Novel lab technique expands researchers’ toolbox
A technical advance in laboratory techniques may provide biology researchers broader access to RNA interference, a process of blocking the activity of targeted genes. RNA interference has recently emerged as an important tool in studying how genes function in normal biological processes and in disease.
Writing in the Journal of Immunological Methods, published online on March 24, a research team from The Children’
New approaches to genetic disease, based on cells’ own ability to correct themselves, will be outlined today (Monday 8 May 2006) at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Instead of replacing a faulty gene (commonly referred to as gene therapy) these new ‘smart’ approaches make use of the therapeutic potential that already exists in human biology.
Professor Brunhilde Wirth, from the Institute of Human Genetics, University of Cologne
Scientists have seen for the first time a key step in the complex molecular processes whereby pancreas cells release insulin into the bloodstream.
The breakthrough, which builds on earlier Nobel-Prize winning research, could have implications for the treatment of diabetes which is caused when not enough insulin is released by the pancreas to meet the body’s demands.
The team of scientists from the University of Manchester, Charite University in Berlin, and the University
By studying microscopic hairs called cilia on algae, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that an internal structure that helps build cilia is also responsible for a cell’s response to external signals.
Cilia perform many functions on human cells; they propel egg and sperm cells to make fertilization possible, line the nose to pick up odors, and purify the blood, among other tasks.
With such a range of abilities, cilia serve as both motors and “cel
Scientists have determined that decay-accelerating factor (DAF), a protein found in epithelial cells in the stomach, acts as a receptor for the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Blocking this interaction could lead to new drugs that reduce the risk of peptic ulcer disease or gastric cancer. The research appears as the “Paper of the Week” in the May 12 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.
Helicobacter pylori are sp
The Science and Development Network (SciDev.Net) today launches a new online BIRD FLU DOSSIER designed to keep readers up-to-date on the latest information on bird flu and developing nations.
Since originating in Asia, the H5N1 bird flu virus has spread widely and is causing problems in many developing countries. The human flu pandemic that the virus could trigger will also hit these countries hardest.
There is urgent need for policymakers to make informed decisions, for scien
Geneticist specialists from the Institute of Biological Problems of the North, Far-East Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, are reconstructing the picture of Eurasia colonization by the Slavs. According to the researchers’ opinion, the Slavonic men and women jointly developed the territory of the south of contemporary Russia. However, after the 9th century, women used to stay at home, and colonization of the east and north was mainly performed by men.
This conclusion was made by geneti
The inventor of DNA Fingerprinting at the University of Leicester, Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, is to be honoured with a prestigious international accolade later this year, it has been announced.
Sir Alec, who is Royal Society Wolfson Research Professor in the Department of Genetics, is to be awarded the Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics 2006 by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of the discovery of the revolutionary technique.
Professor Luis Corrochano Peláez, from the Genetics Department of the University of Seville, and his PhD student Julio Rodríguez Romero, in collaboration with researchers of the Duke University of USA and the University of Salamanca, have identified a gene that allows Phycomyces fungus to react to light and orientate their growth toward it. Results will be published in the prestigious journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA” next week. These researches are part of the scientif
By deleting a gene in certain parts of the brain, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have created mice that show deficits in social interaction that are reminiscent of humans with autism spectrum disorders.
The investigators also found physical abnormalities in the brains that mimic some cases of autism, showing that the research animals can be useful in studying the mysterious condition.
The finding — to be published in the May 4 issue of the journal Neuron —
Researchers led by a University of Missouri-Columbia professor of reproductive biotechnology have reported success in freezing and preserving swine embryos that were created by in vitro techniques and that carried modified genetic material. After thawing and transfer to a surrogate mother, some of the embryos went on to produce live piglets with new genetic traits.
In a paper posted today (May 3, 2006) on the Web site of Biology of Reproduction–Papers in Press, a team headed by Dr. Ran
Male tropical túngara frogs have evolved masses on their vocal cords that help them woo females with complex calls, show scientists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama.
Dr. Mike Ryan, Clark Hubbs Regents Professor of integrative biology at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Marcos Gridi-Papp, a post-doctoral scholar in physiological sciences at UCLA, and the late Dr. Stan Rand, of STRI, published their findings in the May 4 issue of Natu
Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo or just having another relaxing day in Margaritaville, you might one day thank a chemist for assuring the authenticity of your tequila. New tests developed by scientists in Mexico and Germany will help distinguish the real thing from fraudulent versions, which are a potential threat as this alcoholic beverage grows in popularity.
The findings could help provide a “shot” of quality assurance to the estimated billion-dollar tequila market, the res
When given extra shots of the plant steroid brassinolide, plants “pump up” like major league baseball players do on steroids. Tracing brassinolide’s signal deep into the cell’s nucleus, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have unraveled how the growth-boosting hormone accomplishes its job at the molecular level.
The Salk researchers, led by Joanne Chory, a professor in the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investig
First broad field study sheds light on important neuroscience model system
It turns out that the sea slug isn’t really that sluggish after all. So says the first broad field study of this charismatic orange creature’s behavior in the wild, which was just published in the April 2006 issue of The Biological Bulletin.
The new research is significant because the sea slug known as Tritonia diomedea, a nudibranch mollusc species found in the shallow northeast Pacific, is
Biologists have vastly expanded understanding of the biological machinery controlling the intricate process by which plant roots burgeon from single cells into complex tissues. A Duke-led team’s discovery of new components of the root-development pathway in the mustard plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, represents both a scientific and technical achievement, the scientists said.
Scientifically, Arabidopsis is a basic biological model for all flowering plants, so the finding offers insigh
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