| 1 min read
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
WORCESTER, Mass.—The ability of a cell to repair damage done to its genetic material is key to cell survival and often serves as the line between healthy and diseased tissues. Imaging limitations, however, have made it difficult to get a detailed understanding of biological repair mechanisms at the molecular level. Recently, researchers at the UMass Medical Center, The Jackson Laboratory and Leica Microsystems pushed these limits.
 
In a recent PNAS, the researchers used immunofluorescence to monitor the action of key histone proteins in response to DNA damage caused by exposing cells to carcinogens. In particular, they used a high-resolution confocal microscopy system called 4Pi microscopy, which uses two objectives to look at the same spot and thereby allows researchers to resolve objects (in the z-axis) below 100 nm.
 
The researchers noted that within seconds of DNA damage, the histones were phosphorylated and formed clusters, which the researchers speculate may provide a mechanism for signaling and repair protein assembly. "We look forward to continuing our investigations with the analysis of other nuclear proteins involved in cancer prevention and the repair of DNA damage," said UMass researcher Dr. Brian Bennett.

About the Author

Related Topics

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...
Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe to our eNewsletters

Stay connected with all of the latest from Drug Discovery News.

Subscribe

Sponsored

Reliable fluid biomarkers strategies for clinical neuroscience research

Reliable fluid biomarkers strategies for clinical neuroscience research

Explore how validated fluid biomarker assays advance clinical research for neurological diseases.
A group of blue capsules is scattered on a bright yellow surface, with one capsule opened to reveal white powder inside.

Understanding drug impurities: types, sources, and analytical strategies

Unseen and often unexpected, drug impurities can slip in at every drug development stage, making their detection and control essential.
Laboratorian with a white coat and blue gloves pipettes green liquid into a beaker with multicolored liquids in beakers and tubes in the blue-tinged, sterile laboratory background.

Discovering cutting-edge nitrosamine analysis in pharmaceuticals

New tools help researchers detect and manage harmful nitrosamine impurities in drugs such as monoclonal antibodies.
Drug Discovery News March 2025 Issue
Latest IssueVolume 21 • Issue 1 • March 2025

March 2025

March 2025 Issue

Explore this issue