Brain Protein "Rescues" Neurons From Atrophy
...racer that allowed them to see in great detail the structure of the tree-like neurons in the layers of visual cortex. The scientists found that each of the different neurotrophins caused certain layers of the cortex to sprout more dendrites than others. "The findings in these two papers show the critical role ...Bacterial Toxin Surprises Scientists
...ology , the researchers mapped out a rough structure of two conformations of colicin Ia, a toxi... cluster of about 175 amino acids into a lethal structure that harpoons the inner membrane of its bacterial victim. The resulting hole, or cha...Enzyme's "Magic" May Hold Key to Anticancer and Antimicrobial Drugs
... described the detailed, three-dimensional x-ray structure of yeast topoisomerase II, which is closel...it visualization of the DNA behind it. The structure in brackets is a hypothetical intermediate. Many drugs that target topoisomerase II ...New 'Twist' In Proteins Offers Possible Route To Improved Antibiotics
...iscoveredan extremely unusual "left-handed" spiral structure in the molecule. The finding suggests the ...nce. Accordingto Raetz, the finding of the unusual structure suggests that other enzymeswith similar sequences also form the left-handed helix. "There is...Rosemary May Have Anti-Cancer Properties
...DMBA, a chemical knownto cause cancer. (DMBA has a structure similar to benzopyrenes, a classof carcinogens found in auto emissions and cigarette smoke.) The rosemary diet reduced by 76 percent the number of instances of DMBAbinding to the mammary cells, compared to rats fed a control diet. In a separate e...Heat-loving Microbe Repairs Its DNA With Light
...be managed to protect itself. "Since the precise structure of DNA is essential for life and reproduction, it would seem logical that the S. acidocaldarius cell should have particularly effective ways of repairing damageto its DNA," said Grogan. Grogan tested the microbe's repair capabilities by artificiall...Core Spins Faster Than Earth, Scientists Find
...has alignediron atoms in a distinctive crystalline structure that slows downwaves in some directions and creates a "fast track"for seismic waves in a near north-south direction. More recentstudies also indicate that the "fast-track axis" isnot exactly north-south but is tilted slightly from the axis aroundwhic...Bark Beetle Infestation Spurs Multifaceted Study
...at the tree stumps to try to reconstructthe forest structure before lumbering, the history of fire in the area andthe age of the trees before they were cut." Because many trees have rings that grow one per year or one per season,tree ring dating -- dendrochronology -- is often used to determine the ageof tre...Researchers Identify A New Cellular Structure: The "Dumposome"
...led organism Tetrahymena has discovered a cellular structure that acts asa selective garbage disposal for unnee...les." "Other researchers had thought that the structure was just a developing nucleolus, which is the part of the nucleusthat is a workbench for building ri...Green Glow: Not Only For Halloween
...ity of California at San Diego have determined the structure of an altered form of the protein and revealed the...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 d...New Software Provides Quick Analysis of ion-Channel Activity
... critical window into a protein's four-dimensional structure (in space and time), which determines its function, he explained. The software uses algorithms based on the work of Russian mathematician Andrey Andreyevich Markov, similar to those currently used by computers to convert speech and handwriting to te...North America Hit Hard By Asteroid Strike In Yucatan 65 Million Years Ago
...hat the horseshoe-shaped Yucatan cratermatches the structure of craters on the moon and Venus that were created whenobjects struck those heavenly bodies at oblique angles. Venus's thick atmosphere holds in place gases emitted from a crater after animpact. The researchers studied images of these corked-in Venu...Medicinal Leech May Offer Clues To Neural Regeneration
..."Nerve cells in leeches are basically identical in structure and function to those in more complicated systems ...leech "talk" to each other through a connective, a structure somewhat like a spinal cord without the spine. The connective is made up of numerous axons that allo...Duke's Russian Laser Making Ultraviolet Light And Gamma Rays
...vide the energyof other lasers are held within the structure of their atoms, such laserscan emit only a limited... isn't necessarily the best match, noris the pulse structure or peak power generated by excimer lasers ideal forthis procedure," Madey said. Since the OK-4 is m...Bacterial Protein Structure Hints At Mechanism Of A Class Of Premature Aging Diseases
...0 years, but it 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 DN...Fast Measurement Technique Reveals Early Steps In Protein Folding
...onthof a second.) The entire collapse to a compact structure appears nearlycomplete after just a few microsecon...gins with aninitial random collapse of the protein structure or with the forming ofhelixes. "The debate has been going on for decades," Gruebelesaid. "Now, with ...A Sensor, A Switch, A Zipper: Protein Engineers Design Potential Tool
...in together proteins. The newly designed structure is featured in the cover article of the Ju...ized their own version of a common protein structure called a double-helical coiled coil. This structure is composed of two helices that wrap lik...ORNL Finds Common Genetic Cause For Epilepsy, Migraine
...ulation of nerve cells." Further research into the structure and function of the gene will improvediagnosis and may aid in development of new treatments for migraine. In addition to the role of genes suggested by family-, twin- andpopulation-based studies, such other factors as emotional stress and certainfood...Researchers Corral Millions Of Microscopic Membranes
...fatty acid molecules, or lipids. This is the basic structure of all living cell membranes. Further, the researc...e micro-membranes is as a tool for determining the structure of membrane proteins. One of the most powerful methods for determining the structure of proteins ...Penn State Wetlands Project Seeks Scientific Evaluation Criteria
...wetland in a specific site, you have to match the structure and characteristics of whatever wetland type best fits the site. Otherwise, the wetland will function differently. "Brooks explains that forested wetlands fed by groundwater are the most abundant type of wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic area, and thes...