Researchers provide road map for generating B cells from stem cells
...ctivated and the genes that encode antibodies have begun the process of recombination. Finally, EBF and E2A activate a regulator called Pax-5, which pushes the specified pro-B cell to stage 4, a committed pro-B cell. After this point, there is no turning back. "This is a complicated sequence of events," S...Mechanism discovered for muscle wasting seen in diabetes, AIDS and other diseases
...In a prevention protocol, salicylate treatment was begun during gestation. In these latter mice, body weights and muscle mass were essentially normal throughout life. The researchers also studied the effects of blocking NF-kB activation in mouse models of muscle wasting, including immobilization/dener...Multi-species herbivore outbreak follows El Nio drought in Panama
...s like this are in the tropics because people have begun to associate events like this with global climate change fairly recently," says Van Bael. What caused the outbreak? Most likely the drought kept the caterpillars' natural enemies out of play, but the exact cause will remain a mystery. The team mon...UCLA scientists discover new way to fix defective gene
...t the cells had converted to normal appearance and begun to function normally. The cells started churning out ATM protein, which provides energy by switching on other cells. "About one in six A-T patients has a PTC type of mutation," noted Lai. "We hope that our findings will provide a solid first step ...Gene-altered mouse is model for rare autoimmune syndrome
...y plays a role in the disease in humans. They have begun to screen blood samples from patients with the disorder....Calorie restriction leads to some brain benefits but not others in mice
...riction diet's benefits. The researchers also have begun testing the protective effects of potent antioxidants on aging mice fed normal diets to see whether they too can prevent or reverse some of the effects of aging. "We believe sensitive signaling pathways that are particularly important in the brain a...Medical informatics project targets ovarian, breast cancers
...ate University and the University of Missouri have begun a five-year, $8 million project that will help doctors better understand the damage caused by breast and ovarian cancers. Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the project will bring together clinical and basic science cancer researchers at the IU...Scientists closing in on nerve proteins' contributions to memory and hearing loss
...at Washington University and other scientists have begun amassing evidence that Nrg-ICD might be as importa...be linked to hearing loss and memory loss, and has begun testing mice genetically modified to make more Nrg-1 to see if they have improved hearing when they ...Wistar study demonstrates heritability of non-genomic information
...del. Recent advances in epigenetics, however, have begun to suggest that Lamarck may have been at least partly correct, for reasons and in ways that he could never have anticipated. "I don't know of any example where an acquired trait has been written into the genome, into the DNA," says Zhou. "Still, it m...Look at past sea-level rise points to troubling future
...es of Texas to Alabama's Mobile Bay. Analyses have begun to yield a catalogue of reactions that Gulf coastal features undergo in response to specific rates of sea-level rise. "We know that Sabine bank, a seafloor formation about 20 miles offshore along the Texas-Louisiana border, was a barrier island until...International marine survey of coral death
...ctive fish and invertebrate populations. They have begun to learn how disease affects coral community structure and diversity. "Ultimately this concerns the human community," says Susan M. Merkel, a Cornell microbiologist and coordinator of the project. "If we find that improvements in waste-water treatme...Genetic discovery paves way to decode sense of smell in mammals
...ctory machinery, the Duke researchers have already begun tests to match the nearly 1,000 different mouse odorant receptors with the very specific chemical or chemicals to which they respond. "In a fundamental way, the manner in which odorant receptors function remains a mystery due to technical difficu...Study: Pigeons can sense the Earth's magnetic field; ability might allow them to return home
...d's top experts on sea turtle navigation, Mora has begun adapting the same procedures to use with the reptiles. "She has already trained four turtles to press little paddles to get food when a certain kind of magnetic field is present in a tank," Lohmann said. "The experiments are progressing ...Study urges caution in contaminant source tracking
...Within the last five years, state governments have begun using microbial source tracking methods with E. coli bacteria to help manage bacteria loads to streams. Various commercial firms offer source tracking services to clients around the country. "All too often, results of these analyses are offered...NIDCR launches unique initiative on oral biofilm
...ch, part of the National Institutes of Health, has begun supporting an innovative, three-year study to compile the first full catalogue of genes found in oral biofilms, the sticky bacteria-laden films that form on our teeth and gums. The study, which will yield many tens of thousands of genes exceeding ...International team finds gene variants that affect response to HIV infection
...fected individuals in South Africa who had not yet begun treatment, the type of HLA-B alleles a person had affected the amount of virus in the blood; the number of CD4 cells a person had (a common measure of immune system health); and immune reaction to proteins made by HIV. By contrast, different alleles ...Children's Hospital Boston launches major genetic study of autism
Children's Hospital Boston has begun enrolling patients as part of an ambitious new multidisciplinary study of autism that will attempt to pin down its genetic and biochemical causes. Results could be available in a year or two, and could yield a greater biological understanding of auti...UCSB makes important advances in studies of retinal detachment
...ditions. That is, oxygen therapy at 70 percent was begun immediately after creating a retinal detachment. However, these ideal conditions would not likely be encountered in a clinical situation because it would not be possible to administer oxygen to human patients immediately after a retinal detachment oc...Femtosecond laser technique opens new opportunities for research on neural regeneration
...he femtosecond laser and how other researchers had begun using it in biological systems to surgically destroy extremely tiny structures. "When Yanik described to me what this instrument can do, I immediately thought of my work on the nervous system of C. elegans and came up with a nerve regeneration exper...Shots fired at Bayonne range prove smart gun technology works
...guished known from unknown users. "We've only just begun and we're pleased to say that we're getting 90 percent reliability when scanning users," said Sebastian. Since 1999, Sebastian has led the project based upon Dynamic Grip Recognition, a technology invented by Michael Recce, PhD, associate professor...