The first schizophrenia gene is discovered
... WKL1, shares some features with ion channels. Ion channel proteins are located in the cell membrane and assi...currents along neurons. Mutations in the potassium channel KCNA1, another ion channel which is remotely related to WKL1, cause episodic ataxia, a rare movement...Molecular mimicry and neurodegenerative disease
... Binding of autoantibodies to GluR3 activates the channel and causes the death of specific populations of ne...her channel-specific autoantibodies that can block channel function and promote neurodegeneration....Nanopore detector shows discriminating taste in DNA molecules
...great detail. "We know the environment of the ion channel very well, which helps us to understand how DNA mo.... The mouth of the pore in the alpha-hemolysin ion channel is about 2.5 nanometers wide. (A nanometer is one billionth of a meter--roughly 10 times the size of...Genetic mutation causes cardiac conduction disease
...uction through cardiac tissue, Balser said. Sodium channel mutations are nothing new. But the mutations that...tes-and sudden death."How a mutation in the sodium channel could actually cause a slow heart rate was a complete mystery," Balser said. The researchers used el...Novel protein is both ion channel and enzyme
...athways that does double dutyacting as both an ion channel that controls calcium entry into cells and as an e... kinase (TRP-PLIK), is a member of a family of ion channel proteins that controls the entry of calcium into the cell, said Clapham. "The TRP channels are impor......but now, at its mouth, the Colorado is more like a channel than a river," says Kowalewski. The researchers found that where, according to their estimates, there were 50 specimens per square meter in the past (~five per square foot), today there are only three per square meter (0.3 per square foot). "These...Scientists reveal details of brain cell communication: implications for learning & memory
...ollowing stimulation. Measuring the probability of channel opening, "like tossing a coin, where heads is open...nothing is that simple in the brain. Which type of channel is causing these changes in calcium? There are at least six known varieties of calcium channels tha...Researchers identify molecule that senses osmotic pressure in vertebrates
...-related Osmotically Activated Channel), is an ion channel that responds to changes in osmotic pressure of ex..., mouse, chicken and human gene libraries. The ion channel was detected in cells from the inner ear, the osmoregulator centers of the brain in the hypothalamus......d. The protein they found is called brain sodium channel 1 (BNC1). As the name suggests, it was initially f...se very light touch. "The BNC1 protein is an ion channel located at the tips of nerves surrounding hair follicles. When the hair moves, the channels open an......of an ancient and extremely discriminating kind of channel embedded in cell membranes, from bacteria to human...entists have determined for the first time how the channel works, bringing them closer to understanding how therapeutic drugs affect movement of molecules thro...UNC-Duke Scientists develop interactive learning tool simulating nerve function
...ng a variety of conditions: the neuron's geometry, channel density, degree of myelination (protective sheath), environmental temperature, and ionic environment. Hyperlinks lead the student to background information, including original classic papers on the CD-ROM, to help them interpret their observations. ...Balanced diet lowers homocysteine, reducing risk of heart disease
...ulate growth of smooth muscle cells, narrowing the channel for blood flow. It also can disrupt normal blood-clotting mechanisms, increasing the risk of clots that can lead to heart attack or stroke. In a three-month study of healthy adults, a well-balanced diet, also termed the Dietary Approaches to Stop H...UCSF researchers identify regulator of critical brain messenger, hinting at therapy
...ve cells, and could require the fast action of the channel mechanism. "A lot of synapses have to release neur...ill the vesicles within a few seconds. Having this channel property could allow a vesicle to fill itself faster," says Edwards. The researchers conducted their...Researchers determine improved pattern for artificial light-harvesting molecule
...ut in all directions to capture a ray of light and channel its energy into the molecule's heart. There the light energy can be harnessed to generate power like a super-efficient photoelectric cell or to release a chemotherapeutic drug inside a tumor after it's been carried through the bloodstream. Dendrimers...Novel test pinpoints location of rare insulin disorder to guide surgical cure in newborns
...study involves mutations that affect the potassium channel in beta cells, the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin. The acute insulin response test used at Children's Hospital requires infusing calcium and a diagnostic chemical called tolbutamide into the blood, then measuring the resulting insulin le......rchers have found that the three members of the SK channel family (SK1, SK2 and SK3) present partially overlapping, but distinct expression patterns in the rat brain. In the hippocampus, a brain region important for learning, memory consolidation and spatial orientation, pyramidal neurons express all three s...Nanofabricated 'gel' separates DNA
...e through them only with difficulty. They built a channel consisting of alternating deep and shallow areas, ...ed DNA samples in water solution at one end of the channel and applied an electric field to draw the sample toward the other end. They saw that in the deep se...Give it a thought -- and make it so
...e wearing little caps that will let us open doors, channel surf and drive the car on a whim? "Not likely," Bayliss says. "Anything you can do with your brain can be done a lot faster, cheaper and easier with a finger and a remote control."...Nerve protein shown crucial to sensations of pain from heat, injury
... known as the vanilloid receptor, or VR1, acts asa channel on the nerve surface. When certain compounds bind to it, the receptorchannel opens, allowing a stream of charged sodium and calcium molecules torush into the nerve cell. This generates an electrical signal that travels tothe brain to produce pain. In......chigan scientists have found mutations in a sodium channel gene that regulates electrical activity in nerve c...ous system, SCN1A is the genetic code for a sodium channel found in neurons, according to Meisler. Sodium channels are tiny pores that open to allow positivel...