Hoxful Monsters

Antagonism Versus Cooperativity with TALE Cofactors at the Base of the Functional Diversification of Hox Protein Function

Nagraj — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 02:49:34 +0000

Here is another article on Hox -TALE interaction published in PLOS genetics last month. I had a minor contribution to this article led by Marisa from James Castelli-Gair lab. Here is the author summary from website. Hox genes encode transcription factors necessary to achieve the morphological differences between anterior and posterior regions of the body. These genes have been functionally conserved during animal evolution, and similar classes can be recognized in vertebrates and invertebrates. To bind DNA and regulate many of their targets, Hox proteins interact with the MEIS and PBC ...

My article in PLoS Genetics : Hox – TALE interactions in Drosophila

Nagraj — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 02:39:27 +0000

Hox genes encode homeodomain (HD) containing transcription factors widely used for diversifying animal body plans in development and evolution. Hox genes were first discovered in Drosophila and subsequently isolated in almost all known metazoans on this planet. Hox proteins play an vital role in early patterning along the anterio-posterior axis in all animals.These Hox proteins exhibit some unique properties and different Hox proteins perform some specific functions. In Drosophila , Hox proteins are present in two clusters ,totaling to eight in number. The sequence divergence of Hox proteins, including within the HD ...

Hidden layer of genome unveils how plants may adapt to environments throughout the world

Nagraj — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:47:16 +0000

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified patterns of epigenomic diversity that not only allow plants to adapt to various environments, but could also benefit crop production and the study of human diseases. Published March 6 in Nature, the findings show that in addition to genetic diversity found in plants throughout the world, their epigenomic makeup is as varied as the environments in which they are found. Epigenomics is the study of the pattern of chemical markers that serve as a regulatory layer on top of the DNA ...

How the body’s energy molecule transmits 3 types of taste to the brain

Nagraj — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:40:50 +0000

Saying that the sense of taste is complicated is an understatement, that it is little understood, even more so. Exactly how cells transmit taste information to the brain for three out of the five primary taste types was pretty much a mystery, until now. A team of investigators from nine institutions discovered how ATP – the body’s main fuel source– is released as the neurotransmitter from sweet, bitter, and umami, or savory, taste bud cells. The CALHM1 channel protein, which spans a taste bud cell’s outer membrane to allow ions and ...

Omega-3s from fish vs. fish oil pills better at maintaining blood pressure in mouse model

Nagraj — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:48:14 +0000

Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish may have diverse health-promoting effects, potentially protecting the immune, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. But how the health effects of one such fatty acid — docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — works remains unclear, in part because its molecular signaling pathways are only now being understood. Caption: Graphic representation of a potassium transmembrane ion channel. Credit: Toshinori Hoshi, Ph.D., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Toshinori Hoshi, PhD, professor of Physiology, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues showed, in two papers out ...