22nd Edition of World Cell Biologist Awards


 

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New structure found inside human cells could radically change health and medicine

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  Breakthrough discovery Announced on June 25, 2025, by University of Virginia and NIH researchers, the hemifusome is an organelle formed by two vesicles partially fused through a “hemifusion diaphragm.” It's been visualized via cryo-electron tomography and acts as a “loading dock” for cellular cargo—sorting, recycling, and processing materials. The structure is surprisingly common and shows up in various cell types, though it had been hidden until now. “Snowman in a scarf” image Dubbed the “snowman wearing a scarf” by media due to its distinctive shape (two circular vesicles connected by a thin membrane), this organsheet could unlock new biomedical insights. Broad impact on health Hemifusomes are implicated in diseases involving vesicle trafficking—such as Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and possibly other genetic or immune disorders. Researchers describe them as a potentially revolutionary diagnostic and therapeutic ta...
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New “evolution engine” creates super-proteins 100,000x faster

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  "This is like giving evolution a fast-forward button," says co-senior author Pete Schultz, the President and CEO of Scripps Research, where he also holds the L.S. "Sam" Skaggs Presidential Chair. "You can now evolve proteins continuously and precisely inside cells without damaging the cell's genome or requiring labor-intensive steps." Directed evolution is a laboratory process that involves introducing mutations and selecting variants with improved function over multiple cycles. It's used to tailor proteins with desired properties, such as highly selective, high-affinity antibodies, enzymes with new specificities or catalytic properties, or to investigate the emergence of resistance mutations in drug targets. However, traditional methods often require repeated rounds of DNA manipulation and testing with each round taking a week or more. Systems for continuous evolution -- where proteins evolve inside living cells without manual intervention -- a...
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The secret motor protein that slams leaf pores shut—and saves crops

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  Researchers used Arabidopsis thaliana as a model to investigate the role of myosin XI in drought response. They used genetically modified plants lacking one, two (2ko), or all three (3ko), major myosin XI genes. These were then compared to wild-type plants across several tests, including drought survival assays, water loss measurements, stomatal aperture analysis, and ABA sensitivity. They also measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, visualized microtubules with fluorescent markers, and tracked expression of ABA-responsive genes via qRT-PCR. This comprehensive approach allowed them to assess the functional contribution of myosin XI to drought tolerance and ABA signaling in plants. The results were striking. Plants lacking myosin XI, especially the 2ko and 3ko mutants, showed a higher rate of water loss, impaired stomatal closure, and lower survival under drought. They were also less responsive to ABA, as seen in higher germination rates and reduced inhibition of root g...
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