Study identifies new role for breast cancer susceptibility gene
...cet of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 reveals a mechanism linking mutation of BRCA1 to formation of large blood vessels needed to support cancer progression. The findings demonstrate that, in addition to an impaired DNA damage response associated with cancer initiation, mutation of BRCA1 is also...HIV infection requires B cells with special protein, University of Pittsburgh researchers report
...molecule on the surface of B cells, a finding that reveals yet another pathway the virus uses in its insidious attack on the immune system, report University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and School of Medicine researchers in PLoS Pathogens, an open-access journal published by the Pub...Ancient raindrops reveal the origins of California's Sierra Nevada range
... collected at the same altitude. If the comparison reveals similar isotopic ratios, then the elevation of the mountain must have been similar in ancient and modern times. "Determining the height of a now-eroded mountain range has remained frustrating and elusive," said Graham. "Relating the isotopic compos...Corals switch skeleton material as seawater changes
...orm of calcium carbonate, he said, the team's work reveals that corals are far more flexible and able to vary at least a portion of their skeleton to growth favored by seawater chemistry. He postulates that this "mineralogical flexibility" provides corals with an "evolutionary advantage," as it would take mo...Drug dials down the energy within cells, UM researchers find
... ATP, and that's fatal," Glick said. "Our new work reveals the mechanism by which Bz-423 inhibits the enzyme while still allowing it to function. This is important because it suggests principles that may be useful for targeting other bioenergetic pathways. Now we have some rules that we can apply to be able ...Attacking cancer's sweet tooth is effective strategy against tumors
...er Cell. "This is an exciting contribution that reveals a surprising Achilles heel in cancer cells. It also adds to our sense of opportunity for new avenues of cancer therapeutics," said Stuart Schrieber, Morris Loeb professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard Univer...New research may reduce global need for nitrogen fertilizers
...published tomorrow (June 29) in the journal Nature reveals how scientists at the John Innes Centre (JIC), Norwich and Washington State University, USA have managed to trigger nodulation in legumes, a key element of the nitrogen fixing process, without the bacteria normally necessary. This is an important ste...Carnegie Mellon researchers discover new cell properties
...ool of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania reveals that children suffering from Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) have an excessively stiff shell of proteins. The nucleus in all three trillion cells of the human body contains the DNA genome, which is wrapped with a stiff protein shell call...A probable cause for Parkinson's?
...boratory and UCLA's David GeffenSchool of Medicine reveals that damage is linked to a natural byproductof oxidation called nitration. "We looked at a healthy brain and found nitration of proteins that are implicated in neurodegenerative disease," said Colette Sacksteder, PNNL scientist and lead author of t...RSRF-funded research links Rett syndrome to mitochondrial gene
...neticist at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, reveals that abnormally high levels of a protein called Uqcrc1 in the brains of mouse models of Rett Syndrome cause mitochondria--the cells' powerhouses--to work overtime. "This is the first time a mitochondrial gene has been linked to Rett Syndrome," says D...Global atmospheric carbon level may depend primarily on southernmost ocean
...er can be found. In a new research paper, the team reveals that the waters in the Southern Ocean below 60 degrees south latitude, the region that hugs the continent of Antarctica, play a far more significant role than was previously thought in regulating atmospheric carbon, and -- in contrast to past theorie...The structure of a virus infecting bacteria resembles a human virus
...es that infect people. Studying this bacteriophage reveals various characteristics about viruses and their life cycle without having to study actual human viruses. Structural biologists Juha Huiskonen and Sarah Butcher from the Academy of Finland Virus Research Centre of Excellence, University of Helsinki, ...Breast cancer genetics and more -- press release from PLoS Medicine
...h Chuvash polycythemia (caused by mutation of VHL) reveals characteristics similar to those associated with acclimatization to the hypoxia of high altitude. Citation: Smith TG, Brooks JT, Balanos GM, Lappin TR, Layton DM, et al. (2006) Mutation of von HippelLindau tumour suppressor and human cardiopulmonary...First global bird map provides new clues to future extinctions
...eport today in the journal PLoS Biology. The study reveals a direct link, previously theorised but never proven on a global scale, between the size of the geographical range that a species inhabits and regional variations in extinction risk and biodiversity. The international team hopes this new ability to p...Researchers attack tumor cells by exploiting dependency on sugar metabolism
...w study published in the June issue of Cancer Cell reveals a functional connection between carbohydrate-driven energy production and tumor maintenance. Importantly, the results suggest that inhibition of a specific aspect of glucose metabolism may represent an attractive and potentially well-tolerated approa...HHMI professor's phage-hunters strike pay dirt
...raduate students into research. The paper not only reveals the astonishing diversity of mycobacteriophages, it also shows that phage discovery and comparative genomics are an effective way to meld scientific discovery with education. "The separation of the missions of education and research is very damaging,...Gazelles shrink liver and heart to reduce oxygen consumption during drought
...ust issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology reveals that gazelles in the deserts of Saudi Arabia have evolved the ability to shrink oxygen-demanding organs such as the liver and heart, allowing them to breathe less. Fewer breaths reduce the amount of water lost to respiratory evaporation during prolon...The long and the short of it: Expanding small RNA biology in mammals
...s in the mouse germline. "The discovery of piRNAs reveals a new dimension of the small RNA world. The complexity of piRNAs and their correspondence to different types genomic sequences implicates their potentially diverse functions. This is another gold mine for studying gene regulation, especially that rel...Hopkins researchers discover potential new approach to treating diabetes
...nd McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine reveals that a protein called GCN5 is critical for controlling a domino-like cascade of molecular events that lead to the release of sugar from liver cells into the bloodstream. Understanding the role of GCN5 in maintaining blood sugar levels is leading to a...Getting ahead of cancer: SPECT/Spiral CT technology enhances bone scanning, earlier diagnosis
...on the scintigraphic findings. Bone scintigraphy reveals changes in bone metabolism rather than changes in bone structure. The tracer usually requires several hours to be absorbed into the bone and cleared from the remaining tissues of the body. By evaluating the images taken at different times after the a...