NIEHS study identifies gene for hydrocephalus in mice
...elopment of hydrocephalus in mice. The study also describes the cloning of the human homolog of this gene, but the authors cannot say this gene is associated with hydrocephalus in humans yet. Dr. Zeldin said, "The RFX gene may or may not be associated with hydrocephalus in humans, but that is where we are go...Genes that paint fly derrieres hint at convergence
...ard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at UW-Madison, describes the genetic mechanisms that control the colors and patterns on fruit fly abdomens. The study suggests that the simple modulation of a transcription factor, a protein that can bind to DNA and influence its activity, may be responsible for governing th......DS virus vpr gene stops cells from replicating. He describes this chain of events "like a relay race where you pass the baton," except in this case, the proteins produced by genes pass the signal that eventually stops replication of cells: (1) The vpr gene activates the ATR gene. Exactly how that happens is n...JCI Table of Contents, 15 August 2003
... 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation describes a responsible mechanism for this adverse reaction and reveals a potential new therapeutic target in the treatment of asthma. Inhaled selective beta-agonists are the most widely used treatment for the acute relief of asthma symptoms. Administered to ...The genetic complexities of sensation-seeking behavior in alcoholic men
...e with Cloninger's biopsychological typology which describes type I alcoholism as sex-specific, characterized by an earlier age at onset, a more severe course, with more social and somatic complications, more frequent paternal previous history of antisocial behaviors, and a personality profile with high levels...Scientists at TSRI create new strain of yeast with 21-amino acid genetic code
...haromyces cerevisiae. In the paper, the TSRI team describes how they incorporated five unnatural amino acids into the yeast, a "eukaryotic" organism that has cells with membrane-bound nuclei. Earlier studies by the same group incorporated unnatural amino acids in "prokaryotic" bacterial cells, which lack memb...Predators: an overlooked player in plant-pollinator relationships
... In support of this idea, ecologist Kenwyn Suttle describes a field study conducted with undergraduate Mary Sorensen, where spiders that ambush pollinating insects decrease seed production in flowers on which they hunt. Suttle suggests that such interactions are common in nature and that biologists, perhaps,...Genomes of tiny microbes yield clues to global climate change
...graphy at the University of California, San Diego, describes the Synechococcus genome. The PNAS paper, written by a team led by Frederick Partensky of the Roscoff Biological Station in Brittany, France, reports on the genome of a third strain of Prochlorococcus. The two Prochlorococcus and the Synechococcus ge...Distinctive advantages give optical sensors the edge over conventional systems
...in different types of fiber-optic sensors. It also describes the components used in optical fiber sensing, sensor design, and the role of integrated optics in sensing....Microbes' 'blueprints' promise insights into oceans, more
...rche Scientifique's Station Biologique de Roscoff, describes the genome of a third strain of Prochlorococcus and will be published August 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. COMPARATIVE GENOMICS The work of all three teams "will allow us to better understand what differentiates the eco...Scientists demonstrate new method for discovering cancer gene function
...ncer drugs. The report in the Aug. 8 issue of Cell describes how the method was used in identifying what additional genes are affected by the common oncogene, cyclin D1, when it makes too much of its normal protein. By combining two types of data and applying a powerful statistical tool, the researchers pinpoi...Coping: Plant adaptability to stress discovered
... collaboration with Purdue University researchers, describes how the process works in the mutant arabidopsis. "It's a natural way for the plant to sense stress and signal to adjust," Koiwa said. "The concept is not new, but it had not been fully established prior to this research." He said researche...Salt controls size of DNA structures, could improve gene therapy
...ticle size and tighten particle distribution." Hud describes as serendipitous the additional finding that lowering the salt concentration in DNA solution also reduces the size of toroids. Together, these results helped Hud's team develop models for DNA toroid formation. The researchers' data can now serve as a......dart (COI), all at the University of Sheffield. It describes the emerging atom-by-atom science of nanotechnology and discusses the sweeping social and economic changes it might bring. The word nanotechnology has been used to refer to everything from mundane, here and now applications, like stain-resistant tro...Aspirin could reduce the risk of deadly infections
...fections. A study led by Dartmouth Medical School describes how salicylic acid-produced when the body breaks down aspirin-disrupts the bacteria's ability to adhere to host tissue, reducing the threat of deadly infections. The investigation, which appears in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Inves...Scientists with Hawaii ocean mixing experiment
...unfold.A new research paper in the journal Science describes ocean mixing in unprecedented detail. Using an array of technologies and instruments, scientists in the Hawaii Ocean-Mixing Experiment (HOME), a nearly $18 million National Science Foundation-sponsored project focused on pinpointing, dissecting, and...First descriptions of Indiana bat maternity roosts in the southern US
...e snags during the summer," said Loeb, "this study describes the first use of conifers for maternity colonies. This is very exciting because it expands the kind of habitat this endangered species can potentially use to reproduce in." Like other tree-roosting bats, female Indiana bats choose several alternative...U. Iowa study adds to understanding of salt-taste
...stitutes of Health. University of Iowa Health Care describes the partnership between the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and UI Hospitals and Clinics and the patient care, medical education and research programs and services they provide. Visit UI Health Care online at http://www.uihealthc...Study traces global spread of virulent dengue virus to US doorstep
...om the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill describes the emergence and spread of a virulent form of den...Duane Gubler and CDC colleagues. The new UNC study describes the most likely route of spread and the relationship to virus strains established in Asia and Africa...U-Iowa physician suggests possible enzyme deficiency in cystic fibrosis
...samine-4-sulfatase. University of Iowa Health Care describes the partnership between the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and UI Hospitals and Clinics and the patient care, medical education and research programs and services they provide. Visit UI Health Care online at www.uihealthcare.com...