When and where a bacterium uses its DNA can be as important as what’s in the DNA, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Scientists found significant differences in two bacterial organisms’ use of a gene linked to processes that govern a form of antibiotic resistance. The distinction alters the bacteria’s “lifestyles,” or their ability to survive in different environments. Researchers say the finding shows that understan
ALS is an incurable, paralyzing neurodegenerative disorder that strikes 5 persons in every 100,000. The disease commonly affects healthy people in the most active period of their lives – without warning or previous family history. Researchers from VIB (the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology), under the direction of Prof. Peter Carmeliet (Catholic University of Leuven), have previously shown the importance of the VEGF protein in this disease. Now, new research from this group shows
Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Geographic potential of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile Mayr) in the face of global climate change by Dr N Roura-Pascual, Dr AV Suarez, Dr C Gómez, Dr P Pons, Dr Y Touyama, Dr AL Wild and Dr AT Peterson
We examined the potential worldwide distribution of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) based on current climate models and also in the face of projected future climate change. Native to South Americ
A lipid that helps destroy potentially harmful cells during brain development shows promise for improving the safety and efficacy of stem cell transplants, say researchers at the Medical College of Georgia and University of Georgia.
When embryonic stem cells are being coaxed toward becoming brain cells that could be transplanted, that lipid, ceramide, helps eliminate cells that could later form tumors called teratomas, researchers say in the Nov. 22 issue of The Journal of Cell B
Scientists develop data analysis tool, screen more than 47,000 compounds
Using a newly developed technology, a team of Columbia University researchers has uncovered that indoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, may increase the production of a protein lacking in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a fatal pediatric genetic disease.
It is the scientists’ hope that the discovery will lead to additional developments and even a treatment for SMA, a
It is tricky enough to get a soccer team of eleven players to cooperate and work as one – but what would it be like if there were 25,000 players on the field? What would the rules be like, and how many referees would it take to make sure that the rules were followed? As it happens, our genomes consist of networks of roughly 25,000 interacting genes, and these networks are obviously very stable and resilient to changed conditions. Out of billions of cells, not a single one falls into chaos. How
ALS is an incurable, paralyzing neurodegenerative disorder that strikes 5 persons in every 100,000. The disease commonly affects healthy people in the most active period of their lives − without warning or previous family history. Researchers from VIB (the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology), under the direction of Prof. Peter Carmeliet (Catholic University of Leuven), have previously shown the importance of the VEGF protein in this disease. Now, new research from thi
Findings may aid diagnosis and indicate new treatment target for many cancers
A new study from Columbia University Medical Center finds that stomach (gastric) cancer originates from bone marrow derived stem cells (BMDC), rather than from stomach stem cells, as previously thought. The study, “Gastric Cancer Originating from Bone Marrow-Derived Cells” is published in the current issue of Science. “This was an unexpected finding, which may lead to a re-evaluation of current assumpt
For the first time ever, Emory University researchers have broken through the so-called “oxo-wall” to create stable multiple chemical bonds between oxygen and platinum – once thought impossible because oxygen is extremely unstable when combined with certain metals. The breakthrough holds the potential for numerous applications in fuel cells, catalytic converters and emerging ’green’ chemistry.
Chemical bonds between metals and oxygen are known as metal-oxo species, and
From cadaveric insulin-producing cells
Scientists at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have induced human insulin-producing cells of the pancreas to revert to islet precursor cells. These precursor cells are capable of expansion and appear to naturally and efficiently differentiate into clusters of islet-like cells. This work may help to clarify the natural lifecycle of the beta cell and
Scientists are one step closer to deciphering the molecular signaling process controlling innate immunity with the discovery that a molecule called IRAK1 regulates the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Because atherosclerosis patients often have elevated IL-10 levels, IRAK1 may be a viable target for developing therapeutics for atherosclerosis. The research appears as the “Paper of the Week” in the December 3 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, an American Society f
Scientists have identified a new, longer species of amyloid â-peptide that has the potential to be a new target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The research appears as the “Paper of the Week” in the December 3 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.
One of the characteristic features of Alzheimer’s disease is the deposition of amyloid â-peptides in the brain. These amyloid â-peptides ar
A protein that the heart produces during its development could be redeployed after a heart attack to help the organ repair itself, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have found.
The mouse-study findings could eventually lead to new treatments for heart disease in humans and could even change the way healthcare providers respond to people suffering from heart attacks. The research appears today’s edition of Nature and is available online. “If the protein ha
Stem cell source is disposable umbilical cord blood
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that stem cells derived from the umbilical cords of newborn babies are a viable and effective transplant source for thousands of leukemia patients who have no other treatment option.
“As many as 16,000 leukemia patients diagnosed each year require a bone marrow transplant, but have no matched relative or can’t find a match in the national bone m
For the first time anywhere, scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and from Germany have succeeded in producing self-assembled spider web fibres under laboratory conditions, outside of the bodies of spiders. This fibre is significantly stronger than the silk fibre made by silkworms.
The achievement by the research team, described in an article in the Nov. 23 issue of Current Biology, opens the way to commercial development of this spider fibre for numerous industrial
Together with an international research team, researchers from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have developed an effective method for the screening and identification of genes that under normal conditions suppress cancer growth. The method enabled the discovery of a new cancer gene, which, when damaged, may promote prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer in men; it is also becoming increasingly common. Thus, this finding may have great significance for
Feedback
