Molecular motor implicated in tissue remodeling
...P-1 operates as a molecular motor--a molecule that converts chemical energy into motion. "This is the only extracellular motor known," says Elson, Ph.D., coauthor and professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics. The research team discovered that MMP-1 moves along a collagen filament with a net unidire...New anti-inflammatory strategy for cancer therapy identified by UCSD researchers
A new strategy for cancer therapy, which converts the tumor-promoting effect of the immune system's inflammatory response into a cancer-killing outcome, is suggested in research findings by investigators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. The findings provide new i......emical changes in the NKG2D signaling pathway that converts CTL cells into LAK cells in cells grown in the laboratory and in patients with celiac disease. "These findings may provide the basis for novel therapeutic approaches in celiac disease aiming at suppressing uncontrolled CTL activation and conversion i...Research on carbohydrate metabolism receives historical recognition
...as the "Cori cycle," the process by which the body converts glucose into glycogen, the form in which sugar is stored. They isolated and purified many of the enzymes involved in glucose metabolism, and their work ultimately advanced scientific understanding of metabolic regulation. Both Carl and Gerty Cor...Bacteria use 'molecular lasso' to cop copper
...s incorporated into molecules of a key enzyme that converts methane to methyl alcohol. A very reactive atom, copper is just the ticket for metabolizing methane, which--chemically speaking--is a hard nut to crack. Their reactivity also makes copper atoms toxic to the bacteria. Thus, methanobactin serves to kee...Researchers discover why mutant gene causes colon cancer
...ientific Program. "What we didn't know was that it converts vitamin A into retinoic acid, which is vital for normal colon cell development." Jones' lab had recently demonstrated that lack of retinoic acid, induced by mutating the APC gene, led to cancerous tumors in human colon cell lines. The new study ...Natural mineral locks up carbon dioxide
...ution of magnesium sulfate and magnesium hydroxide converts both to magnesium carbonate or magnesite, which becomes a solid and falls to the bottom. This solid can be used to manufacture construction blocks and there is also a small market for hydrated magnesium carbonate in the cosmetics industry. The silico...Molecular motor myosin VI moves 'hand over hand,' researchers say
...o "arms" connected to a "body." The tiny molecule converts chemical energy into mechanical motion, and transports its load by "stepping" along polarized filaments of actin -- but in the opposite direction from other myosin variants. "Studies have suggested two main models for the stepping movement," Selvin s...Spanish scientists develop powerful tool for exploration and integration of biological information
... part of the EU-funded ORIEL and TEMBLOR projects, converts the 14 million abstracts in the PubMed (National Library of Medicine) bibliographic database into a network of interlinked references to genes, proteins, mutations, diseases and (bio)chemical compounds. By using genes and proteins as hyperlinks betwe...Loss of circadian genes results in epilepsy
... called Pdxk. The Pdxk gene encodes an enzyme that converts vitamin B6 into its physiologically active form, pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), and PLP is crucial for the metabolism of several neurotransmitters. Dr. Schibler is quick to point out that "Although vitamin B6 deficiency has been known to provoke epilepsi...JCI table of contents, 17 May 2004
...and aggregation at a site of vascular injury. CD39 converts ATP and ADP to AMP, which can be further degraded to adenosine, an antithrombotic mediator. Anthony d'Apice and colleagues, from St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, pursued CD39 as a potential antithrombosis agent in disease and in transplantation usi...More useful plants may sprout from gene role discovery
...studies, Chapple and his team found that an enzyme converts two molecules into the acids, which then are incorporated into cell walls. This indicates that sinapic and ferulic acids are end products rather than intermediates, or building blocks, in an essential biochemical pathway for cell wall construction, C...Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, April 2004
... that would work with multiple motors. An inverter converts DC (direct current) voltage to AC (alternating current). Some of the inverter components can then be shared among the motors, making the drive system smaller and less costly. Su, who is developing an inverter for the traction motor drive and the comp...Soy consumption could help prevent prostate cancer and male pattern baldness
...developed drugs that inhibit a certain enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. Unfortunately, these drugs have side effects. Equol, on the other hand, doesn't prevent DHT from being made but prevents it from functioning. It puts "handcuffs" on DHT, preventing it from binding to the androgen receptor and ...Obesity drug inhibits prostate tumor growth
... synthase. Fatty acid synthase is the enzyme that converts dietary carbohydrate to fat. The screen also identified orlistat, marketed by Roche as Xenical TM , as an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase. These discoveries, made in vitro, held true when tested in mice. When they administered orlistat to mic...Biology behind homosexuality in sheep, study confirms
...essed higher levels of aromatase, a substance that converts testosterone to estradiol so the androgen hormone can facilitate typical male sexual behaviors. Aromatase expression was no different between male-oriented rams and ewes. The study was the first to demonstrate an association between natural variation...Dana-Farber scientists discover natural blocker of HIV-1 virus
...nce it has breached the cell membrane, uncoats and converts its genetic material, RNA, into DNA for replication. In a key step in the process, the inner core of the virus sheds its capsid a protective coating that encloses the virus' genetic material and replication enzymes in preparation for reverse transc...Seeing how plants split water could provide key to our future energy needs
...plex that drives photosynthesis - the process that converts atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic matter and oxygen (O2) by using sunlight to split water (H2O). Using X-ray crystallography, the researchers describe for the first time the mechanism that underpins the photosynthetic water-splitting reaction. ...Gene transfer allows mammals to produce heart-healthy fats
...elegans gene fat-1, which codes for an enzyme that converts omega-6 acids to omega-3s. The transgenic mice appeared perfectly healthy and were raised, along with normal mice, on a diet low in omega-3s. Tissues from the transgenic mice were found to be high in omega-3 fatty acids, while the tissues from nor......the development of certain diseases. Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A in the body and is needed for healthy vision, skin and hair. Lutein is a pigment found in the retina and may help guard against eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. Among its other attributes, spinach also contains 1.55...