Yale scientists find cooperative RNA switches in nature
... testing theories about how life began, led to the synthesis of "RNA switches" that respond to various target compounds, including several molecules of basic metabolism. They speculated that, if an RNA World theory were true, then RNA molecules most likely would make great molecular switches. After creating RN...Rice engineer wins prestigious Annunzio Award
...n biochemicals that promote cell adhesion, control synthesis of matrix proteins, regulate cell growth and promote the breakdown of the scaffold as new tissue grows around it. Using the latest techniques in genetics and biotechnology, West is designing improved signaling schemes to increase the growth rates of ...NHGRI seeks next generation of sequencing technologies
...spectrum of novel technologies from sequencing by synthesis to nanopore technology. Many of these new approach...ill have optimal characteristics for sequencing by synthesis with chemically-altered nucleotides. Amit Meller, Ph.D., Rowland Institute at Harvard, Harvard Unive...Researchers find protein that makes long-term memory possible
...at prevents new proteins from being made. Protein synthesis is essential for the formation of long-term memory... mBDNF completely restored L-LTP even when protein synthesis is inhibited. This demonstrated that mBDNF was essential for memory formation, and mBDNF is the new...Using fruitflies to examine alcohol tolerance
...irst, pre-treatment with a drug inhibiting protein synthesis blocked the development of chronic but not of rapid tolerance. Second, a fly mutant that lacks octopamine a neuromodulator that serves as the fly version of norepinephrine showed reduced rapid tolerance but unchanged chronic tolerance. In sum...Dr. Harris receives NIH Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award
...dendritic spines. LTP requires new protein synthesis that enables consolidation and preservation of cha...se; after LTP, dendritic spines undergoing protein synthesis increases from 10 percent to 40 percent. "This also is a new area of understanding in the brain. You...Bloodroot alkaloid aids in exterminating sun-damaged skin cells in culture
...ith sanguinarine and then exposed to UVB increased synthesis of the Bax protein and decreased production of Bcl-2, shifting cellular balance toward engineering apoptosis of the skin cells. Sanguinarine amplified the normal apoptotic response of skin cells exposed to UVB. UVB induced a 31-46 percent decrease in...Genetically modified parasite lets researchers probe immune system's memory
...dified Leishmania lacks an enzyme required for DNA synthesis and can be completely wiped out by the mouse immune system. Researchers found that after the mice had cleared the Leishmania parasite, a type of T cell -- the CD4+ central memory T cell -- still reacted to the parasite in the test tube. Mice who neve...New Italian research links migraine and endometriosis
...that upregulation or disregulation of nitric oxide synthesis has a role in both migraine and endometriosis. But the association between the two conditions requires further research."...Gene linked to enlargement of the factory where proteins are processed
... the cell. "By linking chaperone production to the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, XBP1 coordinates the processes of building and equipping new ER to increase the cell's capacity for folding and shipping proteins," said Suzanne Jackowski, Ph.D., a member of St. Jude Infectious Diseases. Jackowski is an autho...JCI table of contents November 1, 2004
...gene, which is essential for the first step in the synthesis of HDL. When both ABCA1genes become nonfunctional, Tangier disease develops. Given the ABCA1 transporter's essential role in HDL synthesis, researchers have theorized that mutations in one of the ABCA1 genes may alter HDL levels in the normal popul...Mutations in transporter protein effect HDL levels in the general population
...gene, which is essential for the first step in the synthesis of HDL. When both ABCA1genes become nonfunctional, Tangier disease develops. Given the ABCA1 transporter's essential role in HDL synthesis, researchers have theorized that mutations in one of the ABCA1 genes may alter HDL levels in the normal popul...New source for heart bypass replacement blood vessels: Fibrin-based TEVs
...ndeed, in "contrast to collagen, fibrin stimulates synthesis of collagen and elastin and yields TEV constructs with improved mechanical properties, suggesting that fibrin may be a more appropriate scaffold for cardiovascular tissue engineering," they said. In the current study, the SUNY Buffalo researchers too...Asymmetric organs and microRNA-directed DNA modification
...roRNAs associated with the wild-type genes repress synthesis of PHB and PHV was not clear. A research team led by Dr. M. Kathryn Barton from the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Stanford, California examined the relationship between microRNAs and DNA methylation. In general, high levels of methylation ar...New gene therapy promising for treating Fabry disease
...gh of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A or improper synthesis means the enzyme isn't active enough," says Jeffrey Medin, a U of T associate professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics and a scientist with the Ontario Cancer Institute at the Princess Margaret Hospital, one of three teaching hospitals of th...GlaxoSmithKline awards $250,000 in research grants for research on drug therapies for HIV/AIDS
... viruses. IRES regions are believed to direct the synthesis of viral proteins in host cells. Dr. Robertson and his colleagues have discovered a target site within the IRES regions of several viruses, allowing them to be inhibited by a host enzyme called RNase P. "Research by other scientists has suggested...JCI table of contents, November 15 2004
...b) and two beta-hemoglobins (beta-Hb). Hempoglobin synthesis is carefully coordinated to avoid accumulation of free alpha-Hb or beta-Hb subunits, which can be toxic. In the disease beta-thalassemia, characterized by severe anemia, loss of beta-Hb leaves alpha-Hb subunits unpaired and alpha-Hb production of tox...Random gene activation helps ulcer bug escape immune system
... to protein in a way that's likely to halt protein synthesis by introducing a premature stop signal." The net result, according to Berg, is that the bacteria's ability to stick to the Lewis B receptor is metastable--in every generation, a small number of the new bacteria will switch from a tight grip to no gri...Spider silks, the ecological materials of tomorrow?
...cial proteins can be designed that allow bacterial synthesis at high yields" writes Scheibel in the article*. Engineering new proteins would also allow the design of completely new types of silk fiber, which could assemble with biochemically or biologically active groups into new types of mesh. These 'intellig......ic information on the ribosome, the cell's protein synthesis machinery. Specifically, it shows modifications e...in order for codes to be properly read and protein synthesis to be successful. "An understanding of how modified nucleosides enable and improve wobble recognitio...