Distance between atoms is key to iron protein function
...an unusual geometry that should strengthen the O-O bond [the bond between oxygen atoms] and thus favor the biomineralization process, rather than oxygen activation."...University of Chicago researchers uncover first steps in cell-cell adhesion process
...s of cell-cell binding. The first step to a tight bond between cells is the formation of what scientists call adherence junctions. These can be seen in fluorescence microscopy images as yellow dots on the outer membranes of adjacent cells. Scientists call these dots "puncta." Because cell-cell adh...Breakdown of penicillin by resistant bacteria elucidated
... as the b-lactam ring. Destruction of one crucial bond in the ring causes the penicillin to become deacti...ated. But instead of the b-lactamase breaking the bond by attacking a key carbon atom that forms part of the bond, b-lactamase destroys the bond by first a...Understanding how the first cells emerged
...he computer simulation, four of these helices then bond to each other, forming a channel on the inside, an... water. Within the channel, parts of the proteins bond to form a gate that blocks most ions. However, hydrogen ions captured at the outside of the gate are......ring my visits to Venezuela, I formed an emotional bond with these people," says Olson. "Even though I decided to go into pediatric oncology, I vowed that if I ever had the opportunity to do something for these people, I would." Last January, the opportunity presented itself. On a visit with Young, now...Gene found responsible for social amnesia
...t very little is known about the normal process of bond formation. This work helps lay the groundwork for defining the neural basis of attachment and identifying potential pharmacological targets in the brain for future therapies.......tein is most likely to take based on each chemical bond that can form within its backbone's distinctive sequence of amino acids. "Many different amino-acid sequences fold into the same or similar structures, which suggests that the structure may be of more fundamental importance than the amino-acid seque...Study on chromosome ends may aid cancer research
...ieves that Pif1p may work by unzipping a temporary bond that forms between telomerase and the chromosome as telomeres are synthesized. The experiments were done in baker's yeast cells, but Zakian said that telomere regulation has been so important throughout evolution that human cells employ many of the s...High-resolution image illuminates catalytic engine of the ribosome
... larger 50S subunit catalyzes the formation of the bond between each amino acid and the growing protein ch...NA molecule could have evolved to catalyze peptide bond synthesis is not a far stretch. "However, that peptide-making RNA molecule would not have been dire...UCSD chemists develop portable nerve gas sensor
...onds. This catalyst breaks the phosphorus-fluorine bond in "G"-type nerve agents, resulting in the production of hydrogen fluoride, which is used commercially to etch and frost glass. The sensor detects the presence of hydrogen fluoride through a silicon interferometer-a stamp-sized silicon wafer, simi...Plant and animal bacteria share cell-killing mechanism
...cellular signaling pathways. When YopJ breaks the bond between ubiquitin and its target molecule, the pathway is blocked and cell communication shuts down. "We still don't know YopJ's target molecule, but at least now we know it must be a member of the ubiquitin protein family," Orth says. Identificat...Scientists track phosphate to better understand global warming
...n reactants and products). The phosphorus-oxygen bond is so strong that it is resistant to breakage over the range of the Earth's surface temperatures. But when a phosphorus-containing compound finds itself in a biological environment, such as a cell, enzymes easily mediate breakage of that bond, and th...Pauling Centenary to recognize scientist, humanitarian
...hysics, and his pioneering studies of the chemical bond led to his Nobel Prize in chemistry. "But this inc...d pioneering studies on the nature of the chemical bond that holds molecules together work that would eventually earn him his first Nobel Prize in 1954. "P...Scientists find great-granddaddy of enzyme family
...ls by releasing energy when its phosphate chemical bond is broken. A study of the structure of an acetate kinase, an enzyme used in converting organic matter to methane, indicates that the enzyme may be the primordial, or earliest, protein to use ATP, say scientists at Purdue and Pennsylvania State univer......s driven the proton away, by accident the hydrogen bond wire breaks and this proton is stuck off in left field." Once the proton is liberated, it wanders through the liquid, free to participate in many other chemical reactions until it recombines with an hydroxide ion to make water again. Concentrations o...Merlin tells when to grow and when to stop
...erlin becomes desphosphorylated, and forms a tight bond with the intracellular portion of CD44. This activated form of merlin effectively blocks further cell proliferation. The data presented in this paper has significant implications for the understanding of how merlin deficiency contributes to tumorigen...Ohio State chemists synthesize possible new anti-tumor agent
... a handful of chemicals that bond to DNA in this way. In 1989, Coleman first began to design the chemical steps needed to synthesize azinomycin A and B in the laboratory. He started the work at the University of Sou...Ribosome insight could help combat antibiotic resistance
... the ribosome catalyzes the formation of a peptide bond between the growing protein chain and the new amino acid, lengthening it by one. The process stops when the end of the gene is reached. The ribosome consists of two halves - a small or "30S" subunit which binds messenger RNA and a large or "50S" su...When Shewanella meets goethite: Evidence found of recognition between animate and inanimate objects
...he mineral. The addition of each electron breaks a bond between atoms on the mineral's surface and allows the goethite to shed iron. Its surface molecules convert from iron3 (Fe III) to iron2 (Fe II). The result can be iron shed into ground water. Or, if a toxic metal, such as lead or arsenic, is bound to...Using lasers, biologists succeed in getting cells to change course
...the laser beam into part of the cells to break the bond between the caging group and the amino acid so that the protein became active again. Afterward, depending on where we shined the light, cells turned by as much as 90 degrees." Their experiments might be likened to putting the breaks on one rear whee...