Researchers provide road map for generating B cells from stem cells
... of recombination. Finally, EBF and E2A activate a regulator called Pax-5, which pushes the specified pro-B cell to stage 4, a committed pro-B cell. After this point, there is no turning back. "This is a complicated sequence of events," Singh notes. "There's no denying it." At each stage, different markers...New method identifies chromosome changes in malignant cells
...r off together, biologists often look for a master regulator that controls them all at once. "They can write whole papers about how interesting it is that they are regulated together, when in fact what is happening is that the whole chunk of the chromosome containing those genes has just been amplified." The ......d have such broad effects. "TR4 is a master regulator that binds to other genes and turns on or blocks other genes," Chang says. "Now we know that it plays an important role in growth, development, and reproduction as well." In addition to Chang, Collins, and Lee, other authors from Rochester inc...Reed biology professor receives $227,500 for E. coli research
...esearch team will continue studying how the master regulator protein LER controls the disease process on the molecular level. The long-term goal of the laboratory is to use this knowledge to develop effective therapeutics for the treatment of this and related infections. In the United States, EHEC, a pathogen ...Sleeping, waking, ... and glucose homeostasis
...nternal circadian clock could also be an important regulator of blood sugar levels. What is still left to be explored is whether the change in glucose that results from disruption of the Clock and Bmal1 genes is due to the transcription factors' effect as circadian regulators or to an activity of these transc...Tiny plant a model for commercially important trees
...d wood transcription factors showed potential as a regulator of xylem development. Xylem is the wood-forming tissue in plants. "By further manipulating this gene and others we have identified as potential regulators of wood formation, we will have a better understanding of how plants produce this valuab...JCI table of contents, December 1 2004
...treated by alternative means. TITLE: TYK2 is a key regulator of the surveillance of B lymphoid tumors AUTHOR CONTACT: Veronika Sexl Department of Pharmacology Medical University of Vienna Vienna, Austria Phone: 0043-1-4277-64137 Fax: 0043-1-4277-9641 E-mail: veronika.sexl@meduniwien.ac.at . View the PDF of th...Stanford study links obesity to hormonal changes from lack of sleep
...ce showing that sleep duration may be an important regulator of body weight and metabolism, but they also document for the first time the relationship between sleep and these hormones in the general population, tracking how hormonal changes are consistent with obesity. The paper by Emmanuel Mignot, MD, PhD,...Combined stem cell-gene therapy approach seen as potential treatment for cystic fibrosis
... in the lungs. The gene, transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), is responsible for channeling chloride out of cells, an essential function that influences the level of airway surface liquid. This fluid sits atop the airway cells and provides support for the hair-like projections called cilia that sweep mu...New technique for tracking gene regulators
... they describe the human-genome binding sites of a regulator protein known as CREB. "Though scientists have now...ample, in one recent technique, scientists mix the regulator protein of interest (let's say, CREB) with the entire genome of a cell and let it bind. Then they fr...Stowers researcher answers fundamental question of cell death
...ng to apoptosis. "The identification of Bruce as a regulator of p53 raises the possibility that therapeutic inactivation of Bruce activity could keep p53 levels high to combat certain tumors," said Dr. Du. "On the other hand, over expression of Bruce may help maintain cell survival in neurodegenerative disease...UCSD medical researchers discover molecular pathway that turns a juvenile heart into an adult heart
...the study identifies a protein called ASF/SF2 as a regulator of a calcium enzyme responsible for heart contraction and tissue growth. Mice born with mutated or absent ASF/SF2 had shortened contractive fiber that appeared locked in a contracted state, leading to sudden death. When ASF/SF2 was normal, heart dev...Clam embryo study shows pollutant mixture adversely affects nerve cell development
...own as BCE--can act synergistically to alter a key regulator in nerve cell development. While scientists have previously studied the effects of these pollutants individually, this is the first time anyone has demonstrated that BCE's components can work together to adversely affect neuron growth in a model orga...Blood test shows promise as monitor for antiangiogenic cancer therapy
...r vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key regulator of blood vessel development, caused a dose-dependent reduction in CEPs. The reduction in CEPs closely reflected the previously established antitumor activity of this VEGF inhibitor, and the optimal decline in CECs and CEPs was reached at the optimal ...Man and mouse share genome structures
...s regulatory structure, called chromatin, is a key regulator of gene expression in healthy and diseased cells, Bernstein said. Chromatin is composed of DNA spooled around bundles of histone proteins, and resembles a chain of beads which is then compressed into a working chromosome. Chemical tags placed on the ...New insight into regulation of blood stem cells
...in check. These data suggest that c-Myb is a key regulator of hematopoiesis and acts at many distinct points to control HSCs. "It is remarkable that a single transcription factor controls the diverse processes of self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation" says Dr. Cooke. "The next challenge is to unde...Lost tolerance is a grave Omenn
...gues at the University of Brescia study autoimmune regulator element (AIRE) expression in thymuses from three deceased infants with mutations in RAG - two with Omenn syndrome and one with a related immunodeficiency. They find that these thymuses have greatly reduced AIRE levels compared to thymuses from healt...Diabetes' link to obesity broken in mice
...including both fat and sugar. Insulin is a primary regulator of these resources. When the intake of calories exceeds the ability of the body to store them, insulin does not work as well, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels. The work by Kelly's group shows that this problem starts by diversion of fats ...Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists identify immune-system mutation
...l lineage. This indicates that Th-POK is a master regulator of the maturation process." Understanding the development of critical components of the immune system can contribute to medical advances in stimulating desirable immune responses and halting undesirable immune reactions, Kappes said. This understand......iated DEAD box RNA helicase-encoding protein) as a regulator of virulence genes. The paper provides new and important information on how the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans causes disease. In an accompanying commentary, Lena Heung and Maurizio Del Poeta state, "results from future studiesmay be the key to effe...