Bacterial Toxin Surprises Scientists
...ture of two conformations of colicin Ia, a toxin produced by some strains of E. coli bacteria to kill competing bacteria. From their previous work, the scientists knew that a portion of colicin Ia changes from a harmless cluster of about 175 amino acids into a lethal structu...Transgenic Rice Plants Resist Insects, Drought And Salt Damage
...use the transgenic plants do not produce an insect toxin -- just a proteinase inhibitor that disrupts insects' digestion -- the strategy is not 100 percent effective in eliminating insects, the Cornell scientists noted. Greater insect resistance can be easily achieved by adding genes that cause the plant...New Sensor Provides First Instant Test For Toxic E. coli Organism
...ors have been designed so that the presence of the toxin produced by thisstrain of E. coli causes a color change, from blue to red. The greater thecolor change in the sensor, the higher the concentration of 0157:H7 toxin. The color change is instantaneous." Up until now, no technology existed tha...Chemists Develop High-Throughput Method To Synthesize And Screen Novel Antibiotics
....For example, the plague bacteria contains a heart toxin and thebacteria which causes meningitis contains a neurotoxin. Non-lyticantibiotics may prove to be much safer than currently availabledrugs....Lethal Parasite Prime Suspect In Fish Kills At Salton Sea
...re suspected to be the source of the botulism toxin for the birds. In August 1997, another outbreak of botulism occurred in fish-eating birds. Over 605 carcasses including 234 gulls, 138 brown and white pelicans, and 135 herons and egrets were picked up. Again, sick and de...Disease Takes Its Toll On Waterfowl Populations
...birds resulting from the ingestion of a paralyzing toxin produced by the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum type C. The toxin is closely related to botulism toxins A and B, which are responsible for a similar food-borne diseas......e shedding light onthe mechanisms by which a plant toxin called cycasin causes neurodegenerativedisease. Their findings suggest that environmental toxins that damage the DNA ofnerve cells may precipitate neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's,Parkinson's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or ...Jefferson Scientists Develop Botulism Vaccine
... The researchers have created a novel form of the toxin that retains the ability to survive the GI system and enter the general circulation, yet no longer can poison nerves. As a result, the novel molecule is an effective oral vaccine against botulism. The scientists, reporting in November in ...New Report Sets Standard To Protect Natural Pest Control
...plansto forestall insect resistance to the natural toxin Bt. To protect this natural pest control, six prominent scientists have developed new strategies that EPA should use as a standard and adopt for this year's growing season. To be released on February 3, Now or Never: Serious New Plans to Save a Natu...Cellular Engineers Design Custom Cell Surfaces Able To Adhere To Synthetic Materials
...ely vulnerable to a derivative of thenatural plant toxin ricin. The ricin analog, synthetically armed with thereactive hydrazide group, sought out and reacted with the ketone-labeled cells. "It worked," says Bertozzi. "We killed 'em." Bertozzi's group is currently moving studies of hydraz...Poison-Eating Bugs Strike Gold
...r they have managed to reduce the concentration of toxin in the waste-stream 15-fold," he says. "If we can fine-tune the process a bit more, it will make the water completely re-usable by mines that bioleach refractory ores prior to cyanide gold extraction. Quality water is scarce in WA's gold-prod...New Microbial Insecticide As Potent As Bt
...ears the genesthat govern the production of the Bt toxin have been moved from the bacteriuminto crop plants...tudies have shown that, in concentrated doses, the toxin can be usedas a spray or fed directly to insects. The greatest potential application,however, lies i...Ecological Consequences Of Jasmonate-Induced Responses For Plants In Native Populations
...uata plant's total nitrogen content is in this toxin alone in an induced plant, and this nitrogen is...that the fitness consequences of producing this toxin will vary greatly depending on the plant's habitat. The discovery of the endogenous wou...Shellfish Toxin Study Provides Possible Clue To Cystic Fibrosis Therapy
Scientists studying how a toxin in shellfish causes diarrhea in humanstoday report...t the new shellfish poisoning study shows that the toxin okadaic aciddefeats this built-in fluid conservation mechanism through an interaction with aspecial ...Scientists Discover How Bacteria Protect Themselves Against Immune System
...rdner has created a new field ofresearch." NO is a toxin produced by inflammatory cells that injures or kills bacteria. Over time, however, a mechanism has evolved that prevents NO from damagingbacteria. This detoxification of NO allows bacteria to survive. Without thisprotection, they would be unable to...Biotech Creates New Solutions And New Problems
...Texas, corn earworms with high tolerance to the Bt toxin Cry1Ac invaded somefields of Bt-cotton, virtually destroying the crop. In Australia, the principalcotton pests are bollworms, which are also quite tolerant to this toxin. Thisyear the Bt-cotton held off the bollworms for only half the season, then gr...Bees: Latest Weapon In Cancer Fight
...lly recognises cancer cells. This combination of a toxin and anantibody is known as an immunotoxin. The research team at CSIRO and POWH aims to produce immunotoxins as new cancerdrugs that can attack a wide range of cancer cells. This approach shouldovercome the major drawbacks of chemotherapy treatment. "...At Last There's A Way To Fight The Dreaded E.coli
...n gut cells to which thebacterium's deadly "shiga" toxin binds. When patients swallow the drug, itreaches the gut undigested and mops up the toxin. Intensive trials are under way at hospitals throughout the US andCanada. The results of earlier trials in Japan and Argentina have beenencouraging, although J...Bacteria From Gum Infections Associated With Diabetes, Chronic Lung Disease, UB Studies Find
...ntrol. Gram-negative bacteriaproduce a very potent toxin called LPS, which probably interferes with theaction of insulin and is responsible for maintaining a chronic state of insulinresistance in people with gum infections," she said. The study on the relationship between periodontal infection and chronicl...Glowing Bacteria: DuPont And UD Scientists Detect Poultry Toxin And Other Environmental Contaminants
...ed inexpensive biosensors that rapidlydetect a key toxin in poultry feed, as well as broad classes of otherenvironmental contaminants, including herbicides and metals. "Our glowing bacteria should make it easier to pre-screen for potentialcontaminants, including aflatoxin B1, a known carcinogen that can be...