Year: 2023

Cells are the basis of life and new cells arise by dividing one cell into two cells. In animals, cell division is typically mediated by a ring-like structure consisting of long threads of actin fibers. This actin ring shrinks in size and generates the two new cells. In case actin ring constriction fails, cell division is abolished and numerous diseases can arise. The research group of Prof. Dr. Esther Zanin discovered a novel type of ring that assembles and constricts in case actin fibers are missing. The molecular composition of the novel contractile ring and how it constricts was recently published by the research group in Cell Reports

Antibodies are crucial, not only for treating tumors and infections. Sometimes, however, the immune reaction they trigger can be too strong and end up causing more damage, for example in the case of people infected with Covid-19. Problems such as these can often be avoided by finetuning antibodies, as Prof. Dr. Falk Nimmerjahn from FAU and two of his colleagues in the Netherlands and in the UK have now reported in the journal Nature Immunology.

A team of researchers at FAU and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen has gained new insights into the maturation of SARS-CoV-specific antibodies after multiple vaccinations with the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty. They have now published their work in the journal Science Immunology.