Otters cavorting in the water is a scene with which we’re all familiar. Yet, unlike many other mammals that spend a considerable amount of time in the water–polar bears, seals, dolphins, and whales–river otters do not have a thick layer of body fat to keep warm. They rely, instead, on a few unique adaptations; namely, their fur and the densely packed layer of specially adapted underhairs.
Using scanning electron microscopy and polarizing light microsopy, John W. Weisel, PhD, Profe
Scientists are one step closer to understanding the genetic pathway involved in the development of hearing. New research findings, published online this week in the journal Nature Genetics, detail how sensory hair cells in the ear –– the cells largely responsible for hearing –– develop unique shapes that enable the perception of sound.
Located in the spiraled cochlea, the hearing portion of the inner ear, the hair cells transform the mechanical vibrations that enter the ear in
In an ongoing effort to fight disease by manipulating energy regulation of cells, a collaborative study led by Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) has demonstrated that cells lacking a tumor-suppressing kinase called LKB1 can still maintain healthy energy levels when they become stressed. This energy regulation is essential for keeping cells from dying off too quickly. The study’s results could signal new advances for combating cancerous tumor growth, but also type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Researchers at Oregon State University and Diversa Corporation have discovered that the smallest free-living cell known also has the smallest genome, or genetic structure, of any independent cell – and yet it dominates life in the oceans, thrives where most other cells would die, and plays a huge role in the cycling of carbon on Earth. In nature, apparently, bigger is not always better.
In a publication today in the journal Science, scientists outlined the growing knowledge about S
Humpback likely born along Madagascar traveled to central Africa, says WCS researchers
For the first time ever, a genetic study has followed a single humpback whale from one ocean basin to another, adding to traditional notions of the migratory patterns of these majestic marine mammals in the process, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and New York University. In the most recent Royal Society’s B
A breakthrough in human stem cell research, producing embryonic-like cells from umbilical cord blood may substantially speed up the development of treatments for life-threatening illnesses, injuries and disabilities. The discovery made during a project undertaken with experts from the University of Texas Medical Branch and the Synthecon Corporation in the United States provides medical researchers and physicians with an ethical and reliable source of human stem cells for the first time.
Opening the possibility of new therapies for type 2 diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a protein called Sirt1 enhances the secretion of insulin in mice and allows them to better control blood glucose levels. Their study will appear in the August 17 issue of Cell Metabolism.
According to senior author Shin-ichiro Imai, M.D., the finding suggests that therapies that increase the activity of Sirt1 could be of benefit in t
Researchers studying zebrafish that die from anemia have discovered a new pathway for the synthesis of heme, the deep red, iron-containing molecule that is a component of hemoglobin and myoglobin. The research suggests that defects in this pathway may be an overlooked cause of anemia in humans.
A research team led by Leonard I. Zon, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, published its findings in the August 18,
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a biochemical switch that affects how neurons fire in a part of the brain associated with learning, findings that may aid in understanding schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The research sheds new light on the action of reelin, a protein known to be important in the nervous system. During development, reelin sends cues to migrating neurons, telling them where they’re supposed to go. In adult mice, reelin h
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered that a simple worm, called C. elegans, makes an excellent experimental host for studying some of the most virulent viruses that infect humans.
The researchers published their findings in the Aug. 18 issue of the journal Nature in a paper titled, Animal virus replication and RNAi-mediated antiviral silencing in C. elegans.
UCR Professor of Plant Pathology Shou-Wei Ding co-authored the paper with Morr
New molecules help make stable catalysts that work at room temperature
Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have synthesized a new class of carbenes – molecules that have unusual carbon atoms – that is expected to have wide applications in the pharmaceutical industry, ultimately resulting in a reduction in the price of drugs.
Called cyclic alkyl amino carbenes or CAACs, the molecules attach themselves to metals, such as palladium, to form highly effici
Peakadilly receives multiple patents for breakthrough Protein biomarker discovery and identification technologies.
The patent offices of the United States of America and Canada have granted patents for Peakadilly’s core technology, Cofradic. Cofradic, initially developed at the University of Ghent, Belgium, allows the identification and quantification of proteins in any biological sample and represents the most important component of the company’s Masstermind biomar
A weight control protein with a key role in the brain’s ability to monitor body fat content may yield new approaches for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to a new report in the August issue of Cell Metabolism. The findings in mice further suggest that particular variants of the protein SH2-B might underlie obesity in humans, the researchers said.
SH2-B, which has multiple functions in cells throughout the body, keeps the brain sensitive to the fat hormone leptin
The gene mutation that identifies the lung cancer patients most likely to respond to the drug gefitinib (Iressa) is not associated with a response to the drug cetuximab (Erbitux), according to a new study published in the August 17 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Both drugs target the same gene but through different mechanisms.
Some patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have mutant versions of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This p
Researchers have discovered that the loss of a gene called p63 accelerates aging in mice. Similar versions of the gene are present in many organisms, including humans. Therefore, the p63 gene is likely to play a fundamental biological role in aging-related processes.
“To study how the p63 gene works, we devised a system for eliminating it from adult mouse tissues. What struck us right away was that these p63 deficient mice were aging prematurely,” says Alea Mills of Cold Spring Har
SH2-B enhances brain’s leptin sensitivity
What do laboratory mice at the University of Michigan Medical School have in common with millions of overweight Americans? Like many of us, these mice just can’t stop eating. They weigh twice as much as their littermates, consume nearly two times as much food, have elevated fatty acid and triglyceride levels, are resistant to insulin, and often develop type 2 diabetes.
Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School ar
Feedback
