Plant pathologists to discuss the future of organic farming
...tainable agriculture and will bring into focus the roles and accomplishments of APS members in this area. This event is open to everyone for a special one-day registration cost. Members of the media are invited to attend annual meeting events and complimentary registration is available. The American Phytop...JCI table of contents, 15 June 2004
... having two altered genes. Here, they dissect the roles of two genes, c-Myc and Bcl-XL, that are commonly found to be altered in plasma cell neoplasms. They created and characterized three different types of mice: one that over-expressed c-Myc; one that carried a mutated form of Bcl-XL; and one that carr...Limited climate tracking in European trees despite 10,000 years of postglacial warmth
The relative roles of environment and history as controls of large-scale species distributions is a crucial issue in biogeography and macroecology. In the forthcoming issue of Ecology Letters Svenning & Skov use bioclimatic modelling to show that among 55 native Europ...NIH launches first center in Nationwide Chemical Genomics Network
...new light on the function of various genes and the roles that specific genes play in pathways crucial to biological function. Ultimately, researchers hope the information generated by the chemical genomics network will identify new targets for therapy and tools to study them, thereby enabling such targets ...Susceptibility of mice to mousepox offers promise of smallpox protection
... suspicions that IFN- and other cytokines play key roles in pathogenesis of these infections. He and his colleagues are the first to rigorously characterize the distinct cytokine responses in susceptible mice and compare them to those observed in resistant mice. Many in the field had believed IL-4 to be a...VA/UCLA researchers pinpoint role of histamines in waking
...tudied their activity in cataplexy to pinpoint the roles of the three cell groups in the loss of consciousness and loss of muscle tone that occur during sleep. The VA/UCLA researchers found that histamine cell activity continued during cataplexy, indicating that their activity is linked to waking. The tea...Gene at root of urban air pollution's lung effects
...d mouse genes are known to play similar functional roles in innate immunity. Collaborators on the study include Donald Cook, Ph.D., David Brass, Ph.D., Julia Walker, Ph.D., W. Michael Foster, Ph.D., and David A. Schwartz, M.D., all of Duke. Daniel Morgan, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Environmental H...New insights on sirtuins, involved in gene expression and aging
...of enzymes called sirtuins, known to play critical roles in a variety of vital life processes, including metabolism, aging, and gene expression. Previous studies, for example, have suggested that low-calorie diets that extend life boost sirtuin activity dramatically, hinting at a link between metabolism a...When 'reaper' gene comes, cell death follows
...ial for salivary gland cell death to occur, and no roles were known for DIAP1 in preventing premature larva...m its larval to adult form," he said. To identify roles for reaper and hid in cell death, Yin and Thummel used a combination of genetic tools to reduce thei...JCI table of contents, 17 May 2004
...and concluded that these two members have distinct roles in T lymphocyte homeostasis. They now show that E2F1 an E2F2 are critical for proper pancreatic development and function, as mice deficient in both these genes develop diabetes and exocrine gland dysfunction. Loss of both these factors results in gro...New screening method turns up potential compound for treating anthrax
...s. Mrksich agreed. "Discovering proteins that have roles in diseases processes is the first step in the drug discovery process, but still a very long way from the actual development of a drug," Mrksich said. Mass spectrometry is widely used to identify proteins in biological studies, but until now the ...National Academies advisory: May 17-18 meeting on RNA interference
...adically expanded scientists' understanding of the roles RNA plays in regulating the expression of genes. It may eventually be a basis for developing novel therapeutic agents to treat diseases. As part of its Arthur M. Sackler colloquium series, the National Academy of Sciences will hold a meeting at which...From algae, weeds and people: new genetic clues to complex obesity syndrome
...involved in specific cellular structures and their roles in health and disease." That's because even very distantly related organisms -- the alga and humans, for example -- may share genes and proteins for common cellular structures that have been conserved by nature. The genetic comparisons, done by rese...Dartmouth Medical School awarded $9 million grant for genomics research
...cal Sciences will be used primarily to analyze the roles and functions of genes in filamentous fungi that could shape future medical studies, including the development of antibiotics and treatments. "We're truly excited about this project, and the fact that it will be centered at Dartmouth Medical School,...Model shows long-held constant in ocean nutrient ratio may vary as ecological conditions change
...have broader implications, as well, because of the roles phytoplankton play in the ocean ecosystem and across the globe. "Phytoplankton do half of the planet's primary production," Klausmeier explained. "They capture energy from the sun and have a big role in biogeochemical cycles -- how elements cycle t...Vanderbilt students take HHMI fellowships
...ue to work on these two pathways elucidating their roles in macrophage function and pulmonary fibrosis. "I'm eager to start the program, and I owe so much thanks to Vanderbilt," Peacock said. "I've had so many tremendous opportunities here and so much support from the faculty, especially Dr. Simon Hayw...Archaeologists announce discoveries at the ancient Maya site of Waka' in northern Guatemala
...orts the idea that in ancient Maya culture, gender roles were sometimes blended," Lee says. Once more detailed analysis is complete, researchers hope it will help shed light on the lives of the kings and queens of Waka'. While the individual in the burial chamber is not named in hieroglyphs, chemical and r...Findings redefine mechanism of action of RNA helicase enzymes
...cases and constitute a paradigm shift in assessing roles of these enzymes in virtually all biological processes that involve RNA." In an accompanying perspective article, Patrick Linder of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland, writes, "Their findings pro...The science of overcrowded life boats and other moral dilemmas
...at parts of the brain associated with emotion play roles in processing some moral dilemmas, but not all of them. Understanding why different kinds of moral dilemmas are processed in different ways could create greater insight for philosophers, Sinnott-Armstrong said. "If you want to know whether you can t......st that was universally failed. Even switching the roles of consonants and vowels so that the vowels remained steady as the consonants varied, resulted in the test subjects picking out the words with great accuracy. Turkish, as an example, uses this "vowel harmony" quite regularly. "These results suggest t...