ELIFE

Worm neurons have microscopic “spines” — where nerve-to-nerve communication happens — that share features with mammalian neurons, supporting the use of worms to study spine genetics and biology. Read More

Using super-resolution microscopy tools in the Nikon Center of Excellence, Vanderbilt investigators have determined the molecular architecture of the contractile ring machinery that functions during cell division — a process that is essential for life. Read More

The dawn of the Animal Kingdom began with a collagen scaffold that enabled the organization of cells into tissues. Read More

Integrins are membrane proteins made up of combinations of different “alpha” and “beta” subunits that enable cells throughout the body to interact with their surroundings. Read More

During development, neural circuits are remodeled – some synapses are eliminated and others are strengthened – to produce a mature, functional nervous system. Read More

COX-2 inhibitors – used clinically to reduce inflammation and pain – may find new applications for treating PTSD and other stress-related psychiatric disorders like major depression. Read More

Investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have published research regarding an important feature of colorectal cancer (CRC) that could eventually lead to the development of non-invasive means of monitoring cancer progression. After lung cancer, CRC is the second-most lethal cancer in the United States. Read More

New views of how transporters move molecules across cell membranes are key to understanding how these proteins impact tumor cell drug resistance and inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Read More