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Functional anatomy T-cell

T cell activation and function require a structured engagement of antigen-presenting cells. These cell contacts are characterized by two distinct dynamics in vivo: transient contacts resulting from promigratory junctions called immunological kinapses or prolonged contacts from stable junctions called immunological synapses. Kinapses operate in the steady state to allow referencing to self-peptide-MHC (pMHC) and searching …

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RNA editing packs a punch

Optimal protein synthesis requires bases in transfer RNAs to be modified. A key modification has been shown to involve an unusual two-step mechanism that entails the sequential activities of two enzymes.  A central dogma of molecular biology is that DNA and the corresponding RNA are complementary. But this complementarity is rewired by a process called …

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Commonality with cancer

Cancer incidence and mortality statistics reported by the American Cancer Society1 and other resources were used to create the list. To qualify as a common cancer for the list, the estimated annual incidence for 2019 had to be 40,000 cases or more. The most common type of cancer on the list is breast cancer, with 271,270 …

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Investigation of jaundice

Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes, and body fluids due to an increase in the amount of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment and byproduct of the natural daily breakdown of red blood cells (RBCs). Red blood cells typically survive for about 120 …

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