Scientists track protein linked to movement disorder
... by breaking down assemblies of other proteins and molecules into their components, like disassembling a car for reuse of its parts. Hanson, who studies behavior of cell membranes, previously found torsinA in the endoplasmic reticulum, a large compartment that has branches that pass through various regions of ...New screening method turns up potential compound for treating anthrax
... Mrksich said. "Typically hundreds of thousands of molecules are screened to identify 10 that are candidate dru.... Fluorescent assays can alter the activity of the molecules they are trying to assess as well as produce false-positive results, Mrksich said. The mass spec...Bird's eye views earth's magnetic lines
...arth's magnetic field is sensed by light-absorbing molecules in the retina of a bird's' eye. Thorsten Ritz, a ...arth's magnetic field relative to the photopigment molecules in the eye, producing a "visual" pattern that could be used to obtain directional ("compass") inform...From algae, weeds and people: new genetic clues to complex obesity syndrome
...sue of Cell. In people, cilia help push fluid and molecules around outside certain cells, including some in the lung, eye, brain and kidney. Hopkins researchers and their colleagues have reported that genetic mutations in BBS cause problems at least in part by rendering cilia and related structures useless. T...Plant-like enzyme acts as key life cycle switch in malaria parasite
... drug with strong side effects, because CDPK4-like molecules do not exist in humans." The human malaria parasite has two hosts, humans and mosquitoes. Just after the mosquito has taken a blood meal from a human, malaria parasites in the mosquito bloodstream differentiate into male and female sexual forms, name...Soybeans may reduce risk of colon cancer
...lts, some of this benefit may be due to a group of molecules known as sphingolipids," said Merrill. Soy GlcCer ...We are looking for even more potent forms of these molecules that might be effective for cancer treatment," he said. He hopes to begin studies to see if sphingol...22-amino acid bacterium created by Scripps scientists
...in. The ribosome requires the help of transfer RNA molecules (tRNA) that have been "loaded" with an amino acid, and that requires the help of a "loading" enzyme. Each tRNA recognizes one specific three-base combination, or "codon," on the mRNA and gets loaded with only the one amino acid that is specific fo...Functional genomics enables easy target identification and drives drug discovery
...ear understanding of interactions between specific molecules and target proteins. Additionally, functional genomics opens up the possibilities of genetically demarcating patients and predicting individual responses to drugs. This permits customized medications and dosages that improve treatment safety and effi...New research at UNC shows ribosomes do not function as conventional enzymes
...ate chemically in the transformation of biological molecules by making and breaking bonds," said Wolfenden, Alumni Distinguished professor of biochemistry and biophysics. "A hallmark of that direct chemical involvement is that their catalytic effects are extremely temperature dependent. The question was whethe...Wisconsin chemists find a new chink in TB's armor
...layered cell wall, composed of chicken wire-shaped molecules wrapped around an inner membrane. Atop that structure, are three more layers that further insulate the microbe from attack by traditional antibiotics. The enzyme is required for the TB bacterium to build its cell wall. The enzyme, in turn, depends...Second generation targeted antibodies - It's all in the binding
...led 806, that is able to discriminate between EGFR molecules on cancer cells and EGFR molecules on normal cells. "There is already one anti-EGFR antibody on the market, and there are several more...UCSD bioengineers develop first genome-scale computational model of gene regulation
...gulatory genes, whose products together with other molecules regulate the expression of 479 of the 906 genes known to be involved in metabolism. The team conducted a series of experiments focused on E. coli's response to oxygen deprivation. They made predictions of cellular behavior through simulations wit...National Cancer Gene Therapy Foundation gives $4.0 million in research grants
...ant recipient) Vaccinating cancer patients against molecules expressed by their cancer, with the hope of starting or awakening an immune response that kills tumor cells, is a highly promising treatment approach. One such strategy involves generating the vaccine on cells from the patient's own immune system by...Findings redefine mechanism of action of RNA helicase enzymes
...n order to carry out its functions, strands of RNA molecules will bind with other RNA molecules, making double-stranded RNA, or will bind with proteins, making RNA-protein complexes, or RNPs. Wherever RNA occurs in the cell, ubiquitous RNA helicase enzymes are responsible for rearrangements of such complexes...Plankton may influence climate change says UCSB scientist
...ay as our bodies use vitamins E and C to flush out molecules that cause cellular damage. Siegel and Toole found that ultraviolet radiation explained almost 90 percent of the variability in the biological production of DMS. They showed that summertime DMS production is "enormous," and that the entire upper lay...Other highlights in the May 5 JNCI
...d colleagues developed a method in which nano-size molecules were used as contrast agents during magnetic resonance imaging to detect sentinel lymph node drainage in normal mice and mouse models of breast cancer. Using this method, regions of sentinel lymph nodes that contained metastatic tumors appeared as bl...Scientists report how protons induce water cages
...w data on how the fundamental arrangement of water molecules is affected by the presence of protons. The work a...earch is about the surprising flexibility of water molecules that makes water the medium of choice for biological systems. The study examines the 50-year-old que...Ferr-D'amar wins 2004 Eli Lilly and Company Research Award
...g microbiologists' understanding of how very large molecules function in living organisms. First, he develope... a variety of chemical reactions, to see how these molecules interact with their cellular environments. He earned a B.S. in chemistry at the Instituto Tecn...Biological computer diagnoses cancer and produces drug in a test tube
...dentify in a test tube changes in the balance of molecules in the body that indicate the presence of certain ..., the team programmed the computer to identify RNA molecules that indicate the presence of prostate cancer and, following a correct diagnosis, to release the sho...ORNL's nanobiosensor technology gives new access to living cells molecular processes
...an antibody, DNA or enzyme that can bind to target molecules of interest inside the cell. Video microscopy expe...r than the 400-nm wavelength of light, only target molecules bound to the bioreceptors at the tip are exposed to and excited by the evanescent field of a laser s...