Brain Protein "Rescues" Neurons From Atrophy
...phins, can foster brain cell growth, and that they might offer treatment for diseases involving gain or loss of brain cell connections. These disorders might include some forms of mental retardation, certain psychiatric conditions, epilepsy and neurodegenera...Bacterial Toxin Surprises Scientists
..."If we could understand how this protein works, we might understand more about how proteins are normally moved across and inserted into membranes," said the study's lead scientist, Dr. Alan Finkelstein, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the Depar...Key to Triplet Repeat Brain Diseases Open Door For New Way To Understand, Treat Genetic Diseases"
...far more than do normal genes. While a normal gene might repeatthe three nucleotides cytosine, adenine and guanine (CAG) fewer than 30times, genes that produce Huntington's disease and other such brain disordersmight repeat the sequence between 40 and 100 times. As the repetition grows,the disease becomes ...Tumor Suppressor Gene Located In Liver Cancer Cells
...actor, the researchers hypothesized that losing it might well predispose a cell to cancerous growth. Their...ning the large gene for one or more mutations that might disable it. Using a method to detect mismatches in genetic material, they compared strands of DNA f...New 'Twist' In Proteins Offers Possible Route To Improved Antibiotics
...ts also are planning to survey known chemicalsthat might fit into the cleft of the active site. "Conceptually, it would seem feasible to design drugs that could actas antibiotics for all gram-negative bacteria, which produce about halfof all infections," Raetz said. "It would be difficult, because...Freshwater Sponges May Pose Threat To Zebra Mussels
... be a long way off, but our research suggests this might be a way to control zebra mussels in those areas." But, would the freshwater sponge pose as many problems on these surfaces as zebra mussels now cause? Kelch said more research is needed before an answer is known. The research appeared in a re...Duke Researchers Find Second Gene Linked To Blood Vessel Disorder
...pecificto the cells lining the blood vessels. They might only be needed if thevessel is injured and needs to be repaired. "This makes sense with what we know about the disease," Marchuksaid. "Children with HHT usually don't show any signs they have thedisease. But as they age, and presumably acquire mech...New Discovery About Genes Has Implications For Genetic Therapy
...habit an organism. He suggested that retroviruses might even have evolved originally from these kinds of introns. "Their (the introns') only function is to replicate themselves, but in that process, they fundamentally influence the nature of the gene structure," he said. Such changes can drastically c...Southern Pine Beetle Reaching Outbreak Levels In North Florida
...ers survey their property, asshould homeowners who might have vulnerable loblolly pines, the beetles'preferred hosts. The Southern Pine Beetle is the most aggressive and destructive of fivebark beetles that feed on southern pines, Foltz said. In fact, itsscientific name, dendroctonus, means "tree killer." ...Protein Glitch May Be Early Problem In Inherited Alzheimer's
...ening at this point with drugs or other treatments might be ideal, according to Sangram Sisodia, Ph.D., an associate professor of pathology and neuroscience. Sisodia and Gopal Thinakaran, Ph.D., David Borchelt, Ph.D., and Michael Lee studied presenilin in cell cultures and in mice that contained copies of...Nitric Oxide May Hold Key To First Treatment For Deadly Form Of Malaria, Duke Scientists Report
...earch is to suggest a way that new antibioticdrugs might be developed, said Hausladen, the study's first author. Thesedrugs could plug up the transcription factor, known as OxyR, preventingit from being switched on, or they could bind to and deactivate the proteinsthat are produced to break down SNO. "This...Genetic Alterations Linked To Cancer In Some Blood Samples
...ar useful as a screening test for cancer. "But it might be helpful in patient management for identifying patients with a very poor prognosis who may benefit from aggressive therapy," he says. The test works by identifying replication errors, or chromosomal deletions, in the DNA of cancer cells. In this s...Nitric Oxide Found To Control Cells By Turning On Genes; Suggests New Role In Health And Disease
...earch is to suggest a way that new antibioticdrugs might be developed, said Hausladen, the study's first author. Thesedrugs could plug up the transcription factor, known as OxyR, preventingit from being switched on, or they could bind to and deactivate the proteinsthat are produced to break down SNO. "This...Asian Beetle, New In This Country, Threatens Brooklyn's Shade Trees
... a species native to North America." These beetles might prove to be the ultimate Brooklyn dodgers. Short ...nd the roots tend to be restricted. These insects might weaken the trees structually." Bassuk took a survey of Brooklyn trees in 1990. She found that 27 pe...Study Shows Songbirds Switch From Bugs To Berries To Fuel Fall Migration
...songbirds duringmigration and how those activities might affect the recently reported declinesin their numbers." During three fall migrations on Block Island, R.I., Parrish and volunteersnetted 7,000 songbirds and analyzed more than 1,600 of their droppings todetermine their diets. In reports to be publish...Human-Like Ability, Categorical Perception, Found In Insects
.... Steering toward the low-frequency cricket sound might help the flier find a mate, or at least the compan...ategorical perception, and it looked like crickets might categorically perceive sounds as either 'other crickets' or 'bats.' " Categorical perception previo...Cholesterol Anchor Helps Signaling Proteins Direct Development
...h-fat diet, based exclusively on these results, it might be interesting to take a look clinically at the ef...r spending two years searching for what we thought might be a new molecule, this was like finding out Santa Claus is your dad--hard to believe at first, but ...Researchers Find Genetic Clues To Intestinal Disease
...earlier studies had suggested that Crohn's disease might be several distinct disorders, this is the first large study of a group of families that confirms those suggestions," says Theodore M. Bayless, M.D., professor of medicine and gastroenterology. The findings have prompted Bayless and his co-worker, S...Changing Continental Runoff Patterns Could Change Ocean Circulation
...ations to fresh water runoff and surface salinity might have the same effect."...NCAR Scientist Models Earth's Climate and Vegetation Patterns At Last Glacial Peak
...rd space. While a 4- degree global average cooling might not sound like much, it translates into regional a...life. Where differences exist, a colder simulation might help produce the correct vegetation, since there is evidence in the data for a slightly colder world...