16 APS exercise research highlights, from reduced flu mortality to proteomics & obesity
...ng. Titin may function as a major component in the vertebrate muscle spring and the "spring properties" of muscle can be exploited clinically. 24.4 Rainer P. Hambrecht (Heart Center, Leipzig, Germany)Effects of exercise training on vascular function and myocardial perfusion. Since the degree of coronary endo...DNA barcode finds four new bird species
...d it to birds, one of the largest and best-studied vertebrate groups. Taking samples mainly from specimens held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, they analyzed COI sequences from 260 bird species that breed in North America. The researchers first measured how much the COI barcode varied w...Can an old gene learn new tricks?
...l Cell suggests that the evolution of higher-order vertebrate organ systems can result from primitive developmen...e results demonstrate that the evolution of higher vertebrate characteristics can result from the recycling or redeployment of 'old' genes in new parts of the emb...Molecule awakens and maintains neural connections
... In comparing the fruit fly gene with databases of vertebrate genomes, they identified a similar homologue in mice, which they named Dasm1. Their initial studies revealed that the gene was highly expressed in the brains of embryonic mice. "A major reason we became interested in this molecule is that when we us...Proteins show promise for mosquito control
...SCP inhibitor compounds on a variety of insect and vertebrate species. So far three of the five compounds tested were not toxic to mouse cells and the other two were only slightly toxic. They will also test the compounds on other pest species, including flies, roaches and termites. Environmental and degradati...Origin and Development of the Vertebrate Traits
...um. This symposium will cover subjects relating to vertebrate evolutionary developmental biology, with special focuses on the evolution of morphogenesis (Day 1), the neural crest, sensory systems and the brain (Day 2), and the genetic and cellular bases for the chordate body plan (Day 3). It is hoped that the b...Millennia still mean early days for newly identified sex chromosome
... Y chromosome. Future comparative analysis of this vertebrate Y chromosome with other evolving sex chromosome systems in plants, insects, and other fish will provide insight into the general mechanisms that shape the evolution of sex chromosomes....Asian elephant sex pheromone transporter revealed
...s have discovered that serum albumin, a ubiquitous vertebrate protein, plays an unexpected and multifaceted role as a shuttle that both protects and transports the pheromone. The authors reveal that elephant serum albumin (ESA) transports the pheromone from serum to urine and it extends the period of time that ...Why some animals have smaller eyes: Lifestyle matters
...size is proportional to body size in virtually all vertebrate animals, Cornell University biologists reasoned, s...st 2004, "The allometry and scaling of the size of vertebrate eyes"). Howard C. Howland, Stacey Merola and Jennifer R. Basarab say they did find a logarithmic rel...Scientists describe the world's smallest, lightest fish
...y as the new record holder of the world's smallest vertebrate (animal with a backbone). The scientists developed the animal's name (scientific name Schindleria brevipinguis) to characterize its thick, or "stout," structure as compared with other infantfishes. "Infant" describes the uncommon early-stage features......cific patterns of cartilage and bone that form the vertebrate head. In zebrafish mutated for a gene called integ...y of development would facilitate evolution of the vertebrate head. Changes in signaling from the pouch would allow a particular skeletal element to vary in shape...Study identifies genetics of fat metabolism, red wine link
...o see if the same results are observed in a higher vertebrate model, including humans. The research outlined the processes of fat formation and usage at a cellular and genetic level. It also analyzed the metabolic function of resveratrol, a polyphenol and antioxidant found at high levels in grape skins. "When c......ons that will help determine the earliest steps in vertebrate development, which take the spherical embryo to a ...ffect mutant screen, not previously performed in a vertebrate animal model. In addition to the 68 maternal mutations, through inbreeding studies, they also discov...Zebrafish model human development and disease
...enes involved in embryogenesis and, because it's a vertebrate animal, has become a valuable resource for identif...plores the uses of zebrafish as a model system for vertebrate development and disease, focusing on the ZF-MODELS research consortium which was recently awarded 12...'Cardiofunk' mutation: Probable source of congenital heart defects
...lly formed -- a developmental oddity shared by all vertebrate hearts. New research now reveals a related oddity:...ide the mother's body, providing an open window on vertebrate development. Stainier's team could easily detect heart valve defects in the developing fish and exam...Using science to restore habitat for declining species
...snake, which many experts believe to be the rarest vertebrate in the United States. Louisiana pine snakes prey mainly on pocket gophers, using their burrows to hibernate. Alteration of the fire regime in the longleaf pine ecosystem in the West Gulf Coastal Plain has led to a decline in the plants that support t...Surprising 'ultra-conserved' regions discovered in human genome
...g number of matching DNA sequences in a variety of vertebrate species, including the mouse, rat, dog, and chicken. The fact that these sequences have remained unchanged over long periods of evolutionary history indicates that they are biologically important, but for now their functions are largely a mystery. P...Analysis uncovers critical stretches of human genome
...nnovations that must have happened sometime during vertebrate development, because we see such large pieces that no longer match in fish, and almost nothing in sea squirt. They must have evolved rather rapidly while our ancestors were still in the ocean, with some further evolution when animals first started to...New approach offers potential drug-discovery shortcut
...zebrafish a tiny tropical fish used as a model of vertebrate development with a mutation called gridlock, which prevents the correct development of the circulatory system in the lower portion of the body. A panel of these embryos was exposed to a very diverse library of small molecules 5,000 in all to see ......species. "It's a major morphological change in the vertebrate skeleton," Kingsley said. "And despite the fact that it has occurred repeatedly, the mechanisms responsible are not understood." Over the years, various laboratories studying gene mutations in animals have identified genes that govern limb developmen...