Brain Protein "Rescues" Neurons From Atrophy
...ever, show that the neurotrophins are specifically critical to the growth and interconnections of developing c...others. "The findings in these two papers show the critical role that neurotrophins play in the developing brain," Katz said. "They also open the way for promis...Bacterial Toxin Surprises Scientists
... will improve general understanding of the critical interactions between proteins and membranes. Please acknowledge partial funding for this work from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a component of the National Institutes of Health that supports ba......metabolic changes. Because neurotransmittersare so critical to the smooth functioning of the nervous system, the bodyhas evolved a precise system for regulating them. This neurotransmission system involves two main elements: receptors andtransporters. Receptors are the molecular "locks" on nerve cellsthat r...Enzyme's "Magic" May Hold Key to Anticancer and Antimicrobial Drugs
...mes called topoisomerases. Their critical role in cell division makes these enzymes prime targets for anticancer drugs. But until recently, scientists couldn't intentionally design such drugs because they knew so little about the enzymes. Now, the inner workin...Key to Triplet Repeat Brain Diseases Open Door For New Way To Understand, Treat Genetic Diseases"
...epeat region of these proteinsbinds other proteins critical to glucose and oxygen metabolism in the brain.And the larger the repeat region, the tighter they bind." Authors of the study are from the same team that discovered the major genelinked to Alzheimer's disease. In many ways, "this finding may be morep...Researchers Pinpoint Site For Petit Mal Seizures In Brain
...overing. "Absence seizures usually take hold at a critical period in a child's initial education, and may be interpreted as a learning disability or isolate them from other children," Caddick said in an interview at Duke. "If these studies lead to more effective treatments, they can have a more profound effe...New 'Twist' In Proteins Offers Possible Route To Improved Antibiotics
...allography to figure out thestructure of an enzyme critical to the growth of many bacteria have discoveredan e...the discovery of this commonstructure in an enzyme critical to bacterial growth certainly offers considerablepromise."...Nutrition Study Reshapes Strategies For Athletes
...e andcompetition. She adds that this is especially critical in the hot and sultryenvirons of Atlanta during July. "They have been able to realize through the training program that by doingfluid replacement, they will actually do better in their performance," saidHoutkooper. "It's not intuitive for them to kee...Environmental Reform: The Next Generation Project
...vironmental issues and perspectives redefined, 2 . critical sectors for environmental policy, and 3 . the search for new tools and strategies. Yale professors have played a prominent role in the project, both as leaders and participants. In addition to Dean Cohon, team leaders include John Gordon, former F&...Study Shows Songbirds Switch From Bugs To Berries To Fuel Fall Migration
...during autumn, coastalshrublands may be especially critical in providing some migrants with thefruit-laden die... bird observation--and providing thebirds with the critical fuel for a long journey south." Parrish recently received his doctorate from Brown in ecology andevo...Harvard, Duke Researchers Discover 'Off-switch' Inside Human Cells
...tein-activated cellular machinery "Because of the critical role that RGS proteins may play in controllingthe duration of a neurotransmitter or hormone-dependent response, it ispossible that these proteins may be involved in many important aspects ofsignal transduction within normal and diseased states of the...Discovery Could Help Understand Breast-Cancer Therapies
...ne-binding domain of this proteinthat appear to be critical sites for binding with the hormone," BenitaKatzenellenbogen said. "We've shown that if one alters one of thesefour amino acids then one eliminates the ability of estrogen to bind, andas a consequence one also eliminates the ability of these receptors...New Software Provides Quick Analysis of ion-Channel Activity
...ey to understanding normal physiology. It also is critical to understanding various genetic diseases, includi...nge shape. That information will give scientists a critical window into a protein's four-dimensional structure (in space and time), which determines its functio...Antarctic Science Season Gears Up With Searches for Meteorites, Neutrinos, and New Life Forms
...wo ice streams on the coast of the Ross Sea, and a critical location for taking the ice sheet's pulse. The core's ice record is expected to span 80,000 years, including part of the last glaciation, and to have distinct annual ice layers back at least 6,000 years. The core will shed light on coastal c...New Finding Suggests "HATs" Are Key To Gene Activation Puzzle
...r. "Gene activation at the right time and place is critical for cell survival and properdevelopment. Scientists have proposed many different mechanisms for how genes are turned on. Our finding provides strongsupport for one of these mechanisms." During much of its lifetime, the seven feet of DNA that res...Moving DNA Molecules With Magnetic Tweezers
...scope. This breakthrough has allowed Wirtz to make critical measurementsof how a single DNA molecule moves and changes shape. At rest,DNA is a long, chain-like molecule that coils itself into theshape of a ball. When one end is pulled by a magnet, the moleculestretches into a narrow trumpet-like shape. Wirtz ...Bottom-up Ecological Processes Better For Clear Waters, Study Finds
...larity a year due to algae. But algae also are a critical part of a lake's food web. They are eatenby slightly larger shrimp-like creatures called zooplankton. In turn thesetiny crustaceans are preyed upon by small fish, such as minnows, which inturn are often devoured by bigger fish, such as pike or bass. ...ORNL Finds Common Genetic Cause For Epilepsy, Migraine
...gulates therelease of neurotransmitters, which are critical elements in thecommunication network among nervous system cells. "Calcium flow also plays a critical role in the growth and internalregulation of nerve cells." Further research into the structure and f...... why ascorbic acid is thought to play a variety of critical roles in plants and animals," he said. Last indicated that an important goal of this research is to continually improve crop foods, some of which do not contain much ascorbic acid. "Although [it is] an important part of the diet, there is little vit...... andnegative charges that biochemists have thought critical to the99.99 percent accurate pairing of bases in DNA. "It now appears that the shape of the DNA bases may be thechief mechanism by which DNA-replicating enzymes selectthe right bases to insert into a growing strand," Kool says. "Theenzyme might ...