Pack-MULEs are toting a new look at plant evolution
... of rice sequence was lugging around the gene that triggers cold responses in a plant. In 1998, MSU molecular geneticist Michael Thomashow and his associate found that increasing a plant's expression of a specific regulatory gene helps throw the plant into cold-coping mode, beefing up its defenses against fr...JCI table of contents September 15, 2004
... to Immunity The presence of bacterial components triggers Toll-like receptors (TLRs) to activate macrophages and DCs through various signal transduction pathways. In response to LPS, a TLR turns on the serine/threonine kinase Cot/Tpl2, which then activates ERK1/2 in macrophages. It remains unknown whether C...A probable cause for high blood pressure identified - shows links with diabetes
...to a receptor (a molecule on the cell surface that triggers a reaction within the cell) in the brain that is known to regulate blood pressure and release of insulin. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that this molecule acts as a neurotransmitter, in that it conveys messages throughout different regions ...Disruption of protein-folding causes neurodegeneration, mental retardation
...mulation of unfolded or improperly folded proteins triggers the unfolded protein response" (UPR) in the cell. The UPR is the cell's emergency response to the accumulation of faulty proteins. This response attempts to slow or halt new protein production and increase efforts to correct the folding of misfolded ...Reducing allergens in the home helps inner-city children with asthma
...cus on medications. We must also focus on allergen triggers in the home and work with caretakers to decrease or even eliminate these allergens." Researchers followed more than 900 children ages 5 to 11 with asthma who live in inner-city areas in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle/Tacoma, Was...By mimicking a molecular switch that triggers cell death, researchers have killed cells grown in...erminal domain and fit into the groove of IAP that triggers it to unleash caspases. And they found one that responds nearly identically in terms of concentratio...Molecular staples shape a cancer killer
...y to stabilize the molecule so that it selectively triggers cell death. The idea for developing the compound ... the biologically active portion of a protein that triggers apoptosis, Korsmeyer's team successfully inserted non-natural amino acids into the peptide sequence ...Diabodies act as guided missiles targeted to mammary tumor growth
...adiation causes intracellular damage that probably triggers p53 driven apoptosis." The mammary tumor cells contained the normally functioning p53 tumor suppressor gene, while the p53-null ovarian tumor cells used in the studies lacked the protective action of that apoptosis-inducing gene. The mammary tumor ce...Researchers uncover secrets of immune system's munitions factory
...own as activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) triggers mutations of antibody gene segments to produce an ...NA repair system to create the mutations. AID also triggers class switch recombination, a highly specific process that involves recombining gene segments that e...Engineering endurance: The future of the Olympics?
...cription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) triggers the glycolytic pathway. Randy Johnson and colleagues generated mice that couldn't express HIF-1 in skeletal muscle. Normal and mutant mice went through exercise routines that included swimming and running on treadmills. After exercise, the normal m...Why damaged DNA gets a case of the bends
...maged site," Haranczyk said. "In our model, damage triggers a reorganization of the sugar-phosphate in the DNA's backbone such that the DNA becomes thinner. In damaged DNA, negatively charged phosphate groups migrate along the axis of the DNA, and that allows the molecule to bend easily. We believe it is this...Newly discovered protein may be key to muscular dystrophy
...es from nerve cells to muscle cells, acetylcholine triggers communication between neurons in the brain, and is involved directly or indirectly in many diseases, including Alzheimer's and diseases of peripheral nerves. Discovery of the acetylcholine transporter could lead to therapies for some of these disease...Enzyme activation appears key in helping internal clock tell night from day
...4-hour cycle. PKG-II is an enzyme, a protein that triggers biochemical reactions. Reporting in the Aug. 19 issue of the journal Neuron, the Illinois scientists say that the activation of PKG-II may be the critical control point that tells our biological clock to proceed by putting night behind and journeying...New model can aid in understanding immune system diseases
...he need for the immune response is gone. LMP1 also triggers B cell activation, but in contrast to CD40, fails to stop it at the appropriate time. "The viral protein is an amazing mimic of the normal protein but, in a way, the viral protein does its functions too well," Bishop said. "The viral protein causes ...Study links high carbohydrate diet to increased breast cancer risk
..., which in turn cues the production of insulin and triggers a biological process that ultimately can influence carcinogenesis by causing cells to proliferate. Insulin and an insulin-like growth factor also may contribute to higher circulating levels of biologically active estrogens, a risk factor for brea...LBP-1a gene mutation linked to disruption of normal fetal development
...sia is an abnormal condition during pregnancy that triggers hypertension and fluid retention in the mother and can lead to the more severe condition of eclampsia, which causes convulsions and coma. Missed abortion refers to a pregnancy in which the embryo stops developing normally, and which usually ends in s...Casanova or caveman: Scientists isolate nerve cells that choreograph male fly's courtship behavior
...r. Then he taps the female with his foreleg, which triggers pheromone cues. The male then extends a wing and vibrates it, producing a species-specific courtship song. The fourth step involves licking the female's genitalia with his proboscis, followed by attempted copulation (step five) and copulation (step s...UCI study reveals gene linked to breast cancer can suppress tumors
...ssor function for a gene that, when mutated, often triggers breast cancer in women. The work also provides further evidence about how estrogen helps activate a disease that afflicts thousands of American women each year. Dr. Ellis Levin, a professor of medicine, biochemistry and pharmacology at UCI, and coll......edical Center. The research team found that leptin triggers production of the active form of a peptide MSH in the hypothalamus, the small area in the base of the brain that controls hunger and metabolism. Researchers say this peptide, or small protein, is one of the body's most powerful metabolism booster s......cess journal PLoS Biology. Tissue damage in humans triggers a well-characterized response marked by rapid blood clotting and a recruitment of epidermal cells to the injury. When you remove a scab, you're also removing some of the newly regenerated tissues growing underneath, thereby interfering with the heali...