In the Arctic and Antarctic seas the water gets cold to minus 1.9 C in winter, but somehow some fish live there. These cold-blooded creatures survive in the icy water because the blood in their veins contains antifreeze proteins and glycoproteins. High levels of the antifreeze proteins are found in the blood serum, they are present in cell cytoplasm and all body fluids except urine. Due to their structure, molecules of antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGP) prevent growth of ice crystals. Natural antifreeze
A controversial research study here has found that exposing cells infected with feline immunodeficiency virus – a surrogate for HIV – to methamphetamine increases those cells’ ability to replicate the deadly virus as much as 15-fold.
The finding, if confirmed by ongoing animal studies, could answer important questions about how lentiviruses such as FIV and HIV can gain a foothold in the brain. That knowledge is vital in slowing or lessening the dementia that often accompanies AIDS and s
An unusual conifer found in a remote area of northern Vietnam has been identified as a genus and species previously unknown to science. The limestone ridges where the tree grows are among the most botanically rich areas in Vietnam, said Daniel Harder, currently director of the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) Arboretum and a co-discoverer of the new species. The discovery is published in the current issue of the journal Novon.
“Biologists don’t need to contemplate finding life
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At the heart of every cell, vital information is “written” on the DNA, a long molecular ribbon almost one meter long bundled inside the nucleus of the cell. For the DNA to fit inside this small space, it is rolled up like a ball of yarn in a highly organized structure called chromatin. Beyond its purely structural role, the spatial organization of DNA is essential to the basic processes of a cell’s life because it provides information that is added to that contributed by the genetic code. This ball-
Laboratory rats that have been repeatedly depleted of salt become sensitized to amphetamine, exhibiting an exaggerated hyperactive response to the drug and an unusual pattern of neuronal growth in a part of their brains, neuroscientists have found.
The researchers, headed by University of Washington psychologist Ilene Bernstein, discovered that nerve cells in the nucleus accumbens of sensitized rats have more branches and were 30 percent to 35 percent longer than normal. The nucleus accumbe
Heart ’patches’ and functioning kidney units cloned in cows
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT) reported today that nuclear transplantation can be used to generate functional immune-compatible tissues. The research, which will appear in the July issue (cover story) of Nature Biotechnology, by ACT and its collaborators, provides the first experimental evidence that it may be possible to use cloning to generate medically important tissues and eliminate tissue rejection. Heart
Brown scientists have described a previously unknown but critical blood-clotting role for Arp2/3, a complex of seven proteins found in animal and plant cells.
Reporting in the June 15 issue of Blood, the scientists show that Arp2/3 complex is a cellular machine that drives a human blood platelet to change shape into a larger, more flattened form and begin the process of clotting. The link between what happens at the surface of a platelet and the mechanism of shape change within it has mystif
Pulses of laser light can make molecules react in ways that are impossible using classical test-tube chemistry. Molecules vibrate, and each molecule has its own “tone,” its own “melody.” It’s a question of finding the right key, and that is something that a “smart” laser beam can do. It can find its way to the right tone. In a new issue of the prestigious journal Nature it is shown how such a laser can be used to control photosynthesis molecules that gather light. This is the first time this fea
A tiny methane-producing microbe has revealed the existence of a new amino acid, researchers report. Two studies published in the current issue of the journal Science describe pyrrolysine, a nonstandard amino acid encoded in the RNA of bacteria-like members of the group Archaea. The findings suggest that the genetic code may be more adaptable than previously believed.
When scientists first began to unravel the genetic code more than four decades ago, they determined that the four DNA bases
A study of birds on Pacific islands shows conclusively that the formation of new species is a gradual and not a sudden process, according to biologists from the UK, France, Australia and the USA writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today (28 May issue).
The `founder effect` theory, a controversial idea among biologists, says that speciation occurs suddenly due to a small influx of colonists founding new populations, in the process creating many new gene combinations
This month, Journal of Applied Microbiology publishes a ground-breaking study demonstrating that bacteria which are physically separated can transmit information through the air. It is well documented that bacteria can exchange messages by releasing substances into a surrounding liquid culture medium, but this new study is the first to demonstrate signalling between physically separated bacterial cells.
Professor Alan Parsons and Dr Richard Heal of QinetiQ ltd, have shown that physically sep
A signature of arts and crafts sessions, the Möbius strip–a seemingly endless ribbon with only one side and one edge that can be made from construction paper and sticky tape–has been given a new look. According to a report published today in the journal Nature, scientists have succeeded in growing crystals in the form of Möbius structures.
A piece of ribbon or paper can be twisted and turned easily, so a regular Möbius strip itself is no great feat of engineering. Crystals, in contrast,
The Genostar consortium today announces the launch of its Genostar platform for exploratory genomics, the result of two and a half years research carried out by a team of more than 20 genomics and bioinformatics scientists and developers. Exploratory genomics involves the study of the structure and function of genes and proteins and plays a vital role in healthcare, agrifood and other industries. Members of the consortium are GENOME express, Hybrigenics, INRIA and the Pasteur Institute (see boilerpla
A new study using mouse “knockouts” shows that genes that control limb formation in insects have similar functions in mammals.
Split hand/foot malformation (SHFM) or ectrodactyly (the “lobster claw” anomaly), is a severe congenital malformation syndrome characterised by a profound median cleft of the hands and/or feet, typically associated with absence or fusion of the remaining fingers. This condition is quite frequent as about 6 cases of SHFM are observed for every 10,000 human births.
Journal of Biology ( http://www.jbiol.com ) is a new international journal, published by BioMed Central, which provides immediate open access to research articles of exceptional interest. It will only publish research articles of the highest standard, similar to those published by Nature, Science or Cell. While these journals restrict access to only those who pay for a subscription, all research articles published in Journal of Biology will be permanently
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