Flu protein changes can alter outbreak Oct 30, 2009
In a paper published today in the journal Science, an international team led by Andrew W. Park looked at a model for flu transmission and the virus' ability to mutate in order to escape the host's immune system ... "Like many of these RNA viruses it is routinely making errors as it replicates so it is spinning off these mutants all the time and that's clearly part of its life history," Dr. Park said. (The Augusta Chronicle)
'Moonlighting' Molecules: New Gene Control Oct 30, 2009
The researchers also included in their study, in addition to these proteins, other types that are known to maintain chromosome structure and bind to structurally different RNA. Also included were proteins that normally relay information within a cell and are not thought to directly come in contact with DNA. In total, they collected nearly 4,200 human proteins together on a protein microarray, or protein "chip." ... 28, 2009) Researchers have discovered a new class of small RNAs and the presence... (Science Daily)
2-pronged protein attack could be source of SARS virulence Oct 30, 2009
"This SARS virus protein, nsp1, binds to ribosomes to inactivate them and also modifies messenger RNA molecules to make them unreadable," said UTMB professor Shinji Makino, senior author of a paper on the discovery appearing in the online edition of Nature Structure and Molecular Biology ... This widely used test-tube platform, known as a "rabbit reticulocyte lysate" (RRL) system, contained only the subcellular structures and materials (ribosomes, amino acids and various control factors) that... (EurekAlert!)
Stem Cells Make Precursors For Sperm, Eggs Oct 29, 2009
Members of what's called the DAZ family, the genes are unusual in that they encode RNA-binding proteins rather than the DNA transcription factors more commonly known to regulate cellular events ... They then used a technique called RNA silencing to examine how blocking the expression of each of three DAZ family members in the embryonic stem cells affected germ cell development. (Science Daily)
Common Weed Could Provide Clues On Aging And Cancer Oct 29, 2009
Their work is published in the current issue of the journal "Molecular Cell" and was funded by the National Institutes of Health ... 2, 2009) Researchers have shown that a large noncoding RNA in mammals and yeast plays a central role in helping maintain telomeres, the tips of chromosomes that contain important genetic information and help. (Science Daily)
T-Cell Vaccine Reduces Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Levels In Semen Of Monkeys During Primary Infection Oct 27, 2009
The researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachussetts; Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico; and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland detail their findings in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Virology ... Analysis of the collected semen samples showed that SIV RNA was detected by day 7 in the control group and reached a peak at day 28 postinfection, while in the Gag/Pol group SIV RNA wasn't detected until day 14,... (Science Daily)
DNA Replication: Messenger RNA With FLASH A Key Player Oct 26, 2009
D., associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC, the new study demonstrates that FLASH is also required for the proper synthesis of histone messenger RNA, which gives rise to histone proteins ... "Our study suggests for the first time that a potential link exists between the processes of histone messenger RNA formation and apoptosis," Dominski said ... "FLASH is crucial for the production of histone messenger RNA, without which the cell can't make the histone proteins around which... (Science Daily)
Scientists Identify Specific Markers That Trigger Aggressiveness Of Liver Cancer Oct 24, 2009
The study, funded in part by a grant from the National Science Council, is the first to provide a comprehensive profile of multiple Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) markers and to demonstrate that Snail and Twist, but not Slug, are the major inducers of EMT in HCC. Results of the study are published in the November issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases ... 2, 2008) One group of small, non-coding RNA molecules could serve as a marker to... (Science Daily)
Trembling hands and molecular handshakes Oct 24, 2009
This protein binds to the CGG sequences in FMR messenger RNAs (mRNA). The excessive numbers of CGG triplets found in the mutant FMRP mRNA essentially bind so much Pur-alpha that insufficient amounts are available for its normal cellular function ... Dr. Niessing's team reports in the online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS) that the Pur-alpha protein itself consists of three copies of a structural unit called the PUR repeat. (EurekAlert!)
Tips from the journals of the American Society for Microbiology Oct 24, 2009
The researchers from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, VA Medical Center and MidSouth Center for Biodefense and Security, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee report their findings in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Virology ... Journal of Virology, 83 ... The researchers from Spain and the United Kingdom report their findings in the October 2009 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity. (EurekAlert!)
Delivery Of Cancer-fighting Molecules Improved Oct 23, 2009
22, 2009) Small interfering RNA (siRNA), a type of genetic material, can block potentially harmful activity in cells, such as tumor cell growth. But delivering siRNA successfully to specific cells without adversely affecting other cells has been challenging ... University of Iowa researchers have modified siRNA so that it can be injected into the bloodstream and impact targeted cells while producing fewer side effects. (Science Daily)
Researchers Discover RNA Repair System In Bacteria Oct 23, 2009
22, 2009) In new papers appearing this month in Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Illinois biochemistry professor Raven H. Huang and his colleagues describe the first RNA repair system to be discovered in bacteria. This is only the second RNA repair system discovered to date (with two proteins from T4 phage, a virus that attacks bacteria, as the first) ... The novelty of the newly discovered bacterial RNA repair system is that, before the damaged RNA... (Science Daily)
SIU faculty gets $2.6M in stimulus grants Oct 22, 2009
6M in stimulus grants - St. Louis Business Journal ... Subscribe to St. Louis Business Journal ... St. Louis Business Journal. (St. Louis Business Journal, MO)
The rise of epigenomics: Methylated spirits Oct 22, 2009
In so doing, they help control a process called transcription, in which a copy of a gene is made in the form of a molecule called RNA, the first stage in the translation of a gene into a protein ... In nature, this base is found in RNA, rather than DNA, but it is just as susceptible to being recorded by one of Dr Watson s mechanical monkeys as the others are ... It is a common characteristic of the so-called promoter regions of genes, where transcription begins, that they contain long,... (The Economist)
Genetic 'Co-dependence' Exploited To Kill Treatment-resistant Tumor Cells Oct 22, 2009
Working with scientists in the Broad's RNAi Platform, the team used RNA interference (RNAi) methods to turn off thousands of different genes in 20 laboratory cancer and non-cancer cells. They then sought out genes that, when shut down by short pieces of RNA strands, caused KRAS cells to self-destruct, but had no effect on normal cells. (Science Daily)
Texas A&M researchers find new mechanism for circadian rhythm Oct 21, 2009
He and colleagues have had their research, currently focusing on the circadian rhythm in chickens' eyes, published in the "Journal of Biological Chemistry." Chicken eyes have a lot in common with human eyes ... These proteins are controlled by messengers called mRNA, and they are especially active, raising the question of why, he says ... The answer lies in a sibling of the messenger named microRNA-26a, a "small guy" in the RNA family. (EurekAlert!)
Henk Stunnenberg's lab applies Genomatix NextGen sequencing data analysis Oct 21, 2009
Martin Seifert Chief Executive for Marketing and Consulting at Genomatix says: "I am very proud that Dr. Stunnenberg has chosen our system. With our combined hardware/software approach, we are able to get the most out of data from Next Generation Sequencing experiments in surprisingly short time. Especially in the field of ChIP-Seq and RNA sequencing. Thus, shortening the time to publication significantly. For Dr. Stunnenbergs group, with its many brilliant scientists, our integrated systems... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
After decades of service, doctor would do it again in a heartbeat Oct 20, 2009
We ve gone from discovering DNA and RNA to mapping the human genome. We ve gone from skull X-rays to MRIs and CAT scans. (Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, NC)
Mice Regain Ability To Extend Telomeres Suggesting Potential For Dyskeratosis Congenita Therapy Oct 20, 2009
Telomerase has two main components; telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA. The latter is the template that TERT uses to produce telomere-extending DNA. Patients with DKC have a mutation in one TERT allele and under produce telomerase. This leads to a failure to maintain normal telomere length. (Science Daily)
Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-related Virus May Not Be Associated With Human Prostate Cancer Oct 20, 2009
Contrary to some reports, which have found XMRV in 40% of cases in patients in the US with familial prostate cancer, research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal, Retrovirology, has found no link between the two conditions in a large study of German prostate cancer patients ... They used real-time PCR and nested PCR techniques to genotype the RNase L gene (an interferon regulated antiviral defence gene) and detect the presence of the XMRV virus in samples collected from 589... (Science Daily)
Math Modeling Predicts Unknown Biological Mechanism Of Regulation Oct 20, 2009
D. in applied physics, used mathematical techniques inspired by those used in quantum mechanics to predict a previously unknown mechanism of regulation that correlates the beginning of DNA replication with RNA transcription, the process by which the information in DNA is transferred to RNA. This is the first mechanism to be predicted from mathematical modeling of microarray data ... The results, published online in the journal Nature Molecular Systems Biology on October 13, 2009, verify the... (Science Daily)
No Such Thing As 'Junk RNA,' Say Researchers Oct 19, 2009
18, 2009) Tiny strands of RNA previously dismissed as cellular junk are actually very stable molecules that may play significant roles in cellular processes, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) ... The findings, published last week in the online version of the Journal of Virology, represent the first examination of very small RNA products termed unusually small RNAs (usRNAs) ... Further study of... (Science Daily)
Pfizer on track for speedy research alignment Oct 17, 2009
AP NEWSLatest local, national & international news from the Associated Press ... Other units will create drugs by using specific types of biotechnology, from disrupting the pathways involved in specific diseases to targeting the messages sent by RNA, the genetic material inside cells that tells them what proteins to make ... Hudson County News from The Jersey Journal. (NJ.com -- News)
Tech.view: Down with the flu Oct 17, 2009
Influenza s genes are composed of RNA, not the more familiar DNA, but DNA is the more stable of the two molecules, so is preferred for making vaccines. (The genetic codes of RNA and DNA are slightly different, but are freely interchangeable. (The Economist)
Exiqon Launches New MicroRNA qPCR Expression Platform Oct 16, 2009
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exiqon A/S (Copenhagen: - ) today announced the global launch of its new platform for quantitative real-time PCR analysis of microRNAs. The new miRCURY LNA(TM) Universal RT microRNA PCR product line combines all the advantages of LNA(TM) technology with a Universal reverse transcription (RT) step, resulting in the most sensitive microRNA expression profiling system currently available ... The use of two LNA(TM)-enhanced PCR primers results... (Primezone Releases)
Obituaries 10/13/09 (423) Oct 15, 2009
Born on July 29, 1920, in Paragould to Roman C. and Estella Schmuecker, she was a retired RNA and a member of St. Marys Catholic Church ... Sharon Frances Mayfield, 66, of Paragould passed away Oct. 10, 2009, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center ... Memorials may be made to the St. Bernards Hopice, 2813 Forest Home Rd., Jonesboro or Seventh-day Adventist Church Building Fund, 2317 W. Washington, Jonesboro, AR 72401. (Paragould Daily Press, AR)
Using RNAi-based Technique, Scientists Find New Tumor Suppressor Genes In Lymphoma Oct 15, 2009
The CSHL team s discovery stems from their use of a powerful technology called RNA interference (RNAi), which suppresses gene activity. The scientists employed RNAi to screen hundreds of candidate tumor-suppressors in living mice, using small hairpin-shaped RNA (shRNA) molecules that attach to specific genes with exquisite specificity and switch them off ... The study is one of the few RNAi-based screens that have been carried out in living animals to date. (Science Daily)
Elderly Immune System Needs A Boost: Older Cancer Sufferers Need Treatments Tailored To Their Aging Immune Systems Oct 15, 2009
His findings1 have just been published in the latest issue of Springer s journal Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy ... 24, 2005) Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have published the first study to test the role of RNA chemical modifications on immunity ... They have demonstrated that RNA from. (Science Daily)
Silence Of The Genes: Researchers Get First Look At Gene-Silencing Human RISC-Loading Complex Oct 15, 2009
Known as a human RISC-loading complex, this structure consists of snippets of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that control whether genetic messages are silenced or expressed. See also. (Science Daily)
Influenza activity in Cambodia during 2006-2008 Oct 15, 2009
From each sample, viral RNA was extracted and amplified by a multiplex RT-PCR, simultaneously detecting the influenza A and influenza B virus. Influenza A viruses were then subtyped and analyzed by hemagglutination inhibition assay. (BioMed Central)
Scientists encouraged by new mouse model's similarities to human ALS Oct 13, 2009
Scientists know that the TDP-43 protein is both a transcription and a splicing factor, which means that it binds to both RNA and DNA to regulate the creation of particular proteins. But they don't yet know enough details about its normal function to determine how TDP-43 mutations cause ALS.. (EurekAlert!)
Ribosome Unraveled: A Q&A with Nobelist Thomas Steitz Oct 13, 2009
The award comes after numerous plaudits, including the 2007 Gairdner Foundation International Award, the same won the previous year by his wife Joan, a fellow Yale biochemist ... During the cell's protein-making process, ribosomes recognize the genetic code as relayed by messenger RNA and then, with the help of transfer RNA, assemble amino acids into a protein a process called translation ... We were trying to understand the structural basis of the mechanism whereby the ribosome can recognize... (Scientific American)
Now, a single jab to prevent blindness Oct 13, 2009
Using a technique called RNA interference (RNAI); they could block the production of claudin-5-a protein that normally helps make the blood-retina barrier impermeable ... However, RNAI therapy is not yet safe enough for use in people, as it would breach the blood-brain barrier as well as the blood-retina barrier ... This method involves gene therapy using a modified virus that makes the RNA only in the presence of an antibiotic called doxycycline. (India Times, India)
Study Isolates Virus in Chronic Fatigue Sufferers Oct 10, 2009
The same virus showed up in only 8 of 218 healthy people, they reported on Thursday in the journal Science ... The XMRV virus is a retrovirus, like the HIV virus that causes AIDS. As with all viruses, a retrovirus copies its genetic code into the DNA of its host but uses RNA -- a working form of DNA -- instead of using DNA to do so. (Newsmax)
Israeli woman wins Nobel Prize (478) Oct 10, 2009
Solving the ribosome's structure would give scientists unprecedented insight into how the genetic code is translated into proteins; by the late 1970s, however, top scientific teams around the world had already tried and failed to get these complex structures of protein and RNA to take on a crystalline form that could be studied ... Do not use usernames or passwords from your financial accounts. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Gene That Regulates Breast Cancer Metastasis Identified Oct 8, 2009
Through RNA interference (RNAi) technology, they then reduced the expression of a metastasis-suppressor gene in five mice, one of which developed lung metastases in seven weeks. RNA retrieved from the metastasized cells corresponded to KLF17. (Science Daily)
2 Americans, 1 Israeli win Nobel chemistry prize Oct 8, 2009
It also helped researchers understand the evolution of life, where at its core, the ribosome is built of RNA, not proteins, answering questions about how early life produced its own building blocks. An "RNA world" likely existed before microbes moved on to producing DNA and proteins billions of years ago, he suggested. (USA Today -- Tech)
Yale hails U.S. Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureates Oct 8, 2009
Steitz's work has elucidated the structure and function of the ribosome, an enormously complex ensemble of numerous protein and RNA components ... The smaller 30S subunit binds to messenger RNA that harbors the blueprint for protein synthesis ... In X-ray crystallography, beams of X-ray pass through and bounce off atoms in protein-RNA crystals. (Xinhuanet, China)
2 Americans, Israeli share Nobel Oct 8, 2009
It has a large and a small subunit, each of which contains thousands of the nucleotides that comprise RNA and thousands of the amino acids that comprise proteins. Getting such a large, amorphous molecule to form precise crystals was something that had never been attempted before. (Boston Globe)
Micromanaging Cancer Oct 8, 2009
The discovery of RNA interference triggered a "silent" revolution that overturned our understanding of how gene expression is regulated. 1 The previous model was that gene expression was activated during transcription, the process of copying the DNA sequence into RNA, when transcription factor proteins bind to promoter sequences in DNA upstream of the gene's coding sequence ... Now it is clear that an additional important mechanism of gene regulation occurs at the next stage of translating the... (New England Journal of Medicine)
MicroRNA Drives Cells' Adaptation To Low-oxygen Living Oct 8, 2009
In studies of cells taken from the lining of human pulmonary arteries, they show that a microRNA a tiny bit of RNA that regulates the activity of particular genes and thus the availability of certain proteins allows cells to shift their metabolic gears, in a process known as the Pasteur effect ... In the new study, the researchers first went in search of microRNA that rise when cells become hypoxic, meaning that they are deprived of sufficient oxygen ... The basic findings may have clinical... (Science Daily)
Novel polymer delivers genetic medicine, allows tracking Oct 7, 2009
A challenge has been that DNA and RNA drugs pieces of genetic code that store information and instructions cannot diffuse through the cell the way traditional small molecule drugs can. "We needed a vehicle to carry them into cells," said Reineke. (EurekAlert!)
Designing Drugs And Their Antidotes Together Improves Patient Care Oct 6, 2009
The new approach, called RNA-based aptamer technology, "provides the opportunity to make safer drugs," said Sullenger, who also directs the Duke Translational Research Institute ... 10, 2009) A novel class of drugs composed of single strands of DNA or RNA, called aptamers, can bind protein targets with a high strength and specificity and are currently in clinical development as treatments. (Science Daily)
3 Americans share 2009 Nobel medicine prize Oct 6, 2009
Szostak switched his chief research area in early 1990s after the discovery that RNA, once supposedly an intermediary molecule in the working of genes encoded in DNA, could trigger cell reactions and perhaps served as the starting point for life 4 billion years ago ... She was dropped from the council after submitting a dissenting opinion on a stem cell report, which called for a moratorium on embryonic stem cell research, and asserted in the New England Journal of Medicine that "a growing sense... (Florida Today)
Telomere Copy Protection: Nobel Goes To Scientists Who Solved How Chromosome Ends Work Oct 6, 2009
This is the case in cancer cells, which can be considered to have eternal life ... Greider and Blackburn named the enzyme telomerase, purified it, and showed that it consists of RNA as well as protein ... The RNA component turned out to contain the CCCCAA sequence. (Science Daily)
Scientists Determine Dynamics Of HIV Transmission In UK Heterosexuals Oct 6, 2009
Details are published September 25 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens ... 3, 2005) A genetic analysis of viral RNA from 10 heterosexual couples, in which one partner has sexually transmitted HIV to the other, provides the first documentation of some differences in how the virus. (Science Daily)
SAGE launches Genes & Cancer Oct 6, 2009
New journal in 2010 on cancer biology and genetics. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (October 5, 2009) SAGE announces Genes r, a monthly journal edited by Dr. Prem Reddy, founder and previous Editor-in-Chief of the prestigious and highly-ranked Oncogene ... "In addition to publishing manuscripts that directly relate to these areas of research, one of the goals is to establish a journal that can attract papers in the emerging areas of genomics, drug development, and... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Low protein diet help boost longevity Oct 2, 2009
That activity, which takes place at the level of conversion of RNA to protein, is important for the protective effects of dietary restriction, Kapahi said ... The study describes a novel mechanism for how mitochondrial genes are converted from RNA to protein by a particular protein (d4EBP). (India Times, India)
First human gets new antibody aimed at rabies virus Oct 1, 2009
Scientists from the MassBiologics worked with their counterparts in India to help the Serum Institute build its own internal MAB production facility, thereby bringing this leading-edge biologics technology to India for the first time ... The work of UMMS researcher Craig Mello, PhD, an investigator of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and his colleague Andrew Fire, PhD, then of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, toward the discovery of RNA interference was awarded the... (EurekAlert!)
A New Class of Antibiotics Could Offer Hope Against TB Oct 1, 2009
Publishing in the Oct. 17 issue of the journal Cell, scientists at Rutgers University describe a group of antibiotic compounds, first isolated decades ago from naturally occurring antibacterial substances in soil ... But myxopyronin works by interfering with the enzyme RNA polymerase, which controls gene transcription in cells and is necessary for cell survival, dormant or not ... Rifamycins, the main drugs currently used to treat tuberculosis, attack the same RNA polymerase target, but at a... (Time.com)
Nanotechnology: Artificial Pore Created Sep 30, 2009
30, 2009) Using an RNA-powered nanomotor, University of Cincinnati (UC) biomedical engineering researchers have successfully developed an artificial pore able to transmit nanoscale material through a membrane ... Their paper, Translocation of double-stranded DNA through membrane-adapted phi29 motor protein nanopores, will appear in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, Sept. 27, 2009 ... The engineered channel could have applications in nano-sensing, gene delivery, drug loading and DNA sequencing,"... (Science Daily)
Mahlon Hoagland; biologist codiscovered transfer RNA Sep 25, 2009
The molecular biologist discovered amino-acid activation, an essential part of how proteins are made, and codiscovered transfer RNA, an important component of human genetics ... In 1956, Dr. Hoagland and his colleague, Paul Zamecnik, discovered tRNA, one of the three types of ribonucleic acid, or RNA, a building block of life ... A year later, Dr. Hoagland began a year at the renowned Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University in England to work with Crick, a codiscoverer of DNA... (Boston Globe)
How mitochondrial gene defects impair respiration, other major life functions Sep 25, 2009
A new study, published Aug. 12 in the online journal PLoS One, sheds light on mitochondrial biology ... By using a technique called RNA interference to knock out the function of each gene, they were able to determine how gene defects may contribute to mitochondrial diseases. (EurekAlert!)
Novel 'on-off switch' mechanism stops cancer in its tracks Sep 24, 2009
Garen's team working with mice found that an RNA molecule from an area of the genome that does not produce proteins prevents a type of TSP from inactivating these incipient cancer genes ... The Yale team succeeded in preventing the formation of tumors in mice by either increasing the amount of PSF or decreasing the amount of the non-coding RNA in a cell ... Garen and his colleagues plan to continue their studies on the mechanism that regulates the amount of PSF-binding RNA in a cell, which they... (EurekAlert!)
QIAGEN Acquires DxS Ltd -- Creating Leadership in Personalized Healthcare Sep 23, 2009
- QIAGEN's existing portfolio already included pyrosequencing- based K-RAS, BRAF and methylation assays targeting biomarkers as well as large numbers of gene expression and miRNA assays for discovery of future biomarkers and instrument platforms to automate these tests ... Sample technologies are used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as blood or tissue ... Such statements are based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties including,... (Primezone Releases)
New blood tests promise simple, cost-effective diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers Sep 21, 2009
Prof Stein and her team looked for the existence of an S100A4 transcript [2], by isolating RNA from blood plasma samples from patient with GI tumours ... "We found that S100A4 mRNA was present at significantly higher levels in the group of cancer patients, no matter whether they had colorectal or gastric cancer, than in the tumour-free control group," says Prof Stein, "and there were yet higher levels in the patients with metastases than in those where the disease had not yet metastasised. More... (EurekAlert!)
Scientists Illuminate How MicroRNAs Drive Tumor Progression Sep 20, 2009
19, 2009) UCSF researchers have identified collections of tiny molecules known as microRNAs that affect distinct processes critical for the progression of cancer. The findings, they say, expand researchers understanding of the important regulatory function of microRNAs in tumor biology and point to new directions for future study and potential treatments ... The researchers refer to these microRNA collections as signatures, and their study results are reported in the September 15 issue of Genes... (Science Daily)
Lung Cancer Suppresses MiR-200 To Invade And Spread Sep 20, 2009
"To do that, we need to understand the cues that initiate metastasis. In this paper we show that microRNA-200 is one of those central cues," Kurie said. MicroRNAs are single-stranded bits of RNA that regulate messenger RNA expressed by genes to order the creation of a specific protein ... When the team profiled a panel of 40 human lung cancer cell lines that had been characterized on the basis of EMT features (epithelial versus mesenchmyal) and site of origin (primary lung tumor versus... (Science Daily)
Discovery Of Regulatory Role Of Key Molecule: Step Towards Future Gene Therapy To Control Disease Sep 19, 2009
The molecule, known as Lysyl-tRNA synthetase (or LysRS in brief) is one of the most ancient molecules in the cell, where it has long been recognized for its contribution in the translation of the information contained in RNA into the amino acids that make up proteins ... Their work was published in the journal Molecular Cell. (Science Daily)
Researchers Home In on an Early Diagnostic Marker for Deadly Pancreatic Cancer Sep 19, 2009
Scientists are looking at microRNAs for early detection of the notoriously silent cancer that usually becomes symptomatic after it is too late for treatment ... New hope for improved detection comes in the form of small RNA molecules called ... Unlike the better-known role of RNA as an intermediary between genes and proteins, these shortened versions of 19 to 25 nucleotides do not get translated into proteins. (Scientific American)
Regado Biosciences Announces Allowance in Europe of a Fundamental Patent Broadly Covering Oligonucleotide Modulators to Blood Coagulation Factor Aptamers Sep 18, 2009
Regado also controls certain U.S. patent applications and issued patents covering aspects of the REG1 system, including patents covering certain RNA aptamers to coagulation factors (e ... Each system comprises a nuclease-stabilized RNA aptamer that can be controlled directly by its specific and complementary oligonucleotide active control agent. (PR Newswire)
RNA Interference Found In Budding Yeasts Sep 16, 2009
15, 2009) RNAi, a key biochemical pathway in the genetic control networks of most organisms, has now been discovered in Saccharomyces castellii, a close relative of the prototypical budding yeast S. cerevisiae, and in Candida albicans, a common human pathogen ... The ability to study RNAi in yeast and to use RNAi to alter the yeast's protein production may be beneficial for all these fields ... "For a long time, people thought that budding yeast didn't have RNAi at all because Saccharomyces... (Science Daily)
Creating long lives for fruit flies -- and maybe people too Sep 12, 2009
In the journal Current Biology, a team led by UCLA's Jeffrey Copeland looked at shutting down five genes in fruit flies, after earlier studies suggested they let flatworms extends their lifespan ... However, by shutting down the five genes in various combinations using a process called RNA interference, the team could extend fly's lives from 7% to 91% longer than normal. (USA Today -- Tech)
Chimps Trained To Enable Keepers To Take DNA Samples With Cheek Swabs Sep 11, 2009
Since then, Sir Alec has won countless international awards for his research, not only on DNA fingerprinting but also on the fundamental mechanisms that generate diversity in human DNA.. This discovery has had far-reaching consequences. (Science Daily)
Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology Sep 10, 2009
The researchers from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Malaria Research Initiative Bandarban, Bangladesh; and the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh report their findings in the September 2009 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ... The researchers from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey, United Kingdom and Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany detail their findings in the September 2009... (EurekAlert!)
