New Cancer Switch Discovered By Duke Medical Center Pharmacologists
...ate the segments of Abi-2 that fit cABL, then cABL becomes cancer-causing. In a companion paper in Genes and Development, Steven Goff of Columbia University has reported discovering a similar molecule, which he called Abi-1, in brain tissue. "We believe that these molecules represent a major undiscovered way...Key to Triplet Repeat Brain Diseases Open Door For New Way To Understand, Treat Genetic Diseases"
...and 100 times. As the repetition grows,the disease becomes more severe. The Duke study explains why the number of nucleotide repeats in such diseasesrelates to the severity of symptoms, the researchers say. The nucleotidesequence CAG determines that the amino acid glutamine will be inserted intothe protein ...Ocean Sediments Contain Record of Past Vegetation Fires in Africa
...of its initial formation. It eventually sinks and becomes part of the sediments at the bottom of the sea." Verardo studied such sediments by analyzing a core taken from the bottom of the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. "It was full, much to my surprise, of a large amount of charcoal," he says. "G...Cholesterol Anchor Helps Signaling Proteins Direct Development
...ctivated form of the protein, known as the signal, becomes anchored to the surface of the cell that makes it. "It came as a complete surprise to discover that the cholesterol molecule helps cause the split and then serves as the anchor for the hedgehog signal," says Jeff Porter, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow ...Duke's Russian Laser Making Ultraviolet Light And Gamma Rays
...OK-4's successful lasing at Duke means that it now becomes "theshortest wavelength and the most powerful ultraviolet wavelength FEL inthe United States so far," said Vladimir Litvinenko, the Duke associatephysics professor who originally designed the OK-4 as a researcher in hisnative Russia. Litvinenko pred...Methane Deep In Ocean Crust Could Feed Chemical-Hungry Microorganisms
...contain only minute bubbles of methane, the amount becomes significant when considered over such a vast area. This considerable reservoir of methane is unlikely to be exploited by humans. Most of the methane below the seafloor is trapped in rock as bubbles so tiny that they can be seen clearly only with a...Prostate Cancer May Be Predicted 10 Years Before Diagnosis
...e unbound form of PSA) is active in the semen, and becomes inactive when it spills into the blood. Free and bound PSA make up total PSA in serum. Men whose total PSA levels are high may have prostate cancer or benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), an enlarged prostate gland. Earlier studies have found that ...New Study Shows Steps Leading To Colon Cancer
...occasionally goes awry, however, when beta-catenin becomes active in places where it should not. It then trig... another protein called dTCF, latches onto DNA and becomes the equivalent of a light switch. "Now that we understand what happens normally, we can imagine us...Pets Provide Physiological Benefits For Women Living Alone
...ect on elderly men, and at what age social support becomes important in moderating age-related increases in blood pressure....Corn Byproduct Shows Promise As Biodegradable Packaging Material
...whichis extracted from a corn refiner's byproduct, becomes more available throughefficient membrane processing. Zein is extracted from corn gluten meal left over after ethanol manufactureand also from dry milling waste. Only a small portion of the zein currentlyavailable is used commercially in the formulat...Biosensor Is A Model For Widespread Testing Of Chemicals, Molecules
...e protein to see howits shape changes when maltose becomes attached to it. The researchers werelooking for a ...vement in the structureof the protein when maltose becomes attached to it. Using their computers,the team created a special sequence of events: the protein bin...Munching Microbes Make A Meal Out Of Toxic Substances
...at's where understanding the bioavailability issue becomes important." In another project, Nies is working with the Indiana Department of Transportation to clean up soil contaminated by gasoline that has leaked from underground storage tanks. Newer storage tanks are made to resist corrosion, but the older on...Merging Physics And Neuroscience: First Evidence Of Self-Organized Criticality In Brain Networks
... normal "noise" in the brain. When one astrocyte becomes unbalanced, it lowers the criticalthreshold of one or more neighboring cells, increasing thelikelihood that they will also become unbalanced. This process inmany interconnected cells allows the system to reach a criticalstate, permitting propagation...Oaks' Defenses Help Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Fend Off Virus
...gether with the oak leaf and its tannin, the virus becomes activated. "We thought the tannin acted by itself, that it did something to theviral proteins," Appel told attendees at the Ecological Society of AmericanConference, today (Aug. 14) in Albuquerque. "It turns out that enzymes in theleaves may...NIH's Genbank Database Logs Billionth Base
...tional Library of Medicine. "As GenBank grows and becomes ever more comprehensive," said David J. Lipman, M.D., the Center's director, "its value to the research community grows as well. And this deeper understanding of biology will lead to new opportunities in biotechnology and breakthroughs in health car...A New Biochemical Link Established Between Stress, Sex And Dominance
... It's not so much that the biggest, brightest fish becomes dominant. Instead, a fish must earn his bright "macho" colors by proving to himself and others that he can control and defend a patch of food-laden gravel. Those males that prove themselves Fernald and his students call them "territorial" ...Pea Plant Stem Growth Gene Cloned
... responsible for promoting stem growth. The plant becomes growth deficient. Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), the father of genetics, conducted experiments on the hybridization of plants, particularly peas. The results of his research were included in two lectures delivered in 1865 to the Natural History Society ...Pharmaceuticals Manufactured In Insect Larvae
...oteins are destroyed. Farming the pharmaceuticals becomes easy using a recently patented system called HeRD -- the high-efficiency rearing device. Developed at BTI, HeRD can raise thousands of insects all at once to produce protein, thus reducing the expense. Using the HeRD system, the BTI researchers are...Scientists Find New Trigger For Nerve Cell Death
...estruct when the brain orspinal cord is injured or becomes diseased. It suggests that when potassiumjumps ship, neurons commit suicide. "If our hypothesis proves correct, it will open up new possibilities forprotecting nerve cells in patients who suffer stroke, head injury, spinal cordinjury or neur...Brain-Activity Data Clarify Contradictions In Earlier Anxiety Research
...l. In post-traumatic stress,for example, a person becomes hypervigilant. We know the threat systemis activated. The puzzle is coming together, allowing us to begin lookingfor the mechanism." The findings in Abnormal Psychology were reported by Heller, doctoralstudents Jack B. Nitschke and Marci A. Etienn...