Archive for 'Biology'
International team finds key gene that allows plants to survive drought
Posted on 02. May, 2009 by admin.
A team of scientists from Canada, Spain and the United States has identified a key gene that allows plants to defend themselves against environmental stresses like drought, freezing and heat.
“Plants have stress hormones that they produce naturally and that signal adverse conditions and help them adapt,” says team member Peter McCourt, a professor of cell [...]
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New layer of control over human embryonic stem cells found
Posted on 02. May, 2009 by admin.
Researchers have discovered an added layer of complexity in the network that determines human embryonic stem cell fate. A report publishing online April 30th in the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, shows that a microRNA known as miR-145 lowers the activity of three key ingredients in the “recipe” for making embryonic stem cells. The [...]
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Birds can dance, really
Posted on 02. May, 2009 by admin.
People aren’t the only ones who’ve got rhythm. Two reports published online on April 30th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, reveal that birds – and parrots in particular – can also bob their heads, tap their feet, and sway their bodies along to a musical beat. The findings show that a very basic [...]
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Tiny differences in our genes help shed light on the big picture of human history
Posted on 30. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Report published in the journal GENETICS describes new tool for population studies by examining single molecule changes in DNA fragments
By examining very small differences in people’s genes, scientists from Cornell University have developed a new tool for identifying big events in human history and pinpointing the origins of specific gene mutations. This research, published in [...]
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Upside-down world: DNA protecting protein helps cancer drug to kill cells
Posted on 29. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Press release from PLoS Biology
Some DNA repair enzymes can become double-edged swords – If they work too slowly, they can block necessary cell maintenance and contribute to cell death. This could explain the somewhat mysterious success of the widely used cancer drug 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) and help clinicians to predict patient’s response to chemotherapy, according to [...]
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Novel role of protein in generating amyloid-beta peptide
Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by admin.
A defining hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of the amyloid β protein (Aβ), otherwise known as “senile plaques,” in the brain’s cortex and hippocampus, where memory consolidation occurs. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a novel protein which, when over-expressed, leads to a dramatic increase in [...]
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SUMO protein guides chromatin remodeler to suppress genes
Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by admin.
BOSTON (April 27, 2009) —In an in vitro study, led by Grace Gill, PhD, Tufts University School of Medicine, researchers discovered how a protein called SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-related Modifier) guides an enzyme complex that alters the structure of chromatin to regulate expression of genes. Chromatin is a compacted mass of DNA and protein that make [...]
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No hiding place for infecting bacteria
Posted on 16. Mar, 2009 by admin.
Preventing Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms
Scientists in Colorado have discovered a new approach to prevent bacterial infections from taking hold. Writing in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, Dr Quinn Parks and colleagues describe how they used enzymes against products of the body’s own defence cells to prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria from building a protective biofilm which enables [...]
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Genetic abnormality may increase risk of blood disorders
Posted on 16. Mar, 2009 by admin.
NEW YORK, March 15, 2009 – Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have shown for the first time that a tendency to develop some blood disorders may be inherited. Their research, published online today in Nature Genetics, identifies a common genetic sequence abnormality that enhances the likelihood of acquiring a mutation in a gene [...]
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