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Call for Papers: Frontiers and Challenges in Structural Biology

Biology Direct welcomes submissions for a new Collection of structural biology articles. The Collection will include contributions with significant impact on understanding the architecture and function of biological macromolecules, advancing biological theory, and fostering biotechnological/medical applications.

Featured Article: Features of the CD1 gene family in rodents and the uniqueness of the immune system of naked mole-rat

New Content Item (1)Cluster of Differentiation 1 (CD1) proteins are widely expressed throughout jawed vertebrates and present lipid antigens to specific CD1-restricted T lymphocytes. CD1 molecules play an important role in immune defense with the presence or absence of particular CD1 proteins frequently associated with the functional characteristics of the immune system. Here, we show the evolution of CD1 proteins in the Rodentia family and the diversity among its members. Based on the analysis of CD1 protein-coding regions in rodent genomes and the reconstruction of protein structures, we found that Heterocephalus glaber represents a unique member of the suborder Hystricomorpha with significant changes in protein sequences and structures of the CD1 family. Multiple lines of evidence point to the absence of CD1d and CD1e and probably a dysfunctional CD1b protein in Heterocephalus glaber. In addition, the impact of CD1d loss on the CD1d/Natural killer T (NKT) cell axis in the naked mole-rat and its potential implications for immune system function are discussed in detail.

Konstantin V. Gunbin, Gelina S. Kopeina, Boris Zhivotovsky & Alexey V. Zamaraev 

Image courtesy of the authors.

Editor-in-Chief

New Content ItemGerry Melino, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy

Gerry Melino is Professor of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" and also at DZNE in Bonn, Germany. He is a member of the Academia Lincei as well as of the Academia Europaea. For 19 years he was programme leader at the Toxicology Unit of the Medical Research Council, Cambridge University, UK. His scientific interest focuses upon programmed cell death in cancer and skin. Gerry's major work investigates the p53 family members – p63 and p73. The molecular events driven by DNA damage to elicit the function of p63/p73 is investigated in vitro (transcriptional targets, proteosomal degradation, inhibitors) as well in ad hoc transgenic animal models.

Articles

  1. Authors: Davide Colaianni, Federico Virga, Annamaria Tisi, Chiara Stefanelli, Germana Zaccagnini, Paola Cusumano, Gabriele Sales, Mihai Bogdan Preda, Fabio Martelli, Daniela Taverna, Massimiliano Mazzone, Cristiano Bertolucci, Rita Maccarone and Cristiano De Pittà

2024

Frontiers and Challenges in Structural Biology
Biology Direct

Bioinformatics Theory and Methods for Biological Discovery
Biology Direct

Plant Development and Environmental Interactions
Biology Direct

2023

Cancer Biology
Biology Direct

2020

Cancer pathways
Biology Direct
Collection published: 10 April 2020

Cancer prediction
Biology Direct
Collection published: 13 April 2020

COVID-19
Biology Direct
Collection published: 20 April 2020

Evolution
Biology Direct
Collection published: 21 April 2020

Microbiome research
Biology Direct
Collection published: 23 April 2020

2018

Proceedings of the Critical Assessment of Massive Data Analysis (CAMDA) Satellite Meeting to ISMB 2018
Biology Direct
Collection published: 13 February 2020
Part of: CAMDA Thematic Series

2017

Proceedings of the Critical Assessment of Massive Data Analysis (CAMDA) Satellite Meeting to ISMB 2017
Biology Direct
Collection published: 23 August 2019
Part of: CAMDA Thematic Series

2016

Evolution and cancer: A mathematical biology approach II
Biology Direct
Collection published: 23 August 2016

2015

Proceedings of the Critical Assessment of Massive Data Analysis (CAMDA) Satellite Meeting to ISMB 2015
Biology Direct
Collection published: 20 December 2016
Part of: CAMDA Thematic Series

2011

Beyond the tree of life
Biology Direct
Collection published: 30 June 2011

2010

Evolution and cancer: A mathematical biology approach
Biology Direct
Collection published: 20 April 2010

2009

Evolutionary Biology 150 years after the 'Origin': is a post-modern synthesis in sight?
Biology Direct
Collection published: 24 April 2009

2008

Origin and early evolution of life
Biology Direct
Collection published: 9 July 2008

Call for Papers: Bioinformatics Theory and Methods for Biological Discovery

Biology Direct is proud to announce a new Collection that aims to demonstrate innovative approaches addressing biological and medical challenges using computational techniques that support new engineering applications, analytic-method development, or mathematical foundations of biological systems.

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Annual Journal Metrics

  • Citation Impact 2023
    Journal Impact Factor: 5.7
    5-year Journal Impact Factor: 4.5
    Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP): 1.060
    SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): 1.161

    Speed 2023
    Submission to first editorial decision (median days): 4
    Submission to acceptance (median days): 74

    Usage 2023
    Downloads: 587,431
    Altmetric mentions: 409