Bioinfo

Loss of gene leads to protein splicing and buildup of toxic proteins in neurons

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:33:10 +0000

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ??? Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville have discovered how loss of a gene can lead to accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain, resulting in a common dementia, and they say this mechanism may be important in a number of age-related neurological disorders.

In the Sept. 26 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, the scientists demonstrate that absence of a gene known as progranulin leads to errant splicing of a protein that usually operates within the nucleus of a nerve cell (neuron). When cut these proteins move into the body of the cell, and begin to stick together and form a thicket that grows, eventually disrupting the normal functioning of the neuron, the researchers say.

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Interacting protein theory awaits test from new neutron analysis tools

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:26:10 +0000

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 27, 2007 ??? An international collaboration directed by an Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher has performed the first-ever atomic-detail computer simulation of how proteins vibrate in a crystal.

Jeremy Smith, who leads ORNL’s Center for Molecular Biophysics, said experimental testing of the theoretical work will require the capabilities of the Office of Science’s recently completed Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL.

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Individual Differences Caused by Shuffled Chunks of DNA in the Human Genome

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:21:40 +0000

New Haven, Conn. ??? A study by Yale researchers offers a new view of what causes the greatest genetic variability among individuals ??? suggesting that it is due less to single point mutations than to the presence of structural changes that cause extended segments of the human genome to be missing, rearranged or present in extra copies.

???The focus for identifying genetic differences has traditionally been on point mutations or SNPs ??? changes in single bases in individual genes,??? said Michael Snyder, the Cullman Professor of Molecular, Cellular & developmental Biology and senior author of the study, which was published in Science Express. ???Our study shows that a considerably greater amount of variation between individuals is due to rearrangement of big chunks of DNA.???

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New Swedish research hope for millions of sufferers

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:13:00 +0000

Today???s issue of the scientific journal Science presents research on the genetic make-up and biology of the parasite Giardia lamblia that ultimately may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of the diarrhea disease giardiasis, which affects 200 million people every year. It may also bring an understanding of several vital biological processes in humans.

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Ancient mechanism for coping with stresses also gives cancer a boost

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:27:31 +0000

An ancient mechanism for coping with environmental stresses, including heat and toxic exposures, also helps cancerous tumors survive, reveals a new report in the Sept. 21, 2007, issue of Cell, a publication of Cell Press. The findings could lead to a new way to treat cancer and may also have implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative and other diseases, according to the researchers.

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Controlling for size may also prevent cancer

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:24:29 +0000

Scientists at Johns Hopkins recently discovered that a chemical chain reaction that controls organ size in animals ranging from insects to humans could mean the difference between normal growth and cancer. The study, published in the Sept. 21 issue of Cell, describes how organs can grow uncontrollably huge and become cancerous when this chain reaction is perturbed.

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University of Leicester scientists discover technique to help ‘friendly bacteria’

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:20:11 +0000

There is currently a great deal of interest in the health-associated properties of probiotics, also known as ???beneficial??? or ???friendly??? bacteria, and prebiotics, the food needed for the growth of probiotic when inside our bodies. University of Leicester scientists have discovered a natural fruit-based extract that dramatically improves the growth and probiotic qualities of ???friendly??? bacteria such as the lactic acid bacteria, which are found in most widely-advertised health supplement drinks.

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Researchers Genetically Engineer Microorganisms into Tiny Factories

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:14:37 +0000

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Microorganisms may soon be efficiently and inexpensively producing novel pharmaceutical compounds, such as flavonoids, that fight aging, cancer or obesity, as well as high-value chemicals, as the result of research being conducted by University at Buffalo researchers.

In work that could transform radically the ways in which many of these compounds are produced commercially, the UB researchers are genetically engineering microorganisms, such as E. coli, into tiny, cellular factories.

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Toward a faster prenatal test for Down syndrome

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:50:05 +0000

Scientists in California are reporting an advance toward rapid testing for pre-natal detection of Down syndrome and other birth defects that involve an abnormal number of chromosomes.

In a study scheduled for the Oct. 1, 2007 issue of ACS??? journal, Analytical Chemistry, Stanford University bioengineering professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute researcher Stephen R. Quake and his graduate student H. Christina Fan point out that most existing pre-natal tests depend on a technique termed karyotyping. It requires a two-week wait for anxious parents, while cells taken with amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling are grown in laboratory culture and analyzed.

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T vs. B: Re-engineered Human T Cells Effectively Target and Kill Cancerous B Cells

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:47:08 +0000

PHILADELPHIA - Human white blood cells, engineered to recognize other malignant immune cells, could provide a novel therapy for patients with highly lethal B cell cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). By administering repeated doses of T cells designed to express an artificial receptor which recognizes human B cells, the researchers were able to eradicate cancer in 44 percent of mice bearing human ALL tumors.

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