Botulism bug says no to nitric oxide, provides key to molecule's role in human cell signaling
...overing how botulism-causing Clostridium botulinum detects nitric oxide (NO) sheds light on how NO connects with its receptor protein in humans to govern crucial processes in the cardiovascular, neurological and immunological systems, said senior author C. S. Raman, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of...Acoustics meeting in San Diego
...ends a short pulse of ultrasound to a material and detects the long echo caused by the initial pulse as it spreads out, as well as multiple reflections of the wave bouncing like a ping-pong ball from the boundaries of the tested object. The recorded signal is played back, generating a time-reversed version ...Initial sensor for p53 tumor-suppressing pathway identified
...vealed the specific mechanism by which the protein detects the breaks. The study will be published November 3 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature. "We had been studying this protein for some time, and we knew it was important in the cellular response to DNA breaks," says Thanos D. Halazonetis...UCSB researchers advance understanding of urinary tract infections
...udy shows a mechanism by which a sensor called Cpx detects stressful environmental conditions and sends a signal to turn the switch off. This response may be important in allowing bacterial survival under stressful conditions....Menssana research at NJIT receives kudos for FDA-approved breath test
...is to analyze the results. Just as a Breathalyzer detects drunk drivers, a Menssana process detects illness. "It's the same concept, but about a billion times more sensitive," said inventor Michael Ph...A genetic difference at the opiate receptor gene affects a person's response to alcohol
... which is located in the membranes of nerve cells, detects internal opiate neurotransmitters, such as beta-endorphin, that the brain uses to allow nerve cells to communicate with each other. Previous research has shown that the G variant of this gene has a slightly different receptor protein, which causes a...Gene sequencing explains bioremediation 'bug'
...-- by turning the genes on and off as the organism detects something appetizing. Since Strain 195 requires diverse nutrients in its growth medium, it was a surprise when the genome sequence showed genes for fixing nitrogen and remnants of genes for fixing carbon dioxide, Zinder notes. "It once must have been......) sensor IRE1 alpha in B cell development (the UPR detects stress in the cell and IRE1 alpha transmits stress signals inside the cell). This new data shows that IRE1 alpha regulates both early and late stages of B cell development. The finding that stress signaling from inside the cell is required for B cell...New technique may help detect fetal single gene disorders
... or chorionic villous sampling [prenatal test that detects genetic abnormalities], which are associated with a small, but significant risk of fetal loss, the authors provide as background information. Ying Li, Ph.D., from University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues analyzed a total of 32 blood sa...Spit, and call me in the morning
...ow vulnerable the patient is to cavities. The test detects saliva proteins that have special sugars that bind to the surfaces of microbes. There are more than fifty varieties of these sugars, which are present in different combinations inside people's mouths. Various combinations seem to make people more or...UT Southwestern researchers see hope for treating blindness in preemies
... ROP affects the retina, the part of the eye that detects light before it is transformed in the brain to an image. ROP babies have poor vision, and in many cases, go blind. In a study to be published online and in the March issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Dr. Joseph Garcia, assista...NASA satellite sees ocean plants increase, coasts greening
...viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), which detects ocean colors. Chlorophyll is the substance or pigment in plants that appears green and captures energy from sunlight. The sunlight, along with carbon dioxide and water, are processed by the phytoplankton to form carbohydrates for building cells. SeaW...Robot-based system developed at Carnegie Mellon detects life in Chile's Atacama desert
...nce imager, which is located underneath the rover, detects signals from chlorophyll-based life, such as cyanobacteria in lichens, and fluorescent signals from a set of dyes designed to light up only when they bind to one of the following nucleic acid, protein, lipid or carbohydrate all molecules of life. ...Carnegie Mellon scientists develop tool that uses MRI to visualize gene expression in living animals
...et and a potent MRI "reporter." A typical MRI scan detects and analyzes signals given off by hydrogen protons in water molecules after they are exposed to a magnetic field and radiofrequency pulses. These signals are then converted into an image. Ahrens' new MRI reporter alters the magnetic field in its prox...Chronic inflammation caused by too little stomach acid leads to gastric cancer
... in their study using an assay called TUNEL, which detects cells in the process of undergoing apoptosis. "We found striking differences in the apoptotic rates of parietal cells in the fundus, or upper compartment of the stomach, compared to the antrum where the tumors were developing," Merchant says. "The a...Royal Society study on adaptability of fish to warming oceans
...s to face real risks or rewards. Once the porpoise detects a potential prey, it keeps focusing its sonar on the target as it approaches. When we are driving a car whilst listening to music, we should check ahead in advance before changing a compact disk, otherwise we can crash easily. Detecting objects in th...Yale researchers identify molecule for detecting parasitic infection in humans
... humans, are eukaryotic in origin and how the body detects them has been a mystery. The common parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) causing toxoplasmosis, has a complicated life cycle in which it is transmitted from mice to cats and then to humans. Previous research had shown that T. gondii is recognized b...Function of cancer genes discovered
...nked to a second protein, ubiquitin, when the cell detects that DNA damage has occurred. Nijman identified a third protein, USP1, which detaches the FANCD2 from the ubiquitin. USP1 therefore plays a role in the repair of DNA damage and possibly in the development of cancer....Fox Chase study shows that weakened T-cell receptor signals change T-cell lineage
...wly. "Immune surveillance, the body mechanism that detects potential cancers and destroys them before their presence is evident to us, may be one function of the delta-gamma lineage, since gamma-delta T cells appear to be particularly adept at combating skin cancers," Wiest added.......using devastating disease before the immune system detects it and attempts to mount a counter-attack. Jacobs notes that there have been clues to this property of the virus present in historical results from using vaccinia, or cowpox, to immunize against smallpox. In most people, exposure to vaccinia generall...