The insulating myelin sheath enwrapping the cable-like axons of nerve cells is the major target of attack of the immune system in multiple sclerosis. Such attack causes neural short-circuits that give rise to the muscle weakness, loss of coordination, and speech and visual loss in the disease.
Now, Douglas Fields of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and his colleagues have reported in the March 16, 2006, issue of Neuron that supporting cells called a
May open new approach to understanding memory impairments in Alzheimer’s disease
Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered a new cell type in the part of the brain that processes our sense of smell. This new cell type, the Blanes cell, is a member of a group of previously unstudied brain cells described by the Spanish neuroanatomist Blanes (pronounced blon – es) in the late 1800s. Blanes cells have unusual properties which may hel
Researchers have used computational methods to predict what could be a prokaryotic RNA-silencing mechanism similar to the eukaryotic RNA- interference system. A study published today in the open access journal with a novel system of peer review, Biology Direct, provides the first strong evidence that a type of tandem repeats found in archaea and bacteria, the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindrome Repeats (CRISPR), might act in conjunction with the CRISPR-associated (cas) family of gen
FINDINGS:
A team led by NIH Director’s Pioneer Award recipient X. Sunney Xie, Ph.D., of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., has developed new imaging methods to track gene expression and the production of individual protein molecules in single, living cells. This technical tour de force, published in papers in this week’s issues of Science and Nature, opens the way to studying the expression of many important proteins, including those that exist in low numbers in the cell a
In a group of high-risk patients, a test that examined DNA from cells expelled in sputum for evidence of “silenced” genes correctly identified the majority of patients who were later diagnosed with lung cancer, say researchers in a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research.
As such, the sputum test potentially represents a unique, non-invasive, and cost-effective screening method that could lead to earlier treatment of lung cancer.
“Short of repeatedly
First came word that a rare frog (Amolops tormotus) in China sings like a bird, then that the species produces very high-pitch ultrasonic sounds. Now scientists say that these concave-eared torrent frogs also hear and respond to the sounds.
The findings, to appear in the March 16 issue of Nature, represent the first documented case of an amphibian being able to communicate like bats, whales and dolphins, said corresponding author Albert S. Feng, a professor of molecular and inte
First ’movie’ of gene expression in live cells shows proteins being made in small bursts
Chemists at Harvard University have developed the first technique providing a real-time, molecule-by-molecule “movie” of protein production in live cells. Their direct observation of fluorescently tagged molecules in single cells — providing striking real-time footage of the birth of individual new protein molecules inside — greatly increases scientists’ precision in probing
A man-made chemical compound called ARC causes tumor cells to die but leaves normal cells unharmed, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago report in a study highlighted in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research. ARC also proved to have strong anti-angiogenic properties, showing promise as an inhibitor of new blood vessel formation in tumors.
ARC, an acronym for its long chemical name, resembles one of the bases that are the building blocks of DNA. Researchers found
Found with genes that control human immune response, discovery could lead to safer and more effective psoriasis treatments
University of Michigan scientists have found a common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis – a disfiguring inflammatory skin disease.
Named PSORS1 (SORE-ESS-1), for psoriasis susceptibility 1, the gene is the first genetic determinant of psoriasis to be definitively identified in a large c
UK Biobank, a visionary medical project aimed at improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and many other serious conditions is launched this week after several years of meticulous planning.
Up to three thousand people living in the south Manchester area are being given the opportunity to trailblaze the project before it goes nationwide later this year.
They are being sent invitations to take part in the start-up phase of UK Biobank
Discovery in yeast opens door to new source of information on DNA damage, repair, and cancer
The discovery in yeast cells of a genetic network that guards against lethal DNA damage is a first step in the creation of a database of disease-causing combinations of mutated human genes, according to researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine led by Jef. D. Boeke, Ph.D. In a report in the March 10 issue of Cell, the Hopkins team described a genetic network that is nec
A new brain chemical test that predicts which patients with heart attack symptoms are at higher risk of dying is paradoxically not being used in younger, healthier patients who could benefit the most from the prognostic information provided by this test, according to a new analysis by cardiologists at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).
While previous studies have shown that elevated levels of “brain natriuretic peptide” (BNP) in the blood are associated with higher risks of dea
Studying the gene-expression profiles of patients with colorectal cancer might help predict their response to chemotherapy. In a study published today in the open access journal Genome Biology, researchers identified in the tumours of colorectal cancer patients almost 700 genes whose expression was different between patients who subsequently responded well to combined chemotherapy and patients who were resistant to the therapy. These findings could be used in clinical practice to complement cli
When Boeing and Airbus developed their latest aircraft, the companies’ engineers designed and tested them on a computer long before the planes were built. Biologists are catching on. They’ve just completed the first computer simulation of an entire life form — a virus.
In their quest to study life, biologists apply engineering knowledge somewhat differently: They “reverse engineer” life forms, test fly them in the computer, and see if they work in silico the way they do in
Human papillomavirus (HPV) may be a risk factor in developing squamous cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer, according to research led by Dartmouth Medical School. The study, published in the March 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, used new technology to detect antibodies from a strain of HPV on skin cancer samples.
“We found a virus that may be a risk factor for skin cancer,” said lead investigator Dr. Margaret Karagas, of Dartmouth Medical School’
Rats that have a strong craving for cocaine have a different biochemical response to the drug than their less-addicted counterparts, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
The difference lies in the pleasure-seeking area of the brain, according to a study available online and appearing in a future issue of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
“This work shows that there are profound alterations in the brain mechanisms that regulate motivated behavi
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