Genome of deadly amoeba shows surprising complexity, evidence of lateral gene transfer
...teristic of more complex organisms. For example, a family of membrane receptors appears to be one of the mechanisms by which the parasite senses the presence of its human host and translates environmental cues into signaling events, which are processed by the parasite. Another unusual feature of the g...Newly-discovered class of genes determines and restricts stem cell fate
... stem-cell biology. "My idea is that this is a new family of genes--they can both determine the cell type, but also put the breaks on differentiation," says Epstein. "We have named them pangenes, after the Greek god Pan and Peter Pan, who were able to orchestrate complex events while never growing old." Eps...21st Century model of healthcare focuses on the family before and after genetic testing
...tive clinical research, and training in couple and family therapy, family interaction, and family relationships with networks and larger systems. It is published on behalf o...New dinosaur raptor found; First in Southern Hemisphere
...skeletal characteristics to place it on the raptor family tree. Novas discovered the fossils in Patagonia wi...with much larger data sets. He routinely assembles family trees based on genetic sequences that number in the thousands. Hes working with experts in the Depar...Tailing the cause of a rare heart disease
...t tissues, which is unusual because other EYA gene family members are thought to function primarily during development. Curiously, the gene does not code for a structural protein involved in known myocyte functions such as contraction, as is the case with other mutations that cause cardiomyopathies. Rather,...Researchers find three major beetle groups coming up one testis short
...tematic survey of all major lineages of the beetle family Carabidae . The results of the survey will appear in the April print issue of the Journal of Morphology , but are available now online. The researchers said that field observations such as this provide valuable clues to beetle biology and evolutio...Important discovery about second most fatal cancer
...t colorectal cancers occurring in members of same family Origin in serrated polyps (considered previously ... showing DNA methylation are more likely to have a family history of colon cancer and other types of cancer. Moreover, the colorectal cancers appear to develo...Stealth worms may improve insect pest control
Nematodes comprise a worm family so large it literally covers the earth. They range...ally kill certain insect species. Nematodes in the family Steinernematidae are associated with Xenorhabdus bacteria; those in the family Heterorhabditidae har...Compound inhibits one critical pathway in breast cancer growth
...pathway, the cells died." STA-21 is derived from a family of antibiotics but is not currently used as an antibiotic. The STA-21 molecule is small enough to enter a cell, and can be delivered directly to cancer cells or to a solid tumor. Also, shutting down one of the key survival mechanisms in a cancer cell...William C. Rose Award lecture will focus on cytochrome P450
...ing in San Diego. The cytochromes P450 are a large family of enzymes that oxidize drugs, steroids, and carcinogens. Oxidation of these potentially harmful substances makes them more water-soluble and easier to clear out of cells. The P450s are also involved in vascular autoregulation, particularly in the br...Researchers identify gene that plays major role in age-related blindness disease
...e 1 that had been linked previously to AMD through family studies by other researchers. The research team was led by senior co-author Josephine Hoh, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale's School of Public Health. Before joining Yale in 2003, Hoh was a researc...Survivors to revisit the polio scare
...n their cars. If a child seemed to have polio, the family could bypass the line of autos, which stretched for blocks. Patients and beds sometimes had to wait outside until space opened up on the wards. Several staff members were stricken with polio, and two patients had babies while at Children's, one needi...Gene variation could be responsible for age-related macular degeneration
...rs in determining who gets macular degeneration is family history," said Dr. Albert Edwards, the study's lea...estern when he conducted his research. "A positive family history can increase a person's chances of developing macular degeneration several fold compared to ...Gene variant increases risk of age-related macular degeneration
...ition to such environmental factors, evidence from family and twin studies had indicated a significant genetic contribution to the disease, she added. Earlier studies by the Duke and Vanderbilt teams and others had linked AMD risk to a particular region on chromosome 1. To identify the gene responsible, th...Nobel laureates to open ASBMB annual meeting in San Diego
...1988). More recently, their discovery of the SREBP family of membrane-bound transcription factors and the elucidation of the proteolytic pathway by which the SREBPs become activated to regulate lipid metabolism were recognized by the receipt of the Albany Medical Prize in Biomedical Sciences in 2003....Chemical engineer Kao explores antibiotic synthesis with DNA chips
... how to manipulate cells to do what she wants. The family of soil bacteria she focuses on, the actinomycetes, produces thousands of bioactive molecules, with many more discoveries sure to come. "When new molecules are discovered to be made by species of this family, the research we do will hopefully be used...Disease diagnosis, biodefense among UH chemical research projects
...spectroscopy of nitrophorins." Nitrophorins are a family of heme proteins found in certain insects that store nitric oxide (NO). Having importance in many areas of human health, NO is useful in lowering blood pressure, treating cancer and increasing oxygen absorption in lung tissue. Czernuszewicz's resea...Father of double helix visits UH
...rge, it is endowed though a generous gift from the family of philanthropists Aaron and Esther Farfel in their memory. Aaron Farfel served on the UH System Board of Regents for 16 years and was chairman from 1971 to 1979. Watson received his Ph.D. in zoology from Indiana University in 1950 and joined the ...Nature helps create religious adults
...crease. Environmental factors (i.e. parenting and family life) influence a child's religiousness, but their effects decline with the transition into adulthood. An analysis of self-reported religiousness showed that MZ twins maintained their religious similarity over time, while the DZ twins became more di...Biologist's findings on fertility and status in monkeys generate scientific, media interest
...ins twice a year and need a lot of help from their family group to successfully rear their young. "What's most exciting is learning how the social environment can profoundly affect an individual's fertility," she said. "This is an excellent model system for studying this issue." According to Saltzman, under...