Nature's process for nitrogen fixation caught in action
...p the process at a specific stage, the researchers synthesized a mimic of an intermediate compound in the pathway, and then followed its progress. The PNAS article talks about the challenge of identifying, trapping, synthesizing, and inserting the mimic and methods for observing the reduction of N2. Hoffman,...DNA repair teams' motto: 'To protect and serve'
...r. In fact, the reason that telomeres, which are synthesized by an enzyme known as telomerase, exist is to assure that chromosome ends remain intact through a lifetime of cell divisions. When asked if there are cancers in which telomerase activity goes awry, Karlseder answers with no hesitation: "Almost all of...Tearing down the fungal cell wall
...tions of many of these proteins and the subsequent synthesized metabolites are largely unknown. Dr. Lawrence added: "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that a fungal non-ribosomal peptide synthetase is associated with cell wall construction in fungal spores. The putative secondary metabolite ...Extreme life, marine style highlights 2006 ocean census
... place in 2006-8; the results will be analysed and synthesized in 2009-10 with the goal by 2010 of an initial census describing what lived, now lives, and will live in the oceans. Census scientists mounted 19 ocean expeditions in 2006 (a 20th expedition underway in the Antarctic can be followed online at www...UCSF stem cell study reveals cells' capability in mouse brain tissue repair
...gene deletion, thus allowing the Numb protein they synthesized to remain intact some neural stem cells had continued to function. Faced with damage in the region, these cells had responded, mediating the rebuilding of ventricular wall lining and establishing a modified neural stem cell environment. The scient...Motor protein plays key role in connecting neurons
... needs to move from the central nucleus where it's synthesized to the cell's periphery, Dr. Xiong and her colleagues report in the February issue of Nature Cell Biology and available online Jan. 21. At the periphery, DCC interacts with netrin-1, a guidance cue for helping the arm-like extension of the cell, ca...Sea creature's toxin could lead to promising cancer treatment
...the two new studies, Dr. Harran and his co-workers synthesized several variants of diazonamide A in order to pin down how it prevents cancer cells from dividing. Normal cell division involves a structure called the mitotic spindle, which pulls apart the chromosomes before the cell splits. The spindle is prima...Man-made proteins could be more useful than real ones
...t of research. Several of her HHMI undergraduates synthesized -amino acid monomers that were used to prepare the...ucture of the molecule that she and her colleagues synthesized will help scientists construct more elaborate -peptide assemblies and ones that possess true biologi...Male sweat boosts women's hormone levels
...tial therapeutic mechanism whereby merely smelling synthesized or purified human chemosignals may be used to modify endocrine balance," the authors wrote. Sweat has been the main focus of research on human pheromones, and in fact, male underarm sweat has been shown to improve women's moods and affect their sec...Instruction manual for creating a molecular nose
...cientists have now managed to incorporate in-vitro synthesized membrane proteins directly into artificial lipid m...o artificial structures. The membrane proteins are synthesized in-vitro directly from the genetic information introduced to the cell extract. Previous attempts t...Joslin researchers discover a surprising culprit in the search for causes of diabetic birth defects
... proteins," said Dr. Loeken. "Since glucosamine is synthesized in the liver, which the early embryo still lacks, it must get it from its mother's circulation. Although we don't know for sure, Glut2 could be needed by the embryo for glucosamine transport." Putting these findings together, Dr. Loeken said, "The ...The social life of honeybees coordinated by a single gene
...n. Scientists began to suspect that the protein synthesized from the vitellogenin genevitellogeninmight affect these social life history traits in honeybees as it became clear that the protein supported an array of functions not directly linked to egg-laying. For example, sterile workers synthesize vitellogen...Largest physics meeting of the year, in Denver
...estions about the origin of life, since chemically synthesized biomolecules always come out with random handedness. A previously unknown difference between the two versions of the RNA molecule has now emerged. Raman spectroscopy -- where laser light changes in wavelength as it scatters off molecules -- seems to ...Other highlights in the March 7 JNCI
...pkins Oncology Center in Baltimore, and colleagues synthesized a PSA-activated protoxin, called PRX302, and tested it in prostate cancer cells and several animal models. PRX302 caused prostate cancer tumors to shrink when injected directly into mice tumors. Because PRX302 is activated only in the presence of PSA...CSHL shows correcting RNA splicing may help treat spinal muscular atrophy
...e structure and function of proteins. Proteins are synthesized from instructions coded in the DNA through a multi-step process that includes RNA splicing. Information stored in the DNA of genes is transcribed into immature "pre-messenger RNAs" (pre-mRNAs), pre-mRNAs are then spliced into mature "messenger RNAs"...Researchers use poliovirus to destroy neuroblastoma tumors in mice
... Brook professor Eckard Wimmer, Ph.D., who in 2002 synthesized poliovirus from its basic chemical components. Based on the properties of the synthetic poliovirus, Wimmer created the highly attenuated virus used in this study by substituting a single nucleotide, located in a functionally important portion of the ...UNC scientists discover cellular 'SOS' signal in response to UV skin damage
...with fluorescent molecules so that tracks of newly synthesized DNA could be observed under the microscope and their lengths measured. Though the study specifically examined only the Timless/Tipin response to ultraviolet radiation, Kaufmann speculates that this response may be relevant to other types of DNA da...RNA enzyme structure offers a glimpse into the origins of life
...rew Ellington. Starting with a mixture of randomly synthesized RNA molecules and selecting for the desired properties, researchers are able to evolve RNA enzymes from scratch. In the Ellington lab, Robertson evolved the ligase ribozyme (called the L1 ligase) and determined which parts were critical for its funct...Gene hunters, patent prospectors leave indigenous communities in Pacific feeling besieged, betrayed
...fter it has been collected for medical research or synthesized and specific DNA qualities isolated," says A.H. Zakri, Director of the United Nations Universitys Yokohama-based Institute of Advanced Studies. "The authors chronicle many actions over the years by the scientific and private sector communities that ...... synthesis pathway of vitamin B12-the only vitamin synthesized exclusively by microorganisms. B12, the most chemically complex of all vitamins, is essential for human health. Four Nobel Prizes have been awarded for research related to B12, but one fragment of the molecule remained an enigma-until now. The re...