide model induces cancer cells’ apoptosis by docking Kringle 5 to GRP78

Cells can die through a process called apoptosis in both pathological and healthy conditions. Cancer development and progression may result from abnormal apoptosis. The 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78)...

BMP9 maintains the phenotype of HTR-8/Svneo trophoblast cells by activating the SDF1/CXCR4 pathway

Bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) has been shown to regulate processes such as angiogenesis, endothelial dysfunction, and tumorigenesis. However, the role of BMP9 in preeclampsia (PE) is unclear. The purpose...

Emodin and aloe-emodin, two potential molecules in regulating cell migration of skin cells through the MAP kinase pathway and affecting Caenorhabditis elegans thermotolerance

Emodin and aloe-emodin are two anthraquinones having positive effects in wound healing. However, their mechanism of action of wound healing is not fully understood. The MAP kinase family, which plays an active...

Knockdown of ELF4 aggravates renal injury in ischemia/reperfusion mice through promotion of pyroptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress

Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Dysfunction of E74-like ETS transcription factor 4 (ELF4) leads to inflammation. This research intended to look into the f...

Janus Kinase 3 phosphorylation and the JAK/STAT pathway are positively modulated by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in bovine granulosa cells

Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) is a member of the JAK family of tyrosine kinase proteins involved in cytokine receptor-mediated intracellular signal transduction through the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. JAK3 was previou...

Genetic and protein interaction studies between the ciliary dyslexia candidate genes DYX1C1 and DCDC2

DYX1C1 (DNAAF4) and DCDC2 are two of the most replicated dyslexia candidate genes in genetic studies. They both have demonstrated roles in neuronal migration, in cilia growth and function and they both are cytosk...

SUMOylation of PDGF receptor α affects signaling via PLCγ and STAT3, and cell proliferation

The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family of ligands exerts their cellular effects by binding to α- and β-tyrosine kinase receptors (PDGFRα and PDGFRβ, respectively). SUMOylation is an important posttra...

Myogenic differentiation of human myoblasts and Mesenchymal stromal cells under GDF11 on Poly-ɛ-caprolactone-collagen I-Polyethylene-nanofibers

For the purpose of skeletal muscle engineering, primary myoblasts (Mb) and adipogenic mesenchymal stem cells (ADSC) can be co-cultured and myogenically differentiated. Electrospun composite nanofiber scaffolds...

Computational analysis of missense variant CYP4F2*3 (V433M) in association with human CYP4F2 dysfunction: a functional and structural impact

Cytochrome P450 4F2 (CYP4F2) enzyme is a member of the CYP4 family responsible for the metabolism of fatty acids, therapeutic drugs, and signaling molecules such as arachidonic acid, tocopherols, and vitamin K...

Using RNA-seq to identify suitable housekeeping genes for hypoxia studies in human adipose-derived stem cells

Hypoxic culture conditions have been used to study the impact of oxygen deprivation has on gene expression in a number of disease models. However, hypoxia response elements present in the promoter regions of s...

SCAT8/miR-125b-5p axis triggers malignant progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through SCARB1

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a tumor with high malignancy and poor prognosis, which severely affects the health of the patients. LncRNAs and microRNAs are crucial for the occurrence and development of nasophary...

ARNTL2 upregulation of ACOT7 promotes NSCLC cell proliferation through inhibition of apoptosis and ferroptosis

Recent studies have reported that the circadian transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator like 2 (ARNTL2) promotes the metastatic progression of lung adenocarcinoma. However, the mole...

Evolutionary relevance of single nucleotide variants within the forebrain exclusive human accelerated enhancer regions

Human accelerated regions (HARs) are short conserved genomic sequences that have acquired significantly more nucleotide substitutions than expected in the human lineage after divergence from chimpanzees. The f...

The DNA demethylation-regulated SFRP2 dictates the progression of endometriosis via activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Endometriosis cause decreases in life quality and pelvic pain in reproductive-age women. Methylation abnormalities played a functional role in the progression of endometriosis, this study aimed to explore the ...

Pre-treatment with IL-6 potentiates β-cell death induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines

Type I Diabetes mellitus (T1D) is characterized by a specific destruction of β-cells by the immune system. During this process pro-inflammatory cytokines are released in the pancreatic islets and contribute for β...

Role of the human solute carrier family 14 member 1 gene in hypoxia-induced renal cell carcinoma occurrence and its enlightenment to cancer nursing

Hypoxia is considered a critical contributor to renal cell carcinoma progression, including invasion and metastasis. However, the potential mechanisms by which it promotes invasion and metastasis have not yet ...

Cyclic tensile force modifies calvarial osteoblast function via the interplay between ERK1/2 and STAT3

Mechanical therapies, such as distraction osteogenesis, are widely used in dental clinics. During this process, the mechanisms by which tensile force triggers bone formation remain of interest. Herein, we inve...

Urine-derived mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes enhances survival and proliferation of aging retinal ganglion cells

This study was designed to investigate to test the effect of exosomes from urine-derived mesenchymal stem cells (USCs) on the survival and viability of aging retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), and explored the pre...

RPL11 promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress and cell autophagy

Abnormal biogenesis and ribosome free function of ribosomal proteins (RPs) is important for tumorgenesis and development. Ribosomal protein L11 (RPL11) is a component of ribosomal 60 S large subunit with diffe...

Sperm capacitation and transcripts levels are altered by in vitro THC exposure

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary phytocannabinoid responsible for the psychoactive properties of cannabis and is known to interact with the endocannabinoid system, which is functionally presen...

The dual role of Nrf2 in melanoma: a systematic review

Melanoma is the most lethal type of skin cancer that originates from the malignant transformation of melanocytes. Although novel treatments have improved patient survival in melanoma, the overall prognosis rem...

Hyperoxia exposure upregulates Dvl-1 and activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in newborn rat lung

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a serious and lifelong pulmonary disease in premature neonates that influences around one-quarter of premature newborns. The wingless-related integration site /β-catenin signaling...

Circ-ATL1 silencing reverses the activation effects of SIRT5 on smooth muscle cellular proliferation, migration and contractility in intracranial aneurysm by adsorbing miR-455

Alterations in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contribute to the pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). However, molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain unknown. The present study aime...

HMGB1 mediates lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis

Autophagy and pyroptosis of macrophages play important protective or detrimental roles in sepsis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. High mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) is associated with...

Important information

Editorial board

For authors

For editorial board members

For reviewers

• Manuscript editing services

Annual Journal Metrics

2022 Citation Impact 2.8 - 2-year Impact Factor 2.9 - 5-year Impact Factor 0.678 - SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper) 0.775 - SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

2023 Speed 24 days submission to first editorial decision for all manuscripts (Median) 143 days submission to accept (Median)

2023 Usage  582,382 downloads 193 Altmetric mentions 

• More about our metrics
• Follow us on Twitter

BMC Molecular and Cell Biology

ISSN: 2661-8850

• General enquiries: [email protected]

Top 100 Latest Research Topics in Molecular Biology 2024 [Updated]

Table of Contents

Introduction

Molecular Biology is a branch of biology that deals with the composition, structure, and communications of cellular molecules like proteins and nucleic acids responsible for various biological procedures for maintaining and functioning cells. It mainly involves multiple biomolecules such as amino acids, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates, along with their structure, compositions, and interactions in the life processes. A molecular biologist is responsible for doing experiments to investigate structures, functions, processing, and regulation of biological molecules and their interactions. A molecular biologist also tries to understand a molecule’s structure, which includes details like shape and the location of the active sites on a protein, impacting the function of a molecule. Such information offers basic knowledge on how biology functions and assists in informing the efforts of various scientists looking to manipulate that biology. Such scientists involve drug designers and also genetic engineers.

Now-a-days a lot of research is going on in molecular biology and people are in search of novel areas in molecular biology for conducting research with a sole purpose of finding some new techniques or new things that can be used for human or animal welfare. Students of graduation, post-graduation and PhD levels are working on several topics for their research work. Let’s have a look on some of the trending topics in molecular biology for doing research.

How molecular biology affects life science?

Molecular biology has a significant effect on investigations in life science. Some major molecular biology advancements encouraged research and progressions in every life science discipline. Some of the advancements are

• Development of various experimental methods in molecular biology with wide applications
• The increasing flow of data on various technical novelties and scientific discoveries all over the scientific community
• Development of specified software and consistently updated database for analysis and storage of data on the genotypes.
• All this has resulted in revolutionizing discoveries in various sectors of molecular biology. One of the best examples is the invention of high throughput biology, high-level sequencing, and Recombinant DNA technology that assisted in unveiling the high complicacies of the genome and explicating the precise methods for transmitting genetic information.

With this rapidly changing and consistently evolving nature of the molecular biology sector, it can be easily anticipated that the innovatory effect of Molecular biology in life science is just beginning and is far from being finished.

We also provide Labmonk notes on some subjects on our platform. Click here to check out . If you are interested to share your notes on this platform please contact us.

Let’s have a look at some of the trending topics in molecular biology  for doing research. Click the next page .

3 thoughts on “Top 100 Latest Research Topics in Molecular Biology 2024 [Updated]”

I was suggested this website by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my difficulty. You are wonderful! Thanks!|

• Pingback: topics in molecular biology - infoai

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• May 17, 2024 | Outrunning the Grim Reaper: Study Shows That Elite Runners Live Nearly Five Years Longer Than the General Population
• May 17, 2024 | A New Dimension of Quantum Materials: Topological Phonons Discovered in Crystal Lattices
• May 17, 2024 | ZIP7 Protein: New Target for Treating Degenerative Diseases Like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
• May 17, 2024 | Tiny Titans: Revolutionary Microcapacitors Set to Supercharge Next-Gen Electronics
• May 17, 2024 | Scientists Uncover Unexpected Hidden Dangers of a Common Antibiotic

Molecular Biology News

Biology May 17, 2024

A Breakthrough in Protein Genetics: Scientists Unveil How Pseudogenes Evolve

Rice University’s Peter Wolynes and his research team have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the evolution of specific genetic sequences known as pseudogenes. Their…

Biology May 12, 2024

Unveiling the Hidden Molecular World of Exercise

Prolonged physical activity in rats results in profound changes to RNA, proteins, and metabolites in nearly all tissues, providing clues to many human health conditions….

Chemistry May 5, 2024

Stirring the Primordial Soup: Unveiling Secrets of Early Life With Synthetic Models

A synthetic droplet could provide researchers with insights into how the most basic forms of life on Earth might interact with their environment. Our bodies…

Biology May 1, 2024

Secrets Beneath the Sweat: Scientists Decode the Molecular Impact of Exercise

MoTrPAC examined the molecular effects of exercise on 2,600 volunteers, incorporating factors like age, race, and gender diversity. Building upon research in rats, MoTrPAC discovered…

Biology April 25, 2024

Cambridge Scientists Unveil New Theory on Origins of Life’s Building Blocks

Researchers at Cambridge University propose that essential molecules for life’s development might have originated from a process called graphitization. If confirmed through laboratory experiments, this…

Health April 22, 2024

Groundbreaking Research on MAGE Proteins Offers New Hope for Resistant Cancers

Recent research by the Bhogaraju Group at EMBL Grenoble has uncovered the mechanisms by which the MAGE family of proteins, known for their role in…

Physics April 21, 2024

Mystery Solved: Scientists Uncover Origins of Enigmatic Swirling Movements in Some of Nature’s Largest Cells

New research conducted by scientists at the Flatiron Institute has uncovered the origins of enigmatic swirling movements in some of nature’s largest cells. Egg cells…

Biology April 20, 2024

Groundbreaking Study Links Tiny Brain Bubbles to Alzheimer’s Progression

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys have shown that vesicles transporting between brain cells contain more complete instructions for altering cellular function than previously thought. In…

Biology April 18, 2024

“One Ring To Rule Them All” – Molecular Biologists Have Cracked the Formin Code

Max Plank researchers from Dortmund have revealed the molecular mechanisms by which ring-shaped formin proteins facilitate the growth of actin filaments in cells. Actin is…

Biology April 16, 2024

Unlocking the Mysteries of Cell Structure With Cutting-Edge Imaging

UNIGE scientists have reconstructed for the first time a film of the assembly of the human centriole, one of the essential structures that constitute our…

Biology April 10, 2024

Paradoxical Mechanisms Uncovered – Chemists Have Filled a Major Gap in the Origin of Life

Molecules often have a structural asymmetry called chirality, which means they can appear in alternative, mirror-image versions, akin to the left and right versions of…

Chemistry April 7, 2024

Decoding the Origin of Life: Scientists Solve Early Earth RNA Puzzle

Recent research illustrates how RNA molecules’ chemical characteristics might have played a crucial role in the development of complex life forms. How did complex life…

Biology March 30, 2024

Unlocking the Secrets of Immortality: Tardigrade Proteins Slow Aging in Human Cells

Researchers at the University of Wyoming have advanced our understanding of how tardigrades survive extreme conditions and shown that proteins from the microscopic creatures expressed…

Biology March 14, 2024

New Biology Unveiled for Fundamental Cellular Machinery

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have revealed the complex structure and interaction network of an essential cellular supercomplex called Commander. This breakthrough is expected…

Biology March 11, 2024

Scientists Answer a Fundamental Question in Biology: How Do Organisms Respond to Changing Conditions?

Research provides new insights into how cells in plants coordinate their responses. A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a…

Biology February 27, 2024

Illuminating the Invisible: Engineers Unveil CluMPS, the Future of Protein Visualization

Researchers bring the smallest protein clusters into focus. Penn Engineers have pioneered a new way to visualize the smallest protein clusters, skirting the physical limitations…

Biology February 19, 2024

Fatal Fats: Columbia Researchers Discover Rare Lipids Triggering Cell Death

Scientists have discovered that a rare lipid type plays a pivotal role in ferroptosis, a form of cell death. This finding sheds light on the…

Biology February 17, 2024

The GPCR Puzzle: New Research Reveals Molecular Origins of Function for a Key Drug Target

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, collaborating internationally, used data science, pharmacology, and structural details to explore at the atomic level how each amino…

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Curr Issues Mol Biol

Current Issues in Molecular Biology Journal Enters a New Era

Rafael franco.

1 Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; moc.liamg@321ocnarfr or ude.bu@ocnarfr

2 School of Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

3 Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CiberNed), Network Center, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Spanish National Health Institute Carlos III, 28031 Madrid, Spain

Introduction

Current Issues in Molecular Biology ( CIMB ) ( https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cimb ) (accessed on 17 June 2021) was born in 1999, at the end of a century in which molecular biology became associated with the structure of DNA and, by extension to DNA replication, transcription into RNA, and the translation of mRNA into proteins [ 1 , 2 ]. Despite seminal papers on the regulation of transcription, such as the ones reporting the discovery of the lactose operon [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], so-called transcription factors came into vogue later. It is worth reading the summary of the first paper in the inaugural issue written by biotechnology consultant Robert C. Tait, entitled “The Application of Molecular Biology” [ 10 ]. The comments are still valid today but the perspective has been dramatically changed as Molecular Biology is no longer restricted to the study of the role of nucleic acids and the development of techniques related to assessing the sequence and structure of nucleic acids. Molecular Biology is now a holistic discipline in the realm of life on Earth.

Advancement versus Data Generation/Collection

The current Century started with high hopes due to the development of technologies to quickly obtain myriad of data that are deposited in multiple databases. It is possible to sequence any genome, to know the concentration of hundreds of metabolites in a given cell/system, to “decipher” the transcriptome of a given cell, etc. However, the challenge is to convert information into knowledge and CIMB cares about this. The journal will give priority to certain types of papers and among others, one example would be a paper information from databases and converting it into useful information. Other journals are expected to have a similar goal of changing the “forward flight” trend, that is, producing more and more data without addressing what the new data means. In other words, data collection is not an objective per se in the mind of the CIMB editorial board members. Take, for instance, the generation of countless SARS-CoV-2 sequences. On the one hand, the generation of said data has not been coordinated to be able to carry it out for a specific purpose or to contrast any particular hypothesis. On the other hand, and what is more worrying, no attempt has been made to perform an RNAseq of patient samples to try to find out which factor(s) in the host influence the severity of the disease. Paraphrasing the discoverer of the fourth phase of water, Gerald H. Pollack ([ 11 ]), never in history has so much money allocated to science provided so little useful results. In fact, whereas the technological advances have been impressive, the actual advances in the intricacies of our biological processes have been very limited and never reaching the level of the discovery of the double helix of DNA. This century should change the trend and journals have the responsibility to contribute to creating a climate that fosters scientific advancement. Due to the way the fourth state of water impacts on the view of life at the molecular level, it is a magnificent tool for revisiting current data and emitting novel hypotheses for testing using suitable resources. Sharma and Pollack have recently hypothesized that the fourth phase of water and the so-called “exclusion zone” must be taken into account in revisiting fat’s role in cell membrane physiology and understanding any health-promoting function2 of fats [ 12 ].

Fashionable Proteins and Fashionable Words in Biology

Whereas DNA is a word/abbreviation that is central to biology and must appear in millions of papers, there are words that deserve much less attention. One example is the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells or, in brief, NF-κB factor. When it was discovered in the 1980s, it showed promise because it was believed to be expressed in a few cells of the immune system and because it mediated some effects of the human immunodeficiency virus [ 13 , 14 ]. The protein is now considered ubiquitous and has been linked to virtually any scientific topic and/or disease [ 15 , 16 ]. A search for “NF-κB” in google scholar leads to 203,000 hits, 18,200 since 2020. What this means is that it has become so famous that any search using a cell-related work and NF-κB will retrieve some result. Is NF-κB the answer for everything? Is it the Rosetta Stone of biology? It is not likely. In practice, any analysis of big (biological) data will be skewed depending on the literature that includes both studies on NF-κB and just the name of the factor written in any section of the paper. In the papers submitted, CIMB will always check for the possibility of biased results and recommend the curation of the data by eliminating any possible bias sources. In addition, any automatic-like tool developed to curate the analysis of data retrieved from databases (or to directly curate databases) will be welcomed in the journal.

Hints in the New CIMB Era

Articles versus reviews.

The journal has been known for publishing reviews on a wide variety of topics. The new era is more destined to publish original articles describing important advances without forgetting the thematic reviews on hot and/or controversial topics.

It should be noted that the review articles in CIMB history have been multidisciplinary and well received by the scientific community. I would like to mention a few published in recent years, all of them well above average in terms of citations according to CiteScore R Scopus. Two of them are devoted to discussing plant issues, one presents the of use of transgenic plants for pharmaceutical biotechnology purposes [ 17 ] (citation benchmarking (CB) according to Scopus: 93rd percentile), and another giving insights into diseases derived from replanting [ 18 ] (CB: 97th percentile). CIMB will continue to welcome valuable articles devoted to any form of life, as well as to the interactions between them: plant/plant, bacteria/plant, bacteria/animal, virus/plant, virus/animal, etc. The 2020 review paper entitled “Cracking the ubiquitin code: The ubiquitin toolbox” [ 19 ] has already a field-weighted citation impact of 3.3, and is at the 93rd CB percentile. Very good scores have two excellent articles, one on the molecular mechanisms by which Salmonella evades the immune response [ 20 ] and another on a factor that controling virus replication becomes a target for antiviral therapy [ 21 ]. Last but not least, there is an excellent review on the receptors that control cholesterol homeostasis and, finally, their role in the etiology of cardiovascular disease [ 22 ]. A well-rated article discusses adjuvants for DNA vaccines, something that has become a hot topic due to the SARS-CoV-2-driven approval of new types of vaccines [ 23 ]. Unexpectedly, the paper entitled “mRNA: A Versatile Molecule for Cancer Vaccines” [ 24 ] has a low score despite the fact that it can now be considered to have appeared ahead of its time. On the one hand, immunological-based treatments have proven instrumental in combatting certain types of cancer [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. On the other hand, it has recently been shown that RNA-based vaccines are the most effective at preventing infection by the virus that causes COVID-19.

The recent appearance of articles in the journal is considered successful. More importantly, CIMB has attracted and published papers of significant quality. Checking the last issue, one encounters, among others, papers on:

• - the bioinformatics-based assessment of the prognostic value of general transcription factor III in colorectal cancer [ 29 ].
• - how an edible insect, Bombyx mori , protects the liver, thus leaving open the door to finding novel therapeutic molecular approaches to combatting non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases [ 30 ].
• - the wide variety of anthocyanin levels, whose health benefit potential is well recognized, in selected species and cultivars of berry fruits [ 31 ].
• - immune responses to retroviral infection in koalas with evidence of underlying mechanisms, suggesting vaccination as a control strategy [ 32 ].
• - the potential as biomarkers of inflammation and neurotoxicity of apolipoprotein E isoforms [ 33 ].
• - the whereabouts of adaptation of pancreatic islets function in response to chronic epinephrine exposure [ 34 ].
• - how carcinoma-infiltrating CD3low Vγ9Vδ1 T Cells may help in anti-tumor responses [ 35 ].
• - a case-control study assessing the link between hearing impairment and proton pump inhibitors [ 36 ]
• - a study finding a link between amino acid variants in HLA- DQB1 and -DRB1 allotypes and type 1 diabetes and latent (adult onset) autoimmune diabetes in the Japanese population [ 37 ].

In summary, papers are varied, deal with molecular aspects of biology, cover different topics, and contemplate the interface between health and disease, and not only in humans.

Themes and Configuration of Articles in the New Era

CIMB would like to fill a niche that lies between the more molecular and structural aspects of biology and the release of data that cannot be interpreted in terms of providing a biologically sound message. One example is epigenetics, which is a theme that must be covered by the journal. CIMB would prefer to know why a single methylation in a specific position in the genome or an acetylation of a specific residue in a histone may lead to biological changes in a given cell rather than comparing the methylation/acetylation patterns found in two different cells or in the same cell in two different conditions.

There is also a need for journals to publish reports of basic science and of applied science, but not necessarily of translational science. CIMB welcomes data that may explain the mechanisms of a given pathology but without using any model of the pathology. The lack of models of disease in a paper often impedes its consideration in journals that include the name of a disease or the name of a medical discipline in the title.

Readers are invited to note the diversity already offered in the current issue of the journal. A quick glance at those articles shows the direction the journal is taking. CIMB will not forget its origins and will value its reviews as it embarks on a new challenge that consists of caring about the evidence, spending time on accurate data analysis, putting quality before quantity, and aiming to help people better understand the intricacies of life on Earth. Data resulting from preregistered studies are also welcome if the underlying hypothesis is related to a possible advance in understanding (regardless of whether the hypothesis ends up being proven or disproven). Additionally, CIMB cares about life and will accordingly evaluate any clues that relate a given molecular alteration with human/animal/plant diseases or with novel curative/therapeutic interventions. Articles on the benefits of traditional medicines are acceptable if the conclusions include links between these interventions and regulations of molecular events.

Authors should discuss the results and how they can be interpreted from the perspective of previous studies and of the working hypotheses. The findings and their implications should be discussed in the broadest context possible. Future research directions may also be highlighted.

The Compromise of CIMB

CIMB assures respect to any paper submitted to the journal, and decisions will be communicated as quickly as possible and will provide an accurate feedback. The Editorial and the Production teams will work together to guarantee a proper description of methods, results, but also proper sentence construction, i.e., accepted papers will not be published unless the style and the meaning of the sentences are clear. We are aware that ambiguity is common in many journals, including CIMB , but the journal’s commitment is firm on this specific (and relevant) topic.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Information

• Author Services

Initiatives

You are accessing a machine-readable page. In order to be human-readable, please install an RSS reader.

All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess .

Feature papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. A Feature Paper should be a substantial original Article that involves several techniques or approaches, provides an outlook for future research directions and describes possible research applications.

Feature papers are submitted upon individual invitation or recommendation by the scientific editors and must receive positive feedback from the reviewers.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

Original Submission Date Received: .

• Active Journals
• Find a Journal
• Proceedings Series
• For Authors
• For Reviewers
• For Editors
• For Librarians
• For Publishers
• For Societies
• For Conference Organizers
• Open Access Policy
• Institutional Open Access Program
• Special Issues Guidelines
• Editorial Process
• Research and Publication Ethics
• Article Processing Charges
• Testimonials
• Preprints.org
• SciProfiles
• Encyclopedia

Journal Description

Current issues in molecular biology.

• Open Access — free for readers, with  article processing charges (APC)  paid by authors or their institutions.
• High Visibility: indexed within Scopus , SCIE (Web of Science) , PMC , PubMed ,  Embase ,  CAPlus / SciFinder , FSTA ,  AGRIS , and  other databases .
• Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 13.5 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 2.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the second half of 2023).
• Recognition of Reviewers:  APC discount vouchers, optional signed peer review, and reviewer names are published annually in the journal.

Latest Articles

Graphical abstract

Journal Menu

• Aims & Scope
• Editorial Board
• Reviewer Board
• Topical Advisory Panel
• Instructions for Authors

Special Issues

• Sections & Collections
• Article Processing Charge
• Indexing & Archiving
• Most Cited & Viewed
• Journal Statistics
• Journal History
• Journal Awards
• Editorial Office

Journal Browser

• arrow_forward_ios Forthcoming issue arrow_forward_ios Current issue
• Vol. 46 (2024)
• Vol. 45 (2023)
• Vol. 44 (2022)
• Vol. 43 (2021)
• Volumes not published by MDPI
• Vol. 42 (2021)
• Vol. 41 (2021)
• Vol. 40 (2021)
• Vol. 39 (2020)
• Vol. 38 (2020)
• Vol. 37 (2020)
• Vol. 36 (2020)
• Vol. 35 (2020)
• Vol. 34 (2019)
• Vol. 33 (2019)
• Vol. 32 (2019)
• Vol. 31 (2019)
• Vol. 30 (2019)
• Vol. 29 (2018)
• Vol. 28 (2018)
• Vol. 27 (2018)
• Vol. 26 (2018)
• Vol. 25 (2018)
• Vol. 24 (2017)
• Vol. 23 (2017)
• Vol. 22 (2017)
• Vol. 21 (2017)
• Vol. 20 (2016)
• Vol. 19 (2016)
• Vol. 18 (2016)
• Vol. 17 (2015)
• Vol. 16 (2014)
• Vol. 15 (2013)
• Vol. 14 (2012)
• Vol. 13 (2011)
• Vol. 12 (2010)
• Vol. 11 (2009)
• Vol. 10 (2008)
• Vol. 9 (2007)
• Vol. 8 (2006)
• Vol. 7 (2005)
• Vol. 6 (2004)
• Vol. 5 (2003)
• Vol. 4 (2002)
• Vol. 3 (2001)
• Vol. 2 (2000)
• Vol. 1 (1999)

Highly Accessed Articles

Latest books, e-mail alert.

Conferences

Topical collections, further information, mdpi initiatives, follow mdpi.

Subscribe to receive issue release notifications and newsletters from MDPI journals

Current Molecular Biology Reports

This journal publishes current, cutting-edge reviews on a wide span of subjects pertinent to molecular biology research. Leading experts provide incisive, insightful, and balanced contributions in each relevant domain that will be of immediate interest to a wide readership of clinicians, basic scientists, and translational investigators.

The Section Editors, all major authorities in their disciplines, choose topics with an emphasis on recent developments, members of the international Editorial Board propose topics of current regional and global importance and well-known experts offer commentaries. All this is presented in a crisp, readable format.

• Andre J. van Wijnen

Latest issue

Volume 10, Issue 1

Latest articles

Immunotherapy options for neuroblastoma: what is on the horizon.

• Aysima Karakus
• Beyda Berberogullari

NADPH Oxidase in Pancreatic β-Cell Function

• Daniel Simoes de Jesus

Insulin Secretion and the β-Cell 102 Years After the Discovery of the Hormone

• Fernanda Ortis
• Eduardo Rebelato
• Fernando Abdulkader

Immune Escape Mechanism of Cancer

Mitochondrial DNA Analysis in Population Isolates: Challenges and Implications for Human Identification

• J. R. Connell
• L. R. Griffiths

Journal information

• Google Scholar
• Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST)
• OCLC WorldCat Discovery Service
• TD Net Discovery Service

Rights and permissions

Editorial policies

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG

• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts

Collection  21 April 2019

Top 100 in Cell and Molecular Biology

Explore our most highly accessed* cell and molecular biology articles in 2018. Featuring authors from around the World, these papers highlight valuable research within cell and molecular biology from an international community.

*According to nature.com web analytics, covering January-December 2018

Human Skeletal Muscle Possesses an Epigenetic Memory of Hypertrophy

• Robert A. Seaborne
• Juliette Strauss
• Adam P. Sharples

Longevity extension in Drosophila through gut-brain communication

• Susan Westfall
• Nikita Lomis
• Satya Prakash

Development of a primary human Small Intestine-on-a-Chip using biopsy-derived organoids

• Magdalena Kasendra
• Alessio Tovaglieri
• Donald E. Ingber

Ribosome Incorporation into Somatic Cells Promotes Lineage Transdifferentiation towards Multipotency

• Naofumi Ito
• Kaoru Katoh
• Kunimasa Ohta

The microRNA regulatory landscape of MSC-derived exosomes: a systems view

• Scott W. Ferguson
• Juliane Nguyen

A direct tissue-grafting approach to increasing endogenous brown fat

• Nicole R. Blumenfeld
• Hwan June Kang
• Samuel K. Sia

Engineering Axl specific CAR and SynNotch receptor for cancer therapy

• Jang Hwan Cho
• Atsushi Okuma
• Wilson W. Wong

A lumenal interrupted helix in human sperm tail microtubules

• Davide Zabeo
• John M. Heumann
• Johanna L. Höög

Low temperature exposure induces browning of bone marrow stem cell derived adipocytes in vitro

• Ksenija Velickovic
• Hilda Anaid Lugo Leija
• Virginie Sottile

Delivery of exogenous mitochondria via centrifugation enhances cellular metabolic function

• Jung Wook Hwang
• Yong-Soo Choi

RTF: a rapid and versatile tissue optical clearing method

• Tingting Yu
• Jingtan Zhu

High expression of SMARCA4 or SMARCA2 is frequently associated with an opposite prognosis in cancer

• Jose A. Guerrero-Martínez
• Jose C. Reyes

Automated brightfield morphometry of 3D organoid populations by OrganoSeg

• Michael A. Borten
• Sameer S. Bajikar
• Kevin A. Janes

Human Neurospheroid Arrays for In Vitro Studies of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Mehdi Jorfi
• Carla D’Avanzo
• Daniel Irimia

Validation of Common Housekeeping Genes as Reference for qPCR Gene Expression Analysis During iPS Reprogramming Process

• Yulia Panina
• Arno Germond
• Tomonobu M. Watanabe

Visualising the dynamics of live pancreatic microtumours self-organised through cell-in-cell invasion

• Yukiko Miyatake
• Kaori Kuribayashi-Shigetomi
• Masanori Kasahara

Small-molecule MDM2 antagonists attenuate the senescence-associated secretory phenotype

• Christopher D. Wiley
• Nicholas Schaum
• Judith Campisi

Efficient scalable production of therapeutic microvesicles derived from human mesenchymal stem cells

• Jae Min Cha
• Eun Kyoung Shin
• Oh Young Bang

In vitro patient-derived 3D mesothelioma tumor organoids facilitate patient-centric therapeutic screening

• Andrea R. Mazzocchi
• Shiny A. P. Rajan
• Aleksander Skardal

Characterization of germ cell differentiation in the male mouse through single-cell RNA sequencing

• S. Lukassen
• A. Winterpacht

Visualizing multiple inter-organelle contact sites using the organelle-targeted split-GFP system

• Yuriko Kakimoto
• Shinya Tashiro
• Yasushi Tamura

Comparison of the Biological Characteristics of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from the Human Placenta and Umbilical Cord

• Ruifan Zhang

Segmental Additive Tissue Engineering

• Martina Sladkova
• Rawan Alawadhi
• Giuseppe Maria de Peppo

Autophagy maintains stem cells and intestinal homeostasis in Drosophila

• Gyöngyvér O. Sándor
• Gábor Juhász

Combined shRNA over CRISPR/cas9 as a methodology to detect off-target effects and a potential compensatory mechanism

• Liat Peretz
• Elazar Besser

Extracellular matrix scaffold and hydrogel derived from decellularized and delipidized human pancreas

• Sara Dutton Sackett
• Daniel M. Tremmel
• Jon S. Odorico

The mode and dynamics of glioblastoma cell invasion into a decellularized tissue-derived extracellular matrix-based three-dimensional tumor model

• Junghwa Cha

Efficient differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into skeletal muscle cells by combining RNA-based MYOD1-expression and POU5F1-silencing

• Tomohiko Akiyama
• Minoru S. H. Ko

Evaluating the potential of endothelial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells to form microvascular networks in 3D cultures

• Jonathan R. Bezenah
• Yen P. Kong
• Andrew J. Putnam

Insights into the ubiquitin-proteasome system of human embryonic stem cells

• Isabel Saez
• Seda Koyuncu
• David Vilchez

Mitochondrial network complexity emerges from fission/fusion dynamics

• Nahuel Zamponi
• Emiliano Zamponi
• Dante R. Chialvo

Machine learning based classification of cells into chronological stages using single-cell transcriptomics

• Sumeet Pal Singh
• Sharan Janjuha
• John E. Reid

RETRACTED ARTICLE: The Na/K-ATPase Oxidant Amplification Loop Regulates Aging

• Komal Sodhi
• Alexandra Nichols
• Joseph I. Shapiro

Uncoupled mitochondria quickly shorten along their long axis to form indented spheroids, instead of rings, in a fission-independent manner

• Yoshihiro Miyazono
• Shingo Hirashima
• Keisuke Ohta

Small-RNA sequencing identifies dynamic microRNA deregulation during skeletal muscle lineage progression

• David Castel
• Meryem B. Baghdadi
• Shahragim Tajbakhsh

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals developmental heterogeneity of blastomeres during major genome activation in bovine embryos

• Ilaria Lavagi
• Stefan Krebs
• Helmut Blum

Mitophagy is required for brown adipose tissue mitochondrial homeostasis during cold challenge

• Hisashi Fujioka
• Mukesh K. Jain

Sensitive and rapid quantification of exosomes by fusing luciferase to exosome marker proteins

• Tomoya Hikita
• Mamiko Miyata
• Chitose Oneyama

Dengue virus-induced ER stress is required for autophagy activation, viral replication, and pathogenesis both in vitro and in vivo

• Ying-Ray Lee
• Szu-Han Kuo
• Hsiao-Sheng Liu

Comparative analysis of naive, primed and ground state pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells originating from the same genetic background

• Sabitri Ghimire
• Margot Van der Jeught
• Björn Heindryckx

Development and optimization of a differentiated airway epithelial cell model of the bovine respiratory tract

• Daniel Cozens
• Edward Grahame
• Robert L. Davies

A large-scale RNA interference screen identifies genes that regulate autophagy at different stages

• Kevin J. Pridham

The Developmental Process of the Growing Motile Ciliary Tip Region

• Matthew J. Reynolds
• Tanaporn Phetruen

The cytokine secretion profile of mesenchymal stromal cells is determined by surface structure of the microenvironment

• Daniëlle G. Leuning
• Nick R. M. Beijer
• Jan de Boer

Activation of the p53-MDM4 regulatory axis defines the anti-tumour response to PRMT5 inhibition through its role in regulating cellular splicing

• Sarah V. Gerhart
• Wendy A. Kellner
• Olena Barbash

Induction of differentiation of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cells to functional hepatocytes using an organoid culture system

• Yoshimasa Saito
• Toshiaki Nakaoka
• Hidetsugu Saito

Whole-Mount Adult Ear Skin Imaging Reveals Defective Neuro-Vascular Branching Morphogenesis in Obese and Type 2 Diabetic Mouse Models

• Tomoko Yamazaki
• Yoh-suke Mukouyama

Inflammatory Proteomic Network Analysis of Statin-treated and Lipopolysaccharide-activated Macrophages

• Abu Hena M. Kamal
• Jayanta K. Chakrabarty
• Saiful M. Chowdhury

A Universal Live Cell Barcoding-Platform for Multiplexed Human Single Cell Analysis

• Felix J. Hartmann
• Erin F. Simonds
• Sean C. Bendall

A selective high affinity MYC-binding compound inhibits MYC:MAX interaction and MYC-dependent tumor cell proliferation

• Alina Castell
• Lars-Gunnar Larsson

Mitochondrial imaging in live or fixed tissues using a luminescent iridium complex

• Alexandra Sorvina
• Christie A. Bader
• Douglas A. Brooks

The mechanical microenvironment regulates ovarian cancer cell morphology, migration, and spheroid disaggregation

• Andrew J. McKenzie
• Stephanie R. Hicks
• Alan K. Howe

Dysregulation in Actin Cytoskeletal Organization Drives Increased Stiffness and Migratory Persistence in Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells

• Deepraj Ghosh
• Michelle R. Dawson

Targeted Delivery of Cell Penetrating Peptide Virus-like Nanoparticles to Skin Cancer Cells

• Bee Koon Gan
• Chean Yeah Yong
• Wen Siang Tan

Stage-specific Effects of Bioactive Lipids on Human iPSC Cardiac Differentiation and Cardiomyocyte Proliferation

• Arun Sharma

Pathways of cellular internalisation of liposomes delivered siRNA and effects on siRNA engagement with target mRNA and silencing in cancer cells

• Abdullah Alshehri
• Anna Grabowska
• Snow Stolnik

Contrasting epigenetic states of heterochromatin in the different types of mouse pluripotent stem cells

• Matteo Tosolini
• Vincent Brochard
• Alice Jouneau

Remodeling of the Actin/Spectrin Membrane-associated Periodic Skeleton, Growth Cone Collapse and F-Actin Decrease during Axonal Degeneration

• Nicolas Unsain
• Martin D. Bordenave
• Alfredo O. Cáceres

A cell surface display fluorescent biosensor for measuring MMP14 activity in real-time

• Alexander Braun
• Matthew J. Farber
• Kenneth A. Myers

Informative three-dimensional survey of cell/tissue architectures in thick paraffin sections by simple low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy

• Akira Sawaguchi
• Takeshi Kamimura
• Yujiro Asada

A novel method for expansion and differentiation of mouse tracheal epithelial cells in culture

• Evelien Eenjes
• Tinne C. J. Mertens
• Pieter S. Hiemstra

Secretome analysis of in vitro aged human mesenchymal stem cells reveals IGFBP7 as a putative factor for promoting osteogenesis

• Arantza Infante
• Clara I. Rodríguez

Exercise prevents impaired autophagy and proteostasis in a model of neurogenic myopathy

• Juliane C. Campos
• Leslie M. Baehr
• Julio C. B. Ferreira

Affimer proteins for F-actin: novel affinity reagents that label F-actin in live and fixed cells

• Anna Lopata
• Ruth Hughes
• Michelle Peckham

TRPV4-mediates oscillatory fluid shear mechanotransduction in mesenchymal stem cells in part via the primary cilium

• Michele A. Corrigan
• Gillian P. Johnson
• David A. Hoey

Formation of Multi-Component Extracellular Matrix Protein Fibers

• Seungkuk Ahn
• Keel Yong Lee
• Kwanwoo Shin

Reduced Autophagy by a microRNA-mediated Signaling Cascade in Diabetes-induced Renal Glomerular Hypertrophy

• Supriya Deshpande
• Maryam Abdollahi
• Rama Natarajan

Identification of microRNAs differentially expressed in glioblastoma stem-like cells and their association with patient survival

• Ondrej Slaby

β-catenin-independent regulation of Wnt target genes by RoR2 and ATF2/ATF4 in colon cancer cells

• Oksana Voloshanenko
• Uwe Schwartz
• Michael Boutros

In vivo monitoring of hair cycle stages via bioluminescence imaging of hair follicle NG2 cells

• Yasuhisa Tamura
• Kumi Takata
• Yosky Kataoka

Down-regulation of guanylate binding protein 1 causes mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular senescence in macrophages

• Xiaoxue Qiu
• Xiaoli Chen

Dual role of E-cadherin in the regulation of invasive collective migration of mammary carcinoma cells

• Yair Elisha
• Vyacheslav Kalchenko
• Benjamin Geiger

Retinal progenitor cells release extracellular vesicles containing developmental transcription factors, microRNA and membrane proteins

• Alberto Benito-Martin
• Stephen Redenti

A cleavage product of Polycystin-1 is a mitochondrial matrix protein that affects mitochondria morphology and function when heterologously expressed

• Cheng-Chao Lin
• Mahiro Kurashige
• Gregory G. Germino

The live cell DNA stain SiR-Hoechst induces DNA damage responses and impairs cell cycle progression

• Adrian T. Saurin
• Jonathan M. G. Higgins

Metastatic Brain Tumors Disrupt the Blood-Brain Barrier and Alter Lipid Metabolism by Inhibiting Expression of the Endothelial Cell Fatty Acid Transporter Mfsd2a

• Shweta Tiwary
• John E. Morales
• Joseph H. McCarty

Beta-catenin cleavage enhances transcriptional activation

• Tatiana Goretsky
• Emily M. Bradford
• Terrence A. Barrett

Glucose starvation induces LKB1-AMPK-mediated MMP-9 expression in cancer cells

• Hitoshi Endo
• Satoshi Owada
• Masayuki Tatemichi

Endocrine cell type sorting and mature architecture in the islets of Langerhans require expression of Roundabout receptors in β cells

• Melissa T. Adams
• Jennifer M. Gilbert

Prediction of sarcopenia using a combination of multiple serum biomarkers

• Ju Yeon Kwak
• Hyeoncheol Hwang
• Ki-Sun Kwon

Vertical Transmission of the Zika Virus Causes Neurological Disorders in Mouse Offspring

• Yingchao Shi
• Xiaoqun Wang

Quantifying extracellular matrix turnover in human lung scaffold cultures

• Oskar Rosmark
• Emma Åhrman
• Johan Malmström

Embryonic germ cell extracts erase imprinted genes and improve the efficiency of induced pluripotent stem cells

• Qiaoshi Zhao

From individual to collective 3D cancer dissemination: roles of collagen concentration and TGF-β

• Y. Juste-Lanas
• J. M. García-Aznar

Intracellular calcium signal at the leading edge regulates mesodermal sheet migration during Xenopus gastrulation

• Kentaro Hayashi
• Takamasa S. Yamamoto

Colon Cancer-Upregulated Long Non-Coding RNA lincDUSP Regulates Cell Cycle Genes and Potentiates Resistance to Apoptosis

• Megan E. Forrest
• Alina Saiakhova
• Ahmad M. Khalil

Dynamic modelling of the mTOR signalling network reveals complex emergent behaviours conferred by DEPTOR

• Thawfeek M. Varusai
• Lan K. Nguyen

Magnesium enhances the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by inhibiting activated macrophage-induced inflammation

Development of new method to enrich human iPSC-derived renal progenitors using cell surface markers

• Azusa Hoshina
• Tatsuya Kawamoto
• Kenji Osafune

VPS4 is a dynamic component of the centrosome that regulates centrosome localization of γ-tubulin, centriolar satellite stability and ciliogenesis

• Carolyn Ott
• Dikla Nachmias
• Natalie Elia

Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells Support Lymphatic Regeneration at Multiple Anatomical Levels during Wound Healing and Lymphedema

• Manu Beerens
• Xabier L. Aranguren
• Aernout Luttun

MALAT1: An Epigenetic Regulator of Inflammation in Diabetic Retinopathy

• Saumik Biswas
• Anu Alice Thomas
• Subrata Chakrabarti

Molecular mechanism of ER stress-induced pre-emptive quality control involving association of the translocon, Derlin-1, and HRD1

• Hisae Kadowaki
• Pasjan Satrimafitrah
• Hideki Nishitoh

Monitoring voltage fluctuations of intracellular membranes

• Masoud Sepehri Rad
• Lawrence B. Cohen
• Bradley J. Baker

Premyogenic progenitors derived from human pluripotent stem cells expand in floating culture and differentiate into transplantable myogenic progenitors

• Fusako Sakai-Takemura
• Asako Narita
• Yuko Miyagoe-Suzuki

Multicilin and activated E2f4 induce multiciliated cell differentiation in primary fibroblasts

• Seongjae Kim
• Chris Kintner

Using intracellular markers to identify a novel set of surface markers for live cell purification from a heterogeneous hIPSC culture

• Elizabeth J. Paik
• Alison L. O’Neil
• Lee L. Rubin

Ultrastructural and Immunohistochemical Features of Telocytes in Placental Villi in Preeclampsia

• Natalia V. Nizyaeva
• Tatiana V. Sukhacheva
• Gennadiy T. Sukhikh

Diverse patterns of molecular changes in the mechano-responsiveness of focal adhesions

• Rahuman S. Malik-Sheriff
• Sarah Imtiaz

Accurate and fiducial-marker-free correction for three-dimensional chromatic shift in biological fluorescence microscopy

• Atsushi Matsuda
• Lothar Schermelleh
• Yasushi Hiraoka

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Social justice
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

The beauty of biology

Press contact :.

Previous image Next image

When Hanjun Lee arrived at MIT, he was set on becoming a Course 5 chemistry student. Based on his experience in high school, biology was all about rote memorization.

That changed when he took course  7.03 (Genetics) , taught by then-professor  Aviv Regev , now head and executive vice president of research and early development at Genentech, and  Peter Reddien , professor of biology and core member and associate director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

He notes that friends from other schools don’t cite a single course that changed their major, but he’s not alone in choosing Course 7 because of 7.03.

“Genetics has this interesting force, especially in MIT biology. The department’s historical — and active — role in genetics research ties directly into the way the course is taught,” Lee says. “Biology is about logic, scientific reasoning, and posing the right questions.”

A few years later, as a teaching assistant for class  7.002 (Fundamentals of Experimental Molecular Biology ), he came to value how much care MIT biology professors take in presenting the material for all offered courses.

“I really appreciate how much effort MIT professors put into their teaching,” Lee says. “As a TA, you realize the beauty of how the professors organize these things — because they’re teaching you in a specific way, and you can grasp the beauty of it — there’s a beauty in studying and finding the patterns in nature.”

An undertaking to apply

To attend MIT at all hadn’t exactly been a lifelong dream. In fact, it didn’t occur to Lee that he could or should apply until he represented South Korea at the 49th International Chemistry Olympiad, where he won a Gold Medal in 2017. There, he had the chance to speak with MIT alumni, as well as current and aspiring students. More than half of those aspiring students eventually enrolled, Lee among them.

“Before that, MIT was this nearly mythical institution, so that experience really changed my life,” Lee recalls. “I heard so many different stories from people with so many different backgrounds — all converging towards the same enthusiasm towards science.” 

At the time, Lee was already attending medical school — a six-year undergraduate program in Korea — that would lead to a stable career in medicine. Attending MIT would involve both changing his career plans and uprooting his life, leaving all his friends and family behind.

His parents weren’t especially enthusiastic about his desire to study at MIT, so it was up to Lee to meet the application requirements. He woke up at 3 a.m. to find his own way to the only SAT testing site in South Korea — an undertaking he now recalls with a laugh. In just three months, he had gathered everything he needed; MIT was the only institution in the United States Lee applied to.

He arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2018 but attended MIT only for a semester before returning to Korea for his two years of mandatory military service.

“During military service, my goal was to read as many papers as possible, because I wondered what topic of science I’m drawn to — and many of the papers I was reading were authored by people I recognized, people who taught biology at MIT,” Lee says. “I became really interested in cancer biology.”

Return to MIT

When he returned to campus, Lee pledged to do everything he could to meet with faculty and discuss their work. To that end, he joined the MIT Undergraduate Research Journal , allowing him to interview professors. He notes that most MIT faculty are enthusiastic about being contacted by undergraduate students.

Stateside, Lee also reached out to Michael Lawrence , an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and assistant geneticist at Mass General Cancer Center, about a preprint concerning APOBEC, an enzyme Lee had studied at Seoul National University. Lawrence’s lab was looking into APOBEC and cancer evolution — and the idea that the enzyme might drive drug resistance to cancer treatment.

“Since he joined my lab, I’ve been absolutely amazed by his scientific talents,” Lawrence says. “Hanjun’s scientific maturity and achievements are extremely rare, especially in an undergraduate student.”

Lee has made new discoveries from genomic data and was involved in publishing  a paper in Molecular Cell and  a paper in Nature Genetics . In the latter, the lab identified the source of background noise in chromosome conformation capture experiments, a technique for analyzing chromatin in cells.

Lawrence thinks Lee “is destined for great leadership in science.” In the meantime, Lee has gained valuable insights into how much work these types of achievements require.

“Doing research has been rewarding, but it also taught me to appreciate that science is almost 100 percent about failures,” Lee says. “It is those failures that end up leading you to the path of success.”

Widening the scope

Lee’s personal motto is that to excel in a specific field, one must have a broad sense of what the entire field looks like, and suggests other budding scientists enroll in courses distant from their research area. He also says it was key to see his peers as collaborators rather than competitors, and that each student will excel in their own unique way.

“Your MIT experience is defined by interactions with others,” Lee says. “They will help identify and shape your path.”

For his accomplishments, Lee was recently named an  American Association for Cancer Research Undergraduate Scholar . Last year, he also spoke at the Gordon Research Conference on Cell Growth and Proliferation about his work on the retinoblastoma gene product RB. Lee was also among the 2024 Biology Undergraduate Award Winners, recognized with the Salvador E. Luria Prize for outstanding scholarship and research of publication quality.

Encouraged by positive course evaluations during his time as a TA, Lee hopes to inspire other students in the future through teaching. Lee has recently decided to pursue a PhD in cancer biology at Harvard Medical School, although his interests remain broad.

“I want to explore other fields of biology as well,” he says. “I have so many questions that I want to answer.”

Although initially resistant, Lee’s mother and father are now “immensely proud to be MIT parents” and will be coming to Cambridge in May to celebrate Lee’s graduation.

“Throughout my years here, they’ve been able to see how I’ve changed,” he says. “I don’t think I’m a great scientist, yet, but I now have some sense of how to become one.” 

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• Department of Biology

Related Topics

• Undergraduate
• Whitehead Institute

More MIT News

Janabel Xia: Algorithms, dance rhythms, and the drive to succeed

Read full story →

Jonathan Byrnes, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics senior lecturer and visionary in supply chain management, dies at 75

Researchers develop a detector for continuously monitoring toxic gases

Navigating longevity with industry leaders at MIT AgeLab PLAN Forum

Jeong Min Park earns 2024 Schmidt Science Fellowship

New tool empowers users to fight online misinformation

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram

• Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
• Fungal Pathogenesis
• Research Topics

The Bodyguards to The Rescue: Understanding The Molecular and Immunological Mechanisms Involved in Host-Insect Pathogenic Microbe Interactions

Total Downloads

Total Views and Downloads

About this Research Topic

The growing demand for eco-friendly biological agents with diverse mechanisms of action and low toxicity to non-target organisms is rising. Among the insect pathogens that have been evaluated are entomopathogenic fungi and bacteria. These organisms have shown great potential in combating agricultural, livestock, and human pests. Nevertheless, their efficacy is significantly impacted by various factors, such as the interplay among bioagents, environmental conditions, and the targeted hosts. The immune response of the host is a critical consideration when developing biological agents for insect management. According to recent findings, social insects, including termites and ants, can detect and evade entomopathogenic fungi by relying on their sense of smell. When infected with fungi, ants exhibit self-medication behavior, increase social interactions with nestmates, and alter their behavior in response to the infection. Effective pest control can be achieved by enhancing the pathogenicity of fungi, and by bypassing the host immune system of insect pest. Methods to improve the potency of entomopathogenic microbes involve pressure selection, genetic advancement, and mutation. Furthermore, the screening of bioagents with heightened pathogenic potential and non-repellent qualities has been recommended. Increasing the resistance of bioagents to ant defensive chemicals also increases their virulence to insect pests. This Research Topic is open to submissions of research and review articles that explore various aspects of biological control, including the mechanisms involved in host-pathogen interactions, the virulence of entomopathogenic microbes against insects, and the immune response to infection by bioagents. Specifically, the following contributions are welcome. • Laboratory, greenhouse, or field studies on the application of insect pathogenic bacteria and fungi for improved pests and diseases management. • Studies that advance the knowledge and understanding of molecular and immunological mechanisms of infection. • The functioning of different signalling pathways in the immune response.

Keywords : Entomopathogenic Fungi, Immune Response, Insect Pest Control, Defence Mechanisms, Social insects

Important Note : All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic Editors

Topic coordinators, submission deadlines, participating journals.

Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the following journals:

total views

• Demographics

No records found

total views article views downloads topic views

Top countries

Top referring sites, about frontiers research topics.

With their unique mixes of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author.