Brain Protein "Rescues" Neurons From Atrophy
... not simply a general growth enhancer for neurons, but represent a sort of chemical "language" that specifically regulates how different kinds of neurons develop. In their experiments, the scientists provided different neurotrophins -- NGF, BDNF, NT-3 or NT-4 -- to slices of infant ferret brain cortex, m...Bacterial Toxin Surprises Scientists
...nly on the deadly power of certain toxins, but on diseases like cystic fibrosis that resu... walls are not made exclusively of protein, but contain parts of the membrane. Despite their efforts, the researchers also remain ...Duke Researchers Discover Central Role Of Nitric Oxide In Hemoglobin Action
...itrosothiols). SNO retains its NO-like properties, but is "asouped-up cousin," Stamler said. SNO is prote...a cysteine, to which other molecules could attach, but no oneknew what the cysteine's function was," he said. "We now knowthat it serves to bind NO." ...Dangerous Chemical Combination Presents Possible Scenario For Gulf War Illnesses
... all the potentialcauses, not only for their sakes but for the welfare of future soldiers." The Duke study is one of a three-part investigation on Gulf War illnessesorganized by UT Southwestern. Co-authors of the Duke study include formerDuke researcher Kenneth R. Wilmarth, now at ENVIRON Corp. in Arlin...New Cancer Switch Discovered By Duke Medical Center Pharmacologists
...ort protein segment, or peptide, that mimics GRB-2 but jams the cell-growth machinery. The peptide is now...activate the oncogene ras and did block apoptosis, but did not cause the cells to become cancerous, or "transformed." "This finding offers us two lessons,"...Researchers Pinpoint Site For Petit Mal Seizures In Brain
...receptors as being important in receiving signals, but this result suggests we should be looking at the s...p a treatment that works as well as current drugs, but with fewer side effects....Tumor Suppressor Gene Located In Liver Cancer Cells
...tein was abundantly present in normal liver cells, but nearly absent in cancer cells, strengthened their ...specially unusual, because it is imprinted in mice but not in humans. Lacking the back-up that humans have in case one copy malfunctions, mice are more li...New 'Twist' In Proteins Offers Possible Route To Improved Antibiotics
...t, becausebacteria are different from one another, but the discovery of this commonstructure in an enzyme critical to bacterial growth certainly offers considerablepromise."...Duke Geologists Explore Alternative Way To Measure Ice Age Sea Bottom Temperatures
...econstructing past temperatures in the deep ocean, but that's a convoluted signal," Dwyer added in an interview. A Duke Ph.D. candidate who performed the chemical analyses for the study, Dwyer said that more oxygen 16 is indeed present in warmer seawater, whereas oxygen 18 is more abundant in colder seaw......s that used fire and crudely fashioned stone tools but was anatomically distinct from Homo sapiens. Work...on form of uranium, U-238, is unstable. At a slow but steady rate, it sends off subatomic particles. The process transmutes U-238 first into another urani...Computer Program For Quicker, More Detailed Mapping
...The others can tell you whatblock the house is on, but we can give the exact address." Mapper produces h...don't try everything -- that would take forever -- but theycome up with pretty good answers," said Kathleen McKusick, computerscientist at the Stanford Hum...From Corn Rootworms To Art, Cornell's Reactor Is At The Core
...hic image on film. The result looks like an X-ray, but it can reveal things X-rays cannot. An example: ...details inside the gun, even its spring mechanism, but X-rays could not even penetrate the lead box. "Neutron radiography is a new way of looking at things...Duke Researchers Show "Editing" Can Fix Faulty Genes In New Approach To Gene Therapy
...NA at specific sites called recognition sequences, but afterit cuts, it splices in a piece of RNA sequence attached to its tail end. To test his idea of repairing faulty genes, Sullenger introduceda defective gene into mouse cells growing in a test tube. Then he engineereda ribozyme to recognize a short...Freshwater Sponges May Pose Threat To Zebra Mussels
...shwater sponges were here before the zebra mussel, but not in the abundance that we see them now," Kelch ...ystems," Kelch said. "It would be a long way off, but our research suggests this might be a way to control zebra mussels in those areas." But, would th...Duke Researchers Find Second Gene Linked To Blood Vessel Disorder
...or a rare disease? First, the disease may be rare, but thegenes aren't rare. Everyone has these genes, and we would like to know howthey operate normally so we can understand what can go wrong. Second, whenit's your family with the disease, it is very important. We would like tobe able to offer some hope...New Discovery About Genes Has Implications For Genetic Therapy
...t techniques can insert new information into genes but exactly where that information is transferred is o...ntrons') only function is to replicate themselves, but in that process, they fundamentally influence the nature of the gene structure," he said. Such chan...Transgenic Rice Plants Resist Insects, Drought And Salt Damage
... plants develop naturally over years of evolution, but we can't afford to wait for domestic rice varietie...ion of seed is about two years away, Wu estimated, but several companies have already signed licensing agreements to use the insect-resistance gene technol...Mutate Or Die: New Polymerase Gives Desperate Yeast An Option
...e enzyme increases a cell's odds at staying alive, but it does so bydramatically boosting the type of mut...leastfavored mechanism of dealing with DNA damage, but from the cell's perspective, it's better to replicate damaged DNA andsurvive than to not replicate a...... saying: "I've got a lot more where this is from, but you can't have it until we mate." And what is thi... source of cantharidin is not fire-colored beetles but rather a group of beetles generally known as blister beetles. They owe their blistering reputatio...DNA Techniques Allow Scientists To Become Pollution Detectives.
... "Both entities, human and animals were polluting, but wildlifecauses a significant amount of pollution in Apalachicola Bay,"Tamplin said. From their testing in the bay, UF scientists have developed adatabase of more than 1,000 E. coli strains that will serve as amodel for testing in other water bodies. ...