Biology Letters
Temperature-dependent sex ratio in a bird by Dr A Göth and Dr DT Booth
Incubation temperature is known to determine sex ratios in reptiles, but not in birds. We show that incubation temperature affects sex ratios in megapode birds, which are exceptional because they use environmental heat sources for incubation. In a megapode species, the Australian brush-turkey (Alectura lathami), more males hatch at low and more females hatch at high incubation
Duke University Medical Center geneticists have discovered new proteins that help the olfactory system in mammals organize properly. Thus the proteins are key to the ability of mammals, including humans, to detect and respond appropriately to chemicals in the environment via their sense of smell. The finding in mice paves the way for scientists to unravel the underlying code that allows the brain to interpret smells, according to the researchers.
Using genetic manipulations, th
Johns Hopkins researchers say there is growing evidence that stem cells gone awry in their efforts to repair tissue damage could help explain why long-term irritation, such as from alcohol or heartburn, can create a breeding ground for certain cancers.
At the heart of their argument, outlined in the Nov. 18 issue of Nature, are two key chemical signals, called Hedgehog and Wnt (“wint”), that are active in the stem cells that repair damaged tissue. Recently and unexpectedly, the
Researchers have discovered that individual fibroblast cells contain independent, self-sustaining circadian (ca. 24 hr) clocks. Circadian clocks are important for synchronizing many physiological and behavioral processes to the day/night cycle.
For decades it has been known that a tiny cluster of brain cells known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is required for expression of circadian rhythms in mammals. When clock genes were identified in the late ’90s, they were found
Scientists have glimpsed the three-dimensional structure of a protein that protects the ends of human chromosomes, a function that is essential for normal cell division and survival. By visualizing the protein as it surrounds the end of a chromosome, the scientists have learned how the protein homes in on a specific DNA sequence and acts like a protective cap to prevent erosion of chromosome ends.
The researchers, led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute President Thomas R. C
Discovery offers hope for a pharmaceutical intervention to treat some forms of retinitis pigmentosa
Gene mutations that impair the ability of photoreceptor cells to properly dispose of waste – and as a result cause the blinding eye disease retinitis pigmentosa – have been identified by vision researchers at the University of Utah’s Moran Eye Center. The discovery raises concerns that carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (medications often used to treat both heart and eye diseases) ma
New study isolates gene mutation responsive to cocaine
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and New York University have discovered a gene mutation in fruit flies that alters sensitivity to crack cocaine and also regulates their internal body clock. The findings, reported in the December issue of Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology, may have implications for understanding innate differences in sensitivity to cocaine in humans, potentially prov
’Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what does it do?’
A chemist at Washington University in St. Louis has found surprisingly tough enzymes in a bacterium that “just says no to acid.” Acid resistance is a valued trait for both pills and human pathogens. The bacterium Acetobacter aceti makes unusually acid-resistant enzymes in spades, which could make the organism a source for new enzyme products and new directions in protein chemistry.
A. aceti has been used for millennia to mak
To get a better look at how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils – which are associated with important human diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and the so-called prion diseases like Mad Cow – researchers at North Carolina State University decided to make movies.
Dr. Carol Hall, Alcoa Professor of chemical engineering at NC State and Hung D. Nguyen, a graduate student in Hall’s lab, used a computer simulation technique, discontinuous molecular dynamics,
Open up a pint of strawberries from the grocery store, and more often than not you’ll find a fuzzy berry or two in the mix. A blast of chlorine dioxide gas, however, promises to not only keep those berries fuzz-free, but also to kill off harmful bacteria living on their surface more efficiently than methods currently used by the food industry, say Purdue University researchers.
“Strawberries are tricky,” said Rich Linton, professor of food science and one of the leaders of
A groundbreaking technique developed at The University of Manchester, which uses crystals to map ‘invisible’ parts of molecules, is set to revolutionise drug discovery.
The technique, which involves sending beams of neutrons through crystals at freezing temperatures, just a few degrees above ’absolute zero’, will for the first time allow scientists to see complete structures of protein molecules, right down to the last atom.
The problem faced by scientists
A little bison called Murzilka lives in a spacious open-air cage in the Prioksko-Terrasny biosphere reserve, eats well and occasionally meets with its adoptive parents – they specially come over from town to visit their “son”. It has been several months already that Vitaly Chubiy and Elena Kolomenskaya adopted a baby bison.
This summer the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has launched a new project under the inviting slogan “Adopt a Bison”. To become related with the biggest animal of E
Scientists have determined the crystal structure of a protein kinase C (PKC) isozyme, in this case the novel PKC family member PKC theta (PKCÈ). This structure should prove extremely useful in the rational design of small molecule inhibitors of PKCÈ, which has been implicated in T-cell mediated disease processes including inflammation and autoimmunity.
The research appears as the “Paper of the Week” in the November 26 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, an American Soc
The bacterium that causes ulcers and contributes to stomach cancers uses a clever interaction between two genes to randomly tighten and loosen its grip on the stomach, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Umeå University in Sweden.
Helicobacter pylori often binds tightly to cells of the stomach lining to feed, but the newly identified interaction ensures that a small reservoir of bacteria are always more loosely connected.
Discovery shows stem cell-derived ‘insulation’ cells growing and functioning in a living system
For the first time, researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to create new insulating tissue for nerve fibers in a live animal model – a finding that has potentially important implications for treatment of spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.
Researchers at the UC Irvine Reeve-Irvine Research Center used human embryonic stem cells to create cells called oligodendr
A new ape species from Spain called Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, or its close relative, may have been the last common ancestor to all living great apes, including humans, researchers say. The Spanish paleontology team describes its fossil find in the 19 November issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society.
Like other great apes, Pierolapithecus had a stiff lower spine and other special adaptations for climbing. These features, plus the fossil&#
Feedback
