At last: Just three cell types detect light in the eye
... Hattar, who is now separating the light detecting roles of rods and cones, something not possible with traditional rod-less/cone-less mice. "But in mammals, all these functions -- vision, circadian rhythm, light-induced activity -- exist in a single place, the retina, and in just two systems." Among bl...Field Museum awarded $5.2 million for community-based conservation in Peru
...f success in the Huallaga Valley will play primary roles in planning, implementing and coordinating the programs. "This is a huge opportunity to create a new model for park management in Peru, involving surrounding human communities in the process," says Lily Rodriguez, President of CIMA. "From the start,...A new view of the crayfish brain
... will fight one another until dominant/subordinate roles are established. These roles remain stable between the two animals, but may change when they encounter other crayfish. A signatur...The Year of Biodiversity and Conservation
....D.; and Peter Makovicky, Ph.D. -- are playing key roles in constructing Trees of Life for birds, spiders, and archosaurs, respectively. BUILDING SUPPORT IN THE LOCAL AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY Humans play a vital role in the future of biodiversity on Earth. "Like all other species, humans are part of ...UT Southwestern researchers find immune system stages for eliminating viral infections, cancer cells
...ached to them. The cells, however, differ in their roles and the types of receptors they use to recognize cells to be eliminated, Dr. Schatzle said. The NK cells represent effectors of the innate immune response and constitute a first line of defense against infection and tumors. The cytotoxic T cellsrepre...Going with the grain: A tale of rice's smallest chromosome
...ny of the cereal genomes." Seeking to identify the roles of the chromosome's genes by combing through molecular databases, Buell, Wing and their colleagues compared chromosome 10's proteins with those of another model plant, Arabidopsis, a member of the mustard family whose genome has been completely seque...Plants and people share a molecular signaling system, researchers discover
...tivated by a hormone. However, the identities and roles of the signal relayers in the G-protein pathway in plants were essentially unknown before the current findings. Assmann and her fellow researchers did know that a molecule important in the G-protein-signaling pathway in human cells, the molecule S1P...Nitric oxide has important role in fever regulation, new study says
...the players seem to have distinct but interrelated roles may result from yet another commonality: they all ...s known about the mechanisms of fever because the roles of these different enzymes that make nitric oxide also changed depending on the infectious agent the...Gene may produce drought-resistant plants
...id. "Lipids in animals are known to play important roles in regulating development, but lipid signaling in plants is not well understood." Lipids are water-insoluble molecules that aid in various cell metabolic functions. "We want to understand the genetics and biochemistry of plant cuticle production so t...Botanist explores fascinating world of plant resins and amber in comprehensive new book
...chemistry of resins, their geologic history, their roles in the ecology of the plants that produce them, and their many uses throughout human history. Langenheim has now written a comprehensive book on plant resins that reflects the depth and breadth of her knowledge as well as her enthusiasm for these fas...Radiation therapy targets cancer cells on two fronts, Science study says
...erstand, at the therapeutic dose range, the unique roles that the microenvironment and tumor cell components play in the overall response of the tumor to radiation to maximize the value of such treatments," said Fuks....Pattern recognition method zeroes in on genes that regulate cell's genetic machinery
...ing and proposes hypotheses about their regulatory roles that can be experimentally confirmed."...Computational method identifies genes that regulate cell's machinery
...eir targets, we're given a lot of insight into the roles of as yet unknown regulatory genes." Each cell in our body contains a copy of the genome, a long DNA molecule that stores the genetic information inherited from our parents. The DNA molecule encodes for a large number of genes, each of which is the ...Systematic analysis of gene family uncovers new therapeutic targets for colon cancer
...g cancer because the proteins they encode play key roles in controlling cell growth, differentiation, motility, and nearby tissue invasion. Although a few TK genes have been shown to be mutated in specific cancers, until now, no study has revealed how many or how often members of the TK gene family are al...Gene newly identified by Columbia researchers may improve hair removal
...r normal hair growth. All three genes could have roles in gene therapy designed for hair removal both permanent and temporary - Dr. Christiano says. Such treatments would involve rubbing lotions or gels into the skin to inhibit hair growth. Remarkably, hair growth is a medical problem for which people ...March of Dimes awards $250,000 prize to pioneers in genetic research
... "Dr. Evans and Prof. Chambon have illuminated the roles of nuclear hormone receptors in human health and d...marked an important advance by establishing unique roles for the nuclear hormone receptors in cancer and metabolic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, di...Purdue biologists crystallize technique to expand protein research
...o study these proteins because they play different roles in many diseases. The usual method to study proteins - making a crystal of the protein and examining it with high-energy X-rays or electrons - has proven difficult with membrane proteins, which dissolve only in fat, not water. "A critical step in fo...Key gene in orchestrating embryo development also fine tunes organization of the retina
... This latest discovery adds to the growing list of roles Prox1 plays. "Prox1 has been a central gene in every organ we've studied so far in the developing embryo," Oliver said. "We've previously discovered that Prox1 is critical to the normal development of the liver, the lens of the eye, and the entire ly...Molecular defect may lead to osteoporosis
...,'" she says. Stem cells, which in adults play key roles in repairing injured organs, have the ability to either make copies of themselves or divide into other kinds of cells, such as bone cells. The new study suggests that if the Sca-1 molecule is absent, the mesenchymal stem cells are less likely to make...Scientists report discovery of cancer-causing gene in childhood kidney tumor
...ITF is one of a family of genes that plays similar roles in different types of cells. Three other genes in this family are called TFE3, TFEB, and TFEC. In recent years, scientists have found several cases of papillary renal cell carcinoma in which TFE3 was fused abnormally to a variety of different genes...