Key stimulator of colorectal cancer identified
...tinal polyps. Importantly, this effect of PGE2 was not observed in these mice when they lack PPARd. "Our results identify PPARd as a critical downstream mediator in PGE2-stimulated promotion of colorectal tumor growth," says Dr. DuBois. "They suggest that PPARd is an important pro-cancer factor in CRC...Prion propagation: Avoiding the toxic oligomer
..."toxic species" underlying amyloid diseases. It is not clear, however, whether amyloids follow a progress...eissman and colleagues explain, this finding could not be explained by a simple model of nucleation polymerization, in which growth occurs monomer by monom...Targeted therapy knocks out pediatric brain cancer in mice
...ediatric cancers of the central nervous system has not improved significantly in the last three decades," explains study author Dr. Tom Curran from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. "This is partly due to the absence of adequate model systems for testing novel therapies." Dr. C...New anti-inflammatory strategy for cancer therapy identified by UCSD researchers
...ry, the researchers said that since TNFα does not make a major contribution to tumor killing and instead may promote tumor growth, it may be advisable to develop drugs which reduce inflammation-associated toxicities, block inflammation-induced tumor growth and clear the way for TRAIL to initiate tum...Amyloid fibers sprout one step at a time
...of labs, however, revealed that this process could not explain amyloid formation. Amyloid formation was ...said Weissman, evidence is accumulating that it is not the plaque itself that is toxic, but rather the smaller and more amorphous oligomers that typically ...Chemical genetics identifies SARS inhibitors
...s were the primary reasons that the outbreak could not be contained and managed efficiently. With the goal of finding effective drug leads with which to combat SARS, researchers from the University of Hong Kong conducted a chemical genetic screen to isolate compounds with anti-SARS-CoV activity. The grou...Genes expose secrets of sex on the side
...trilocality also predicts that, on average, men do not migrate as far as women. On the basis of the genetic work, women's rate of migration had been pegged as eight times higher than men's. The UA team didn't think local marriage practices could govern global-level patterns ...Resveratrol synthase uncovered: Cyclization specificity of type III polyketide synthases
...he STS from the CHS. Specificity of cyclization is not regulated by the shape of the active site, as was believed previously, but occurs because of an alternative electronic network, termed the aldol switch, that exists in STS. ...22nd amino acid synthesized and added to genetic code of e. coli bacteria
...ollows a traditional path that many scientists had not predicted. For decades following the discovery of the structure of DNA, the dogma was that the genes in the DNA were decoded to produce proteins built from only 20 "canonical" amino acids. But in 1986, researchers discovered that a 21st amino acid s...Genetic modification of linseed produces healthier omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
...ssential" fatty acids for humans, because they are not synthesized in the human body and must be obtained from dietary sources. Once consumed, they may be metabolized into very long chain (C20 and C22) PUFA in the human body. However, this process is slow and inefficient compared to the direct consumptio...New sign language suggests children create language's fundamentals through learning
...hildren are the most fluent users of the language, not the older adults," Senghas said. The researchers s...at they're doing looks very language-like and does not look gesture-like, even though they're taking gestures to make the language. And that tells me there...Popular Science announces Third Annual 'Brilliant 10'
...he play of light on surfaces into digital code has not only secured his status as an academic computer scientist, it has taken him on a red carpet ride, earning him credits on films such as Terminator 3 and Shrek 2. In February, he earned an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. David Liu , 31, Ha...K-State, other universities to study how climate affects plant evolution
...dge that will help feed the world of the future is not only gratifying for us personally, but also should be a real benefit for both our state and our country," said Ron Trewyn, K-State's vice provost for research. Led by evolutionary ecologist Johanna Schmitt of Brown University, the team includes mol...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology
... "The results obtained are of interest not only for their contribution to the knowledge on the bacterial flora of raw milk samples but also essentially for elucidating the power of these molecular approaches to rapidly and precisely describe the consequences of a simple process, milk refriger...Cockroach-like robot leads new research effort
...course, that will make a better robot, but that is not the goal of this program." Full has studied...comotion for 30 years, providing important insight not only to biologists, but also to engineers who have designed robots like RHex that mimic the movement...NSF announces six 'FIBR' awards to tackle some of biology's most challenging questions
...hanced information technology, and other fields -- not to mention a robotic cockroach -- to address significant under-studied or unanswered questions in biology. "FIBR is one of the premier, crosscutting programs in biology at NSF," said Mary Clutter, head of NSF's Biological Sciences directorate. "By...Washington University in St. Louis leads group studying aging process
...t. Louis is seeking to find the Fountain of Youth not in Florida, but in photosynthetic cyanobacteria (a...ry, but in most instances our biology students are not taking that much math or statistics. In the future our students will have to learn these areas. Th...Joslin researchers clarify mechanisms for beta-cell formation
...cal staining suggest that these new beta cells are not derived from duct cells. Rather, the beta-cell growth in insulin-resistant states occurs by "epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition," a mechanism in which cells take on a more primitive form and begin replicating. It is possible that the response ori...Folic acid vitamin use by women reaches all-time high, March of Dimes survey finds
...er, Dr. Howse said, low-carb and other diets could not be the only reason behind the increase because rat... acid use were also higher than expected for women not dieting (39 percent). She also said the March of Dimes urges all women to eat a varied, healthy die......the sounds around you, and you'll find you're able not only to accurately place the location of sounds in...red, and animal and human neuroimaging studies had not been able to conclusively tease apart the two abilities. Ducommun and her colleagues discovered the ...