New transgenic rat model of ALS expands research possibilities
...peroxide dismutase (SOD1), an enzyme that normally breaks down free radicals, highly reactive molecules that quickly damage DNA and kill cells. Faulty SOD1 behavior, caused by a number of different genetic mutations, is at the root of roughly one-fifth of inherited ALS cases. The SOD1 rats, like the SOD1 mi...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology: February 2002
...ocess of souring sourdough, produce an enzyme that breaks down a protein believed to be toxic to people with celiac disease. Celiac disease is a genetic disorder in which certain wheat products can cause severe damage to the small intestines. The only treatment for the disease is adherence to a life-long,...Gene duplication adapts to changing environment
...y interested in a pancreatic enzyme, RNASE1, which breaks down bacterial RNA. Most primates have one gene encoding the enzyme, but the researchers found that the douc langur, a colobine monkey from Asia, has two---one encodes RNASE1, and its duplicate encodes a new enzyme, which they dubbed RNASE1B. The ...Small grain breeding program benefits producers, consumers, agribusiness
...l process through which disease resistance usually breaks down, sometimes in only a year or two. He hopes to develop wheat and barley cultivars that have durable disease resistance. As part of their commitment to development of new products, Griffey and his colleagues have been working with hulless barley, ...Pinpointing the protein problem in Lou Gehrigs Disease
...ns and Alzheimers. SOD1 is an enzyme that normally breaks down free radicals, highly reactive molecules that quickly damage DNA and proteins, thereby, endangering cells. However, the genetic defect that results in SOD1 mutations does not cause FALS because the normal function has been affected. Instead, a ...... gene itself isn't integrated into cells' DNA, but breaks down after a couple of weeks. Once that has happened, the inserted bits of DNA stay put. Tosk has just launched a service to make transgenic animals, and a few scientists have begun placing orders. "If it's true it's wonderful," says biologist Laure...Leptin linked to obesity and blood clots
...he brain signals us to stop eating. But the system breaks down for those who are grossly overweight. Since they have more and larger leptin-producing fat cells than thinner people, their leptin levels increase substantially with every pound of additional weight gain. When leptin reaches very high levels in ...Chicago chemist wins national award for new research methods
...als from petroleum, such as laundry detergent that breaks down into harmless substances in the environment. He will receive the 2002 Award in Industrial Chemistry from the American Chemical Society at its national meeting in Orlando, Fla. As a chemical engineer for UOP, Vora's goal for the past 30 years has...Bug vs. bug: scientists use microorganisms to target destructive termites
...ly through an enzymatic degradation mechanism that breaks down their bodies, according to the researcher. Studies are ongoing to determine exactly how they work, Wright said. If the tests prove effective, the germs could be turned into a powder or spray that could be directed at known termite infestations ...Biologists track down central cause of lupus
...s procedure for making disease-fighting antibodies breaks down and allows antibodies to attack the body's own DNA, which is the hallmark of lupus. Although the processes involved are complex and remain partly unexplained, the failure comes down to a relatively simple mechanism that may be an attractive targ...Brookhaven Lab scientist wins Environmental Mutagen Society Award
... long-wavelength ultraviolet light resulted in DNA breaks in the bromouracil. From the ultraviolet dose and the numbers of breaks, they were able to calculate the numbers and sizes of the repaired regions arising from chemical or physical agents in the environment. At Brookhaven in the early 1990s, Setlow a...From nanotechnology to raspberries, Virginia Tech inventions and creations can improve our lives
... expression in the seed. Phytase is an enzyme that breaks down phytate, liberating organic phosphorus. In the seed, available phosphorus will be absorbed by animals and feed additives will be unnecessary, reducing the amount of phosphorus excreted. The invention is also directed to nucleic acid expression c...Drug breaks for HIV-infected individuals may put certain immune cells at risk
...Called structured therapy interruption, these drug breaks can increase the number of certain HIV-fighting T-cells, called CD8 T-cells, in the blood. Another type of T-cell, CD4, also plays an important role in fighting HIV. Using data collected at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, researchers have f...New process makes genome sequencing more efficient
...ure, or recouple into double strands. Cot analysis breaks down a complex genome into three populations: highly repetitive (HR), moderately repetitive (MR) and single- or low-copy (SL) sequences. It's based on the principle that the more highly repetitive sequences will renature faster. The UGA scientists' ...New technique to make gene therapy more efficient
...s in the nuclear membrane except when the membrane breaks down during cell division. Even if cells are rapidly dividing, delivering genes via liposomes isn't very efficient-and it's no good for slowly dividing cells such as those lining the lungs. But researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Coper...Parasite or partner? Study suggests new role for junk DNA
...endonuclease, or that L1s could jump into existing breaks in DNA. Morrish tested human L1s ability to repair DNA breaks in several normal and DNA-repair mutant cell lines derived from Chinese hamster ovary cells. Other r...Researchers uncover biochemical connection between high-fat diets and increased colon-cancer risk
... cholesterol. The body produces bile acids when it breaks down cholesterol, part and parcel of dietary fat. ... CYP3A. That triggers production of an enzyme that breaks down the toxic acid. Those findings were made using assays, which are small, flat panels used to stu...Researchers solve killer protein's 'crime'
...optosis Proteins," or, as Steller calls them, "the breaks on death." Consequently, before cell death can ...tivated the IAPs, or, in other words, released the breaks on death. The new Rockefeller research is the first to show that Reaper, but not Hid, inactivates...Biodefense team develops faster, safer method of detecting anthrax
...contained within the protective shell. Sonication breaks up the bacterial spores with high frequency sound waves. Finally, autoclaving destroys with heat the spores' ability to cause disease, but leaves the germ's genetic material intact so that it can be identified by PCR. "This method detects less than ......ive than raw tomatoes. This may be because cooking breaks the cell walls of the tomato, releasing more of the lycopene. Or it may be that cooking oil allows the lycopene to move more easily into the body. To develop the lycopene-rich tomato, the researchers inserted a gene, derived from yeast, fused to a pr...