Discovery helps explain how cells package DNA
...resent study shows that the Hat B enzymes not only chemically modify histone proteins in cytoplasm--the region of the cell outside the nucleus--but that they remain attached to the histones as the proteins travel into the nucleus. There, Parthun and his colleague, Xi Ai, a graduate student in The Ohio State Un...Genetic sequence identified for anti-bacterial sea slug protein
...gs discharge a purple ink containing Escapin which chemically resembles toxins of some venomous snakes. Among its properties, the protein causes foreign cells to lyse or explode and prevents bacteria from growing on sea hares. Derby, whose team has sequenced, cloned and expressed Escapin, believes a natural or...Molecular midwives hold clues to the origin of life
...lavin to aid the chemical synthesis of DNA (DNA is chemically very similar to RNA and its synthetic reagents were more readily adapted for their test reaction). They found that proflavin accelerates by 1,000 times the rate at which two short DNA molecules become connected into a larger DNA molecule. "At first, ...Spying on the inner life of a cell - new nanosensors a body can live with
... processes. In addition, they sometimes break down chemically or can be toxic. They also can't reveal the kinds ...assembled phospholipids are then "polymerized," or chemically linked, to form the sensors. Since phospholipids are the major component of cell membranes, they are...Enlisting carbon nanotubes to unmask nerve agents
...sable OP sensor he fashioned from carbon nanotubes chemically fused to enzymes borrowed from the nervous system-the same enzymes that act as catalysts in neurotransmitters. The 500-nanometer-thick tubes and their bound enzymes finely pepper a 2-by-4 millimeter sensor surface. In the presence of OP, enzyme activ...University of Toronto scientists light a path for new nerve cells
...pounds having "photolabile" properties that change chemically when exposed to light. When they directed laser light at the gel, its chemical composition changed, creating a "channel" through the gel. Although not a physical channel, the interaction created a "growth-friendly" chemical pathway through the agaros...Invasive plant outcompeted by its native ancestors
...r natural enemies and subsequent evolution of less chemically defended but more competitive genotypes which then take over their new habitats. A recent study soon to appear in Ecology Letters, however, suggests something different. In an experiment conducted by researchers at the Centre for Environmental Resea...Microbe's trick provides a template for willowy crystals
...eir detailed portrait of how the polymer strand is chemically bound to the crystal suggests that a templating process governs the synthesis of the slender crystals. The use of templates is widespread in nature. However, how animals and microorganisms use the process at the molecular level is poorly understood b...Research suggests new way to repair cartilage damage
... fills in ragged wound margins. The hyaluronan was chemically altered to have multiple sticky sites that are used to latch on to each other. The researchers then treat the polymer gel with laser light, turning the liquid into a solid, a process that takes about 30 seconds. "The solid polymer creates a scaffol...Mix of chemicals plus stress damages brain, liver in animals and likely in humans
...healthy and normal, said Abou Donia. Likewise, the chemically exposed animals in Abou Donia's studies looked and behaved normally. But a decade of neurologic research has revealed widespread damage to the brain, nervous system, liver and testes of rats exposed to 60 days of low-dose chemicals -- the insect repe...Jefferson researchers uncover biochemical clues to how cells migrate in embryos
.... They continued along the pathway, step by step, chemically knocking out enzymes and replacing them with their products to see if they could restore the normal pathway. They subsequently determined that blocking a particular enzyme, geranylgeranyl transferase I, which is further along the pathway from HMG-CoA...Optically recording millisecond brain nerve impulses
...ingle nerve impulse, traveling through a neuron as chemically gated ion channels open and close with changes in ...) of multiphoton microscopy. "First, many dyes are chemically toxic to neurons of living animals, and secondly, the intense laser pulses can cause phototoxic dama...Nanoparticle probes are destined for major new role in medical diagnostics and drug delivery
...or example, nanoprobes using quantum dots that are chemically bound to particular genes and proteins can rapidly analyze biopsy tissue from cancer patients to monitor the effectiveness of drug therapy, or utilized as "smart bombs" to deliver controlled amounts of drugs into genetically classified tumor cells. ...Out-of-balance ecosystems play role in demise of amphibian populations
...n parasitic activity and argue that physically and chemically induced changes of aquatic habitats are taking a toll. "We have to be asking what human activities are contributing to imbalances in these ecosystems to set the stage for more severe infections," Beasley said. "It's becoming a serious question of how...Molecular level discovery could play role in development of new antibiotics
...iotics that are used commercially and that are not chemically made but derived from organisms, such as bacteria, that make them for us," he said. "If nature makes these materials, wouldn't it be great to understand and use the machinery that nature uses to make compounds ourselves? By having this purified syste...Cells' ability to open blood's floodgates hinges on unexpected factors
...NADH/NAD ratios may also trigger the production of chemically reactive compounds that damage cells....Vegetables that prevent may ultimately cure some cancers
...ors." The first development in this research using chemically altered DIM from broccoli came when the growth of ...ential target for new drugs, he said. Safe's lab chemically modified "natural" DIM to give a series of compounds that target the PPAR gamma and stop the growth ...Story tips from the Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory, January 2004
...h the lamp. The light activates the mixture, which chemically breaks down the phosphates, leaving behind a harmless powder. The process has considerable advantages over methods using foam, which is corrosive and damaging to electronics, becomes contaminated, and causes disposal issues. [Contact: Ron Walli, 865...'Smart bomb' delivery destroys tumors in mice
...o recognize the tumor's characteristic receptor is chemically bound to the enzyme, alliinase. Injected into the bloodstream, the antibody seeks out these cells, and lodges itself and its passenger enzyme on the tumor cells. The scientists then inject the second component, alliin, at intervals. When it encount......ased to high levels within two hours. Furthermore, chemically reducing appetite by injecting a compound called C75 into the brain brought levels of malonyl-CoA up to those of mice given food, helping to explain C75's effects. "From this work, it appears as though malonyl-CoA levels control appetite and lev...