Marine Biological Laboratory summer investigator wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry
...quitin ligating complex that "targets cyclin B for degradation at the end of mitosis"-the final phase of cell division. Today Hershko is studying that ubiquitin ligating complex in both clam eggs and cultured human cells in hopes of learning even more about cell division in general and cancer more specific...Study describes basic mechanism in cell growth control involving damaged DNA
...n molecules on proteins, which are then slated for degradation and recycling. The degradation signaling process is set in motion when a protein is "misfolded" and cannot function properly. Degr...Molecular mechanism sheds light on neurodegenerative diseases
...some machine irreversibly and prevent the complete degradation of the proteins. This evidence could help explain the disease process. "We believe this suggests why Huntington's disease is so destructive," said Morimoto. "Once bound, the toxic proteins do not release the proteasome. This interference with the nor...Molecule that helps DNA replicate may make good target for cancer therapy
...ant to know what it is in the cell that causes the degradation of the polymerase alpha complex when no Mcm10 is around to protect it. Bielinsky and her group are now beginning to work with chicken blood cells to confirm that Mcm10 works the same way in vertebrates as in yeast....Newly discovered protein suggests novel tumorigenic pathway
...rminus of PTEN. These mutations lead to the rapid degradation of PTEN in cells, indicating that this region is critical for ensuring PTEN stability. Studies have shown that cells add phosphate molecules to specific serine and threonine residues within the C-terminal segment to stabilize PTEN. Curious about t...Soaking up signal: Endocytosis controls spreading and effective signaling range of Fgf8 protein
...zation of Fgf8 protein by the cell--and subsequent degradation of Fgf8 within the cell's lysosome. This process, ...o other target cells through uptake and subsequent degradation of growth factors and other signaling proteins....Biodiversity: measuring up to the loss
...ich have been widely used to measure the degree of degradation of biodiversity. Butchart et al. argue that Red List Indices complement indicators based on population trends, because although the indices show coarser temporal resolution, they have much better geographic representation; they're based on nearly a...One-way processes speed degradation of coral reefs
...inating self-reinforcing processes that accelerate degradation of these biological marvels, according to a Forum article published in the November 2004 issue of BioScience. The article, by Charles Birkeland of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, blames a series of "ratchets"---destructive forces that are hard to ...Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory
...trogen in rainfall that can cause algal blooms and degradation of drinking water. Combining computer simulations and data from 12 years of field measurements, Patrick Mulholland of Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that biological organisms in the stream removed about one-fourth of the nitrogen and phosphorus ...Other highlights in the November 17 JNCI
...mouse tumors, p53 was more ubiquinated--marked for degradation or destruction--compared with normal tissue, and overall p53 expression was lower in the tumors than in normal tissue. The authors conclude that increased Pirh2 expression can affect the development of lung tumors by reducing the activity of the p53 ...2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reveals 15,589 species at risk of extinction
...or most species' declines. Habitat destruction and degradation are the leading threats, but other significant pressures include over-exploitation (for food, pets, and medicine), introduced species, pollution, and disease. Climate change is increasingly recognized as a serious threat. The GSA shows that threatene...Improved molecular switch could serve as sensor, medical tool
...When the maltose triggering agent was removed, the degradation of the antibiotic instantly slowed to its original pace. Ostermeier believes the same molecular switch technology could be used to produce "smart" materials, medical devices that can detect cancer cells and release drugs, and sensors that could...Science to restore the nation's ecosystems
...FL, 12:00-12:15pm, Location: Cloister. Significant degradation in the Everglades and Florida Bay ecosystem usually associated with human factors also coincides with the long-term African drought and a four-fold influx of dust that began impacting Florida in the early 1970s. African soil dust delivers arsenic, ph...Nanotubes glow, even within biological cells
...cularly in cases where the bleaching, toxicity and degradation of more traditional markers are problematic. ...NSF funds Panikov's Alaskan Tundra Microbial Observatory project
... in recent global climatic changes: warming caused degradation of permafrost and stimulated microbial decomposition, converting the tundra from a 'sink' to a net source of CO2-to-atmosphere. The understanding, prediction and mitigation of the observed climate and atmospheric changes critically depend on knowledg...Loss of fruit fly retina protein delays blinding light damage
... for Basic Biomedical Sciences. "Understanding how degradation of rhodopsin and other visual proteins contributes to vision loss may help us in the future to reduce the severity of blindness in rare people susceptible to chronic exposure to light." The light-detecting cells of fruit fly retinas share similaritie......est known for its function in marking proteins for degradation by a waste disposal unit known as a proteasome. Hayashi et al. sought to study the possibility that ubiquitination might play a part in rendering the unbound Notch receptor inert. Their attention was drawn to Nedd4 (a member of the ubiquitin ligase f...UCLA researchers detail the evolution of quantum dot imaging in the journal Science
...result in cancer. Qdots are much more resistant to degradation than other optical imaging probes, allowing them to track cell processes for longer periods of time and shed new light on molecular interactions. Additionally, because they are nanocrystals tiny pieces of rock one-billionth of a meter in size qdots...A new mechanism of regulating RNA degradation
...mechanism, which the team called Staufen1-mediated degradation (SMD). Preliminary results suggest that SMD activity affects numerous transcripts and, therefore, is a novel mechanism of gene regulation. "We don't yet understand how SMD is regulated but it must be," said Maquat. "Both Upf1 and Staufen1 can be phos...Scientists reveal cells' 'energy factories' linked to cancer
...nic acid in a cell and this, in turn, prevents the degradation of HIF-1. HIF-1 is then free to increase the expression of genes that facilitate blood vessel growth, tumour development and cancer spread. Dr. Lesley Walker, Director of Cancer Information at Cancer Research UK, says: "Mutations in SDH can predispo...