Natural relaxant protects against asthma, may yield new therapy
...ose lacking an enzyme called GSNO reductase, which breaks down SNOs. The Duke researchers earlier showed that the enzyme governs GSNO levels in many tissues, including the lung. Normal mice prone to asthma exhibit increased GSNO reductase levels, resulting in lower concentrations of lung GSNO following all...Infection-fighting strategy backfires in cystic fibrosis
...rs also found that an enzyme known as DNase, which breaks apart strands of DNA, inhibits the development of biofilms. DNase is already used to break up the thick mucus that develops in the lungs of CF patients. Nick believes that it might also be useful in preventing the development of Pseudomonas biofilms....A radical solution for environmental pollution
...he first step is understanding exactly how the bug breaks down toluene. "The challenge is that the chemical reactions these bacteria use are very unusual---not the standard chemical reactions that chemists usually think about," said Marsh. "It turns out that the solution to metabolizing these very inert co...Once given 'no respect,' cells' tiny RNAS take driver's seat
...acteristic of messenger RNA. As a result, the cell breaks the RNA into pieces. All sections except the microRNAs, just 21 to 23 building blocks long, is discarded. The microRNAs can bind to single-strand messenger RNAs of the right sequence, which at the very least interferes with their ability to be read ...Immune cells' genetic 'jam session' is controlled by cell division machinery
... copying and end recombination in order to prevent breaks from happening at a time when a repair can't be made." Desiderio's team a decade earlier discovered that a protein called RAG2, which helps break genes for recombination, ebbs and flows with the steps of cell division. It reaches peak levels just bef...'Vicious cycle' of protein formation involved in Parkinson's disease
...eins cluster, they inhibit an enzyme that normally breaks them down, leading to the formation of even more masses. "It's a disease involving accumulation of a protein in an aberrant form," said Dr. Philip Thomas, professor of physiology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study. The research, availa...Cancer related gene p53 not regulated as indicated by previous tissue culture research
...gative regulators. Our cells are vulnerable to DNA breaks caused by UV light, ionizing radiation, toxic chem.... Unless promptly and properly repaired, these DNA breaks can let cell division spiral out of control, ultimately causing cancer. Under normal conditions, th......7 July issue of Nature. When tissue organization breaks down: Epithelial cells are the source of the majority of cancers; the investigators thus concentrated on factors controlling epithelial cell organization. Epithelial tissues are specialized for managing the flow of substances into and out of the b......n: after all, it's made from wood, which in nature breaks down into tiny components that re-enter the plant growth cycle. Yet without proper dampness and other conditions that are often missing in garbage dumps, paper fails to decompose for dozens of years. As a result, billions of tons of wastepaper cram t...Why do aneurysms form? New studies suggest leading role for white blood cells
...small part of the rodent aortas to a chemical that breaks down blood vessel tissue, then studied what happened in the rodents that had altered neutrophil systems and in comparison rodents that were normal. In both cases, says senior author and U-M vascular surgeon Gilbert Upchurch, M.D., the rodents that h...Actin moves chromosomes: Discovery changes fundamental thinking
...ctive nuclear membrane surrounding the chromosomes breaks down during meiosis, it was thought that microtubu... they repeated the experiment with a chemical that breaks down the other major type of cellular fibres, actin, the cells lost track of their chromosomes and t...Comparative chromosome study finds breakage trends, cancer ties
... the authors wrote, "is characterized by recurrent breaks in different mammalian lineages (dog, cat, cattle, rodents), marked by large amounts of gene turnover and variation in centromere placement." (Centromere refers to highly condensed and constricted regions of chromosomes, where spindle fiber is attach...Multi-species genome comparison sheds new light on evolutionary processes, cancer mutations
...cell. When cells divide, a chromosome occasionally breaks and the fragment can get stuck onto another chromo...thal or cause disease. However, in some cases, the breaks may lead to the production of new or altered proteins with potential to benefit an organism. In addi...Genetic links could unlock clues to leading cause of blindness
...ght-detecting part of the retina called the macula breaks down. Seven million more Americans have an intermediate form of thedisease, and millions more are expected to develop it within the next 15 years. The disease causes nodule-like specks to build up in the eye, chipping away central vision over time. B...New method shows it is possible to grow bone for grafts within a patient's body
...used by orthopedic surgeons to repair serious bone breaks is to remove small pieces of bone from a patient's rib or hip and fuse them to the broken bone. They use the same method to fuse spinal vertebrae to treat serious spinal injuries and back pain. Although this works well at the repair site, the removal...North Atlantic right whales headed toward extinction
...with fishermen and engineers to create a rope that breaks at a tension point suitable for whales. The agencies will supply this rope free to fishermen and are instituting mandatory requirements for breakaway gear. Efforts are also under way to reduce vertical lines from buoys on the surface to lobster pots...VIB signs cooperation agreement for the development of a new, universal flu vaccine
...eople can be vaccinated long before a new pandemic breaks out. This innovative vaccine is currently in a preclinical phase. It is not longer produced by the growth of viruses, but the active component is produced in bacteria. Therefore the production process will be more effective, safer and cheaper. W...Nitrogen in the air feeds the oceans
...ter decomposes in the depths of the ocean,nitrogen breaks free and drifts upward. The problem is that not nearly enough nitrogen rises up to nourishall of the teeming life near the surface. In a paper chosen for a commentary in the current issue of Nature,a team led by biological oceanographer Douglas Capon...Are hurricanes increasing? Ask a Georgia pine tree
...y tree cells that start growing as soon as the sun breaks through the storm clouds. The trees pick up the storm water in the dozen or so days immediately after the storm, according to what other researchers have learned about how pines exploit rainwater, says Mora. Of course, not every hurricane drops rain...UC Riverside researchers discover model organism for studying viruses that affect humans
...cing or RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi specifically breaks down the virus' RNA. Virus RNA creates proteins that allow the virus to function. The virus responds by producing a protein acting as a suppressor of RNAi to shut down the host's antiviral response. Virus infection did not occur when the viral RNAi s...