ESF EURYI award winner aims to stop cancer cells reading their own DNA
...for reading the genetic code and making sure it is encoded correctly in the daughter cell. In healthy cells it is important that this process works normally, but in cancer cells it is a natural target for disruptive therapy. Specifically targeting these molecular motors in cancer cells would then prevent the...deCODE discovers cause of major subtype of glaucoma
...ow risk version of the same SNP. The LOXL1 protein encoded by the gene is involved in the formation of elastin fibers which, when they accumulate in the eye, cause XFG. The paper, entitled Common sequence variants in the LOXL1 gene confer susceptibility to exfoliation glaucoma, is published today in the o...A new brake on cellular energy production discovered
... As important parts of the respiratory chain are encoded by mitochrondrial DNA, mtDNA, the cell can adapt its energy production to varying needs by increasing or reducing the expression of mtDNA. However, very little is known about how this process is regulated. Two research teams at Karolinska Institut...UB scientist discovers novel iron-copper alliance
...rate on understanding the role of two key proteins encoded by these genes: an intestinal iron transporter called divalent metal transporter 1 (Dmt1) and an intestinal copper transporter, the Menkes copper ATPase (Atp7a). The overall goal of the project is to answer three specific questions regarding the rol...News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience
...ansgene containing the promoter sequence for GLAST encoded the red fluorescent protein Discosoma red, whereas the BAC containing GLT-1 encoded green fluorescent protein. The mice expressed endogenous transporters, and the fluorescent reporters...Banding together: RAS signaling of circadian output
...researchers are only now realizing what protein is encoded by the band gene, and how the subtle nature of the disruption in the band gene affects Neurospora circadian rhythms. The Dartmouth team demonstrate that the band mutation is a dominant point mutation in ras-1 that causes a slight increase in GTP ex...Largest synthetic gene ever built offers insights into anti-malarial drug resistance
...d it successfully produces large quantities of the encoded protein, whose function can now be easily studied. In research published in the May 22 issue of the journal Biochemistry, the researchers say that with the addition of the recreated gene, PfMDR1 and its protein, they have all the biomolecular tools...Systems characterization of cell surface receptors
... efficiency and robustness of receptor systems are encoded by two fundamental parameters: the avidity which quantifies the ability of a receptor system to capture ligand, and the consumption which quantifies the ability to internalize bound ligand. By examining a number of receptor systems, the authors de...A new wrinkle in evolution -- man-made proteins
...th before. To understand how this information is encoded in a protein sequence, Chaput and colleagues solved the 3-D crystal structures for their evolutionary optimized protein, termed DX, and the parent sequence. In a surprising result, just two amino acids changes in the protein sequence were found to...Study of protein folds offers insight into metabolic evolution
...chitectures of fundamental importance undisputedly encoded in a genetic core that can be traced back to the universal ancestor of the three superkingdoms of life," the authors wrote. The analysis also found that the most ancient metabolic protein folds are important to RNA metabolism, specifically the inte...Study of unexplained respiratory infections leads researchers to new virus
...of the new virus is arranged in a similar fashion, encoded in circular, double-stranded DNA, and the virus's five proteins have similarities to the proteins of other polyoma viruses. Other previously identified polyoma viruses are widespread in the general population, where they typically produce no symptom...Gene thought to assist chemo may help cancer thrive
... groups had roughly the same amount of the protein encoded by p53, the cancer group had mutations in their p53 that caused the genes corresponding protein not to function.The benign group's p53 was normal. Five years later, only 30 percent of the chemotherapy cancer patients clustering in the benign group ...Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes similar at molecular level
...ong hypothesis that the origin of prion strains is encoded in the packing of the molecules in the fibrils which we are seeing in the crystals," Ivanova said. The research unfolded over nearly a decade. A key breakthrough occurred when the UCLA team began working closely with Christian Riekel, a distinguish...Sleep enforces the temporal sequence in memory
...his process relies on the brain replaying recently encoded experiences during the night. The same research group now provides evidence that sleep not only strengthens the content of a memory but also the particular order in which they were experienced, probably by a replay of the experiences in "forward" dir...Genes set scene for metastasis
...mbinations that target one or more of the proteins encoded by these genes may prove useful for treating metastatic breast cancer. ...News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience
...-type calcium channel transcripts in granule cells encoded Ca v 1.2 subunits, whereas the remainder encoded Ca v 1.3. Single-channel recording from granule cells in Ca v 1.3 -/- mice revealed normal amounts ...Male owls pitch their hoots to advertise body weight to competitors
...estrial mammals where the information is typically encoded in acoustic components of the calls rather than in the diversity of the vocal repertoire as it is in songbirds," says Reby, who is an expert in the study of mammal vocal communication. ......ch need to work hand in hand with the few that are encoded in the nucleus and others made locally. "Such a...anufactured in the chloroplast with those subunits encoded in the nucleus. These proteins are then assembled into functional complexes in the chloroplasts. In ...Scientists identify a candidate gene for osteoporosis
... influence osteoporosis in humans. The protein encoded by DARC binds to chemokinesor small signaling proteinsthat are involved in osteoclast formation. Osteoclasts break down bone in a process called bone resorption, releasing important minerals such as calcium, phosphate, and magnesium into the blood...Fruit fly gene research may shed light on human disease processes
...his to ensure that similar amounts of the proteins encoded on the X chromosomes are produced in each sex. Failure to properly count X chromosomes is lethal to embryos of mammals and flies. That's why biologists want to understand the process of "chromosome counting." Early in his career, Erickson was par...