Who gives stem cells their marching orders?
...p showed that embryos already need Nodal when they attach to the wall of the uterus, to expand their pool of stem cells, and to let individual cells know where they are with respect to their neighbors. However, to carry out these tasks, the Nodal protein must be cleaved by specific enzymes. The enzymes act ...Molecules in blood foretell development of preeclampsia
..., but enough free VEGF would still be available to attach to cell surface receptors to promote the health of blood vessels. Dr. Levine cautioned, however, that such attempts to develop a drug treatment would need to proceed cautiously. It's possible that restoring normal blood pressure and blood flow to ...Dartmouth and GlycoFi report full humanization of therapeutic proteins from yeast
...oteins in mammalian cells that have the ability to attach human-like sugar structures. This new finding replicates all the steps of human glycosylation within a yeast cell, eliminating the need for mammalian cells. Plus, report the researchers, the technology offers numerous advantages over the conventio...The sweet science: Viruses switch grip to gain upper hand
...n invasion. By changing which carbohydrates they attach to, viruses are able to infect cells more efficiently - a finding that may prove valuable to scientists seeking ways to fight cancer or brain diseases, say University of Florida researchers writing in the current Journal of Biological Chemistry. The ...Engineer ramps up protein production, develops versatile viral spheres
...ineered capsid, in contrast, a vaccine maker could attach a very specific protein designed to stimulate only the appropriate immune-system cells. A vaccine with these well-targeted capsids would be more likely than a traditional vaccine to elicit a strong and specific response. The capsid method is akin to ...Researchers image molecular motor structural changes
...ime the actual point at which the molecular motors attach to the microtubule. It is at this juncture that the motor undergoes changes in its structure as it uses ATP to propel itself along the microtubule." Humans are thought to have approximately 45 different molecular motors -- proteins known as kinesins...Single molecular 'mark' seen as pivotal for genome compaction in spores and sperm
...g: With the alteration, the molecule was unable to attach to the histone, and compaction was severely limited. "We saw a significant increase in genomic volume in the resulting yeast spores, as though the compaction had been lost," Berger says. "The frequency of successful spore creation was also lowered s...Invasive sea squirts persist on Georges Bank
... a tough, barren layer of intergrown colonies that attach to hard surfaces including gravel, wood, metal, and plastic. No other species is known to eat or overgrow them. Scientists first observed the Didemnum colonies in 2003, on the U.S. side of the international maritime boundary separating U.S. and C...Watching DNA repair in real time
... coli bacteria, molecules of an enzyme called RecA attach themselves along a DNA strand, stretching it out and forming a filament. A piece of complementary DNA lines up along side it, and pieces of DNA can be swapped in to repair gaps in the original strand. A similar protein, called Rad51, does the same jo...Gene offers new lead in cleft lip and palate research
...le encoded SUMO1, a small protein that is known to attach to the back of newly formed proteins to modify their function. "This was intriguing news because SUMO1 often attaches to, or tags, proteins to undergo a biochemical process called sumoylation, which influences their behavior," said Maas. "At least ...With record resolution and sensitivity, tool images how life organizes in a cell membrane
...hange the structure of the molecules to which they attach and can alter their behavior. Moreover, dyes do not allow scientists to analyze membrane compositions, because scientists see only what they've labeled. ''If you want to look at lipids certainly, lipid organization, you need some other way [than dye...'Protecting virus' offers instant flu protection and converts flu infections into their own vaccines
... so that white blood cells produce antibodies that attach to the surface of the virus and start the process of killing it. This works well for many diseases, such as smallpox, polio and measles, but is much less effective with influenza, as the coat of the flu virus is continually changing. Vaccination ag...Nanoparticle assembly enters the fast lane
...f single-stranded DNA, which can bend backward and attach to the particle's gold surface instead of binding with surrounding nanoparticles. This flexibility, along with the existence of multiple forms of single-stranded DNA, can greatly slow the assembly process. In the Brookhaven study, researchers introdu...Listening to the sound of skin cancer
...and as noise makers. "We're looking for methods to attach other kinds of absorbers to cancer cells," Viator said. For example, he said, gold nanoparticles -- particles only a few millionths of a millimeter wide -- could be attached to the cells using proteins that bind to special receptors on the cells' mem...Scientists find lamprey a 'living fossil'
...earch. Lampreys are long, eel-like parasites that attach themselves to and feed on other fish. Of the 46,000 known species of vertebrates, lampreys and hagfish are the only surviving jawless vertebrates. Lampreys are the most "primitive" of the vertebrates, meaning that they are the least changed from the ...Fat stem cells being studied as option for breast reconstruction
...ry results indicate that the stem cells can easily attach themselves to these beads and are able to differentiate into mature fat cells. When injected under the skin in a rat model, the cellular combination eventually formed what they describe as a "mound" of tissue. The fat-derived stem cells being used...Ghost protein leaves fresh tracks in the cell
...euil assumed, meant that spectrin should no longer attach to the membrane. "We thought that was going to kill the function of the protein," he said, "but it didn't affect the ability of the protein to reach its destination at all. The molecule targeted correctly to the cell membrane." In fact, the genetica...Stress hormones may play new role in speeding up cancer growth
...a role in breaking down the scaffolding that cells attach to in order to maintain their shape. The third compound, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is important in the growth of new blood vessels into tumor cells. Earlier work by researcher Anil Sood at the University of Texas had shown that the...Micro molecules contribute mightily to heart problem
...mentary fragment of genetic material engineered to attach to RNA and neutralize it. The process of identifying the damage-causing micro RNAs started with the researchers investigating whether any micro RNAs were present at abnormal levels in diseased, enlarged hearts of mice. Sixteen of the 28 such micro ...... successful, a virus must be able to recognize and attach to a host cell. But human and avian influenza viruses recognize different cell receptors. Avian flu viruses have demonstrated an ability to evolve to easily infect humans by exchanging genes with human viruses that subsequently permit them to recogni...