It may be possible to halt cancer in its tracks by blocking a gene critical to building tumour supply lines, according to new research carried out at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Most tumours need a blood supply to grow.
Researchers at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience have found that when new blood vessels form – in developing embryos and in tumours – a gene, known as Sox18, switches on for just 48 hours.
“In adult mice, we have found that i
ALAS, scientists at the GBF reveal the structure of a life-sustaining enzyme
Heme is the pigment responsible for the red colour of blood. All humans and animals need heme because it alone transports life-sustaining oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body. Scientists of the GBF and the Technical University in Braunschweig have resolved the 3-dimensional structure of the enzyme that catalyses the first step in the synthesis of heme. “This project completes a page in the
In a study that will help the food industry understand the effects of processing on allergens, IFR scientists have discovered how an apple allergy protein retains its potency.
Apples are the most widely grown and consumed fruit in Europe. At the same time, around 1 million people in Europe are allergic to apples. As well as being consumed whole, apples are processed for desserts, sauces, juices and infant foods. This is the first time that the effects of heat and the presence of s
One of the remaining challenges for evolutionary developmental studies of mammals, whose evolution is best known from their teeth, is how their tooth shape is altered during development. Researchers of the University of Helsinki together with their Japanese colleagues from the University of Kioto now propose a ‘balance of induction’ mechanism directing the placement of tooth shape features called cusps. Position and shape of cusps determine whether a tooth shape belongs to human or mouse, for exampl
The cider sector has undergone considerable changes over the last few years. With technological advances, the traditional, at times conservative, methods have experienced great changes. New systems have been introduced into the tolares (the cider-making plants), incorporating the continuous washing of the apples, new types of pressing and polyester-coated stainless steel recipients, refrigeration, etc. Also the idea that certain cultural concepts based on concrete observations often need scien
Cells can reuse the chemical messengers that carry genetic information to the machinery that makes proteins. Sometimes cells shuttle the messengers to storage and later reactivate them to make proteins, according to new research.
Learning how cells regulate the newly discovered “mRNA cycle” may provide insights into how the cellular machinery runs amok in diseases like cancer.
Scientists had previously thought the messenger molecules, known as mRNAs, were manufactured, u
The evolution of complex and physiologically remarkable structures such as the vertebrate eye has long been a focus of intrigue and theorizing by biologists. In work reported this week in Current Biology, the evolutionary history of a critical eye protein has revealed a previously unrecognized relationship between certain components of vertebrate eyes and those of the more primitive light-sensing systems of invertebrates. The findings help clarify our conceptual framework for understanding how t
Botox, used by Hollywood stars to smooth out facial wrinkles, is playing an important role in UQ research to understand how nerve cells communicate with each other.
The research is exploring basic nerve cell function, minute changes which underlie memory and learning, and possible causes of nerve diseases. Dr Frederic Meunier, a lecturer in UQ’s School of Biomedical Sciences, is studying basic physiological processes at the molecular level. Dr Meunier is one of seven UQ f
It is known that a key protein in the immune system, C3, bonds with and interacts with up to 40 other proteins and receptors in the blood. But until now it has not been understood what the significance of these bonds might be. In the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature a Swedish-Dutch research team has laid bare the crystal structure of the protein, which may lead to tailor-made treatments for autoimmune diseases.
Scientists at Uppsala University, in collaboration with the
The Structural Genomics Consortium, Karolinska Institutet, VINNOVA, Knut and Alice Wallenberg’s foundation (KAW) and The Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) today announces the establishment of a Swedish research node of the Structural Genomics Consortium.
A Swedish laboratory based at the Karolinska Institutet has been established by the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) in its ambitious efforts to unravel the structures of hundreds of proteins of biomedical importance. The
Novel use of genetic testing methods helped public health officials control and limit the further spread of four outbreaks of foodborne hepatitis A virus in 2003 related to the consumption of green onions, according to a detailed analysis published in the October 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.
The authors of the study, Joseph J. Amon, PhD, MSPH, and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), explained that these m
Silencing Alzheimer’s: targeting a key enzyme with gene therapy reversed course of disease in mouse models
In mice, that had been genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s disease, scientists were able to reverse the rodents’ memory loss by reducing the amount of an enzyme that is crucial for the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
“What we are showing is a proof of principle that stopping the synthesis of a protein that is necessary for the form
Daniel Gallie’s findings propose a useful approach to feed the world’s growing population
Corn with twice its usual content of protein and oil and about half its usual carbohydrate content is what Daniel Gallie, professor of biochemistry, will present at a congressional seminar in Washington, D.C., this week.
Because his research holds promise for efficiently feeding high-protein corn to people and livestock all over the world, Gallie has been invited to speak to an aud
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a deceptively simple sugar is in fact a critical regulator of cells’ natural life cycle.
The discovery reveals that, when disturbed, this process could contribute to cancer or other diseases by failing to properly control the steps and timing of cell division, the researchers say. The findings are described in the Sept. 23 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, available online now.
The sugar, known as O-GlcNAc (
FOXO1a caused death of tumor cells in laboratory study by triggering expression of caspase-3, which blocks cell division and causes cells to undergo apoptosis, according to St. Jude.
The loss of function of a gene called FOXO1a plays an important role in the development of the most common cancer of soft tissues in children, and restoring the function of that gene in cancer cells suppresses that cancer, according to investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The can
Stem cells have long been described as the holy grail of bioscientists.
These amazing cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body and have to potential to revolutionise medical science.
Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish cells lost due to everyday wear and tear, or following injury or disease.
Dr Rod Rietze, head of the Queensland Brain Institut
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