New 'Twist' In Proteins Offers Possible Route To Improved Antibiotics
...that Roderick's X-ray crystallography of theenzyme revealed that it consists of three identical subunits that ...ore common protein structures. The crystallography revealed that the left-handedbeta helices were triangular in shape, with each side of the triangle formedfrom...International Research Team Clones New Skin Cancer Gene
... PTC in all of their cells. Further investigation revealed the same mutation in sporadic (noninherited) tumors, which account for the vast majority of basal cell carcinomas. In those tumors, the mutation was often caused by exposure to ultraviolet light. Although NBCCS is rare, milder forms of genetic predi...Cornell Researchers Precisely Date Wood From Ancient Tomb In Turkey
...dwide. Rings from American bristlecone pine trees revealed extensive frost damage attributable to the eruption. But in the desert conditions of the Near East, Thera had the opposite effect: it spurred massive growth. Reduced exposure to sunlight and increased soil moisture led to tree rings in juniper, ced...Protein Glitch May Be Early Problem In Inherited Alzheimer's
...s knocked out so that presenilin's function may be revealed by its absence. Scientists estimate that 15 percent of Alzheimer's patients are FAD victims. A child with one parent with FAD has a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer's, a condition characterized by memory loss, dementia, and unusual plaque b...Harvard, Duke Researchers Discover 'Off-switch' Inside Human Cells
...cted with activated G proteins.Structural analysis revealed that one of the candidate proteins they discovered... understand its action. These test-tubeexperiments revealed that RGS10 did appear to be a powerful inactivatorof several different kinds of activated G proteins...Green Glow: Not Only For Halloween
...he structure of an altered form of the protein and revealed the source of the green glow. "The unusual molecule responsible for the glow resembles a chinese finger puzzle: a barrel-shaped structure with a coil of amino acids corked in the center," explains Kamal Shukla, program director in NSF's division of ...Cholesterol Anchor Helps Signaling Proteins Direct Development
...r surprise on scientists, and its newest stunt has revealed that cholesterol, often villified for its role in heart disease, actually wears a white hat during the earliest stages of life. In this week's Science, Johns Hopkins and Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists report that hedgehog proteins, an un...Animal Studies Indicate Aging Brain Responsive To Estrogen
...ial memory. The scientists'study of single neurons revealed that the rats exposed to acute estrogentreatment had 40 percent more connective elements, called "dendriticspines," on these neurons than did aged female rats with no estrogenreplacement or those exposed to long-term chronic estrogens. Dendritic spin...Bacterial Protein Structure Hints At Mechanism Of A Class Of Premature Aging Diseases
...t wasn't until two yearsago that its structure was revealed by Bastia and White. "This [recent]work relates structure to function and takes us one step further in understandinghow RTP works," Bastia said. When DNA replicates, it unzips, starting and ending at specific sites.The helicases are responsible...Penn State Wetlands Project Seeks Scientific Evaluation Criteria
...difficult to replace." The team's research also revealed that while different types of wetlands obviously have different characteristics, created wetlands have different characteristics from the wetland types they are modeled on. "A created wetland looks like a natural site, but it really doesn't behave...Restoring Farm Land To Natural Wetlands Key To Stemming Flood
...aced. Subsequent research prompted by thatquestion revealed a deep history, which, Schneider said, is not well-known.He chronicled that history in "Enclosing the Floodplain: Resource Conflicton the Illinois River, 1880-1920," a paper published last year in thejournal Environmental History. In it, and a relate...Teens Shop "Healthy", But Trust Label Claims Too Much
...hat a recent survey by Teenage Research Unlimited revealed that as high as 90 percent of teenagers (both boys and girls) shop for their families. They receive $19.2 billion for family food shopping and another $4 billion annually for their own food and snack purchases. In their report in the journal, Ad...Researchers Find Production Point Of Key Protein In Fragile X Syndrome
...n immature synapseformation, but that work had not revealed the impairment of the synapsepruning process, in which excess synapses are deleted. While stressing that new treatments for fragile X syndrome won't immediatelyresult from the findings, Greenough said, "The knowledge allows usto focus on a particula...Scientists Bridge Gap In Cell Communication
...ut of control," Laughon said. Now, having revealed the last leg of the communications pathway, the Wisconsin scientists have opened a window on the very root of genetically-mediated diseases like some cancers. "We've found a mechanism that is really important," said Sean Carroll, a co-author...Newly Discovered Human Protein Provides Important Target For Cancer Therapy
...d human protein, butcareful studies of these genes revealed that neither could explain theregulation of telome...ilar. In addition, the Whitehead studies revealed a strong association betweenthe presence of the hEST2 message and telomerase activity; both are pr...Reanalysis Of International Data Finds Sharp Decline In Sperm Density
...baek, British Medical Journal, vol. 305, page 609) revealed a steadydecline, from 113 million sperm per milliliter in 1938 to 66 million in 1990, orabout 1 million sperm per milliliter per year. However, these studies did not take into account such factors as the age ofthe subjects, the length of abstin...Free Radicals Implicated In Impaired Lung Function; Damage May Be Mitigated By Certain Antioxidants
...know that obstruction of the pulmonary airways, as revealed by test of lung capacity, is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality," said Schunemann. "These findings suggest a possible role of oxidants and antioxidants in determining lung function, and that these substances c...Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Receives $1.1 Million Grant From National Cancer Institute
...tudies by the Harbor Branch team and collaborators revealed the compound to be a potent anti-tumor agent with a mechanism of action similar to that of the clinical anti-cancer agent Taxol. Both Taxol and discodermolide interact with microtubules, structures which compose the framework or "cytoskeleton" of no......severe illness. Autopsy data revealed that most of the diseases appeared to be brought on by old age and predisposing genetic factors, versus environmental or lifestyle factors. Colon cancer, coronary sclerosis, degenerative joint ......lowing down the sides of dunes. The research also revealed the first dinosaurfootprints ever discovered in the Gobi Desert. The scientists, part of a jointexpedition organized by the American Museum of Natural History and the MongolianAcademy of Science, were working in the area known as Ukhaa Tolgod (Brown...