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This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 31.

Thermodynamic costs in cancer cell invasion [Biophysics and Computational Biology]
Metastasis, the truly lethal aspect of cancer, occurs when metastatic cancer cells in a tumor break through the basement membrane and penetrate the extracellular matrix. We show that MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast cancer cells cooperatively invade a 3D collagen matrix while following a glucose gradient. The invasion front of the cells...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Liu, L., Duclos, G., Sun, B., Lee, J., Wu, A., Kam, Y., Sontag, E. D., Stone, H. A., Sturm, J. C., Gatenby, R. A., Austin, R. H. Tags: Biological Sciences Source Type: research

Frustration in multidomain protein misfolding [Biophysics and Computational Biology]
Frustration from strong interdomain interactions can make misfolding a more severe problem in multidomain proteins than in single-domain proteins. On the basis of bioinformatic surveys, it has been suggested that lowering the sequence identity between neighboring domains is one of nature’s solutions to the multidomain misfolding problem. We investigate folding...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Zheng, W., Schafer, N. P., Wolynes, P. G. Tags: Biological Sciences Source Type: research

Caulobacter chromosome in vivo configuration [Biophysics and Computational Biology]
We measured the distance between fluorescent-labeled DNA loci of various interloci contour lengths in Caulobacter crescentus swarmer cells to determine the in vivo configuration of the chromosome. For DNA segments less than about 300 kb, the mean interloci distances, 〈r〉, scale as n0.22, where n is the contour length, and...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Hong, S.-H., Toro, E., Mortensen, K. I., de la Rosa, M. A. D., Doniach, S., Shapiro, L., Spakowitz, A. J., McAdams, H. H. Tags: Biological Sciences Source Type: research

Rules of the hydrophobic factor [Biophysics and Computational Biology]
The hydrophobic free energy in current use is based on transfer of alkane solutes from liquid alkanes to water, and it has been argued recently that these values are incorrect and should be based instead on gas–liquid transfer data. Hydrophobic free energy is measured here by gas–liquid transfer of hydrocarbon...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Baldwin, R. L. Tags: Biological Sciences Source Type: research

Snapshots of a protein folding intermediate [Biophysics and Computational Biology]
We have investigated the folding dynamics of Thermus thermophilus cytochrome c552 by time-resolved fluorescence energy transfer between the heme and each of seven site-specific fluorescent probes. We have found both an equilibrium unfolding intermediate and a distinct refolding intermediate from kinetics studies. Depending on the protein region monitored, we observed...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Yamada, S., Bouley Ford, N. D., Keller, G. E., Ford, W. C., Gray, H. B., Winkler, J. R. Tags: Physical Sciences Source Type: research

Gene activity profiles of Arabidopsis seed regions [Plant Biology]
Seeds are complex structures that consist of the embryo, endosperm, and seed-coat regions that are of different ontogenetic origins, and each region can be further divided into morphologically distinct subregions. Despite the importance of seeds for food, fiber, and fuel globally, little is known of the cellular processes that characterize...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Belmonte, M. F., Kirkbride, R. C., Stone, S. L., Pelletier, J. M., Bui, A. Q., Yeung, E. C., Hashimoto, M., Fei, J., Harada, C. M., Munoz, M. D., Le, B. H., Drews, G. N., Brady, S. M., Goldberg, R. B., Harada, J. J. Tags: PNAS Plus Source Type: research

Stimulon of Pseudomonas syringae in and on plants [Plant Biology]
Some strains of the foliar pathogen Pseudomonas syringae are adapted for growth and survival on leaf surfaces and in the leaf interior. Global transcriptome profiling was used to evaluate if these two habitats offer distinct environments for bacteria and thus present distinct driving forces for adaptation. The transcript profiles of...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Yu, X., Lund, S. P., Scott, R. A., Greenwald, J. W., Records, A. H., Nettleton, D., Lindow, S. E., Gross, D. C., Beattie, G. A. Tags: PNAS Plus Source Type: research

AKIP1 in cardiac injury [Cell Biology]
cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) regulates a myriad of functions in the heart, including cardiac contractility, myocardial metabolism, and gene expression. However, a molecular integrator of the PKA response in the heart is unknown. Here, we show that the PKA adaptor A-kinase interacting protein 1 (AKIP1) is up-regulated in cardiac myocytes...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Sastri, M., Haushalter, K. J., Panneerselvam, M., Chang, P., Fridolfsson, H., Finley, J. C., Ng, D., Schilling, J. M., Miyanohara, A., Day, M. E., Hakozaki, H., Petrosyan, S., Koller, A., King, C. C., Darshi, M., Blumenthal, D. K., Ali, S. S., Roth, D. M. Tags: PNAS Plus Source Type: research

Chemical-induced dimerization by fusicoccin [Cell Biology]
Chemically induced dimerization is an important tool in chemical biology for the analysis of protein function in cells. Here we report the use of the natural product fusicoccin (FC) to induce dimerization of 14–3-3–fused target proteins with proteins tagged to the C terminus (CT) of the H+-ATPase PMA2. To prevent...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Skwarczynska, M., Molzan, M., Ottmann, C. Tags: PNAS Plus Source Type: research

Similarity between cold and alcohol denaturation [Biophysics and Computational Biology]
Proteins denature not only at high, but also at low temperature as well as high pressure. These denatured states are not easily accessible for experiment, because usually heat denaturation causes aggregation, whereas cold or pressure denaturation occurs at temperatures well below the freezing point of water or pressures above 5...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Vajpai, N., Nisius, L., Wiktor, M., Grzesiek, S. Tags: PNAS Plus Source Type: research

A NONO-gate times the cell cycle [Cell Biology]
When a cell divides, a series of tightly regulated events are sequentially passed through to end up with two healthy daughter cells. A dysregulation of these steps such as an escape from cell cycle control checkpoints may lead to tumor formation. In recent years, it became increasingly clear that our...
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - January 29, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Maier, B., Kramer, A. Tags: Commentaries Source Type: research

CGAL: computing genome assembly likelihoods
A likelihood based approach for better estimation of genome assembly quality
Source: Genome Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Atif RahmanLior Pachter Source Type: research

Accelerated exon evolution within primate segmental duplications
A new study looks at segmental duplication genes in humans and macaques to elucidate the exon evolution in primates
Source: Genome Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Belen Lorente-GaldosJonathan BleyhlGabriel SantpereLaura VivesOscar RamirezJessica HernandezRoger AngladaGregory CooperArcadi NavarroEvan EichlerTomas Marques-Bonet Source Type: research

A 10-step guide to party conversation for bioinformaticians
Alicia Oshlack rises to the challenge of not being a bioinformatics bore
Source: Genome Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Alicia Oshlack Source Type: research

An exploration of student experiences of using biology podcasts in nursing training
Conclusions: Nursing students found the availability of biology podcasts helpful for their learning. Successful implementation of these tools to support learning requires teaching staff to understand and promote the importance of these tools.
Source: BMC Medical Education - January 29, 2013 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Alison MostynClaire JenkinsonDamion McCormickOonagh MeadeJoanne Lymn Source Type: research

The ICP22 protein selectively modifies the transcription of different kinetic classes of pseudorabies virus genes
Conclusions: Our results show a strong dependence of PRV gene expression on the presence of functional us1 gene. ICP22 is shown to exert a differential effect on the distinct kinetic classes of PRV genes and to disrupt the close correlation between the transcription kinetics of ie180 and other PRV transcripts. Furthermore, DNA replication exerts a severe constraint on the viral transcription.
Source: BMC Molecular Biology - Latest articles - January 29, 2013 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Irma TakácsDóra TombáczBeáta BertaIstván PrazsákNándor PókaZsolt Boldogk¿i Source Type: research

The influence of habitats on female mobility in Central and Western Africa inferred from human mitochondrial variation
Conclusions: Our analyses highlight an aspect of the influence of habitat variation on human genetic diversity that has yet to be understood. Rather than depending simply on geographic linear distances, patterns of female genetic variation vary substantially between savannah and rainforest environments. Our findings may be explained by the effects of recent gene flow constrained by environmental factors, which superimposes on a background shaped by pre-agricultural peopling.
Source: BMC Evolutionary Biology - Latest articles - January 29, 2013 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Valeria MontanoVeronica MarcariMariano PavanelloOkorie AnyaeleDavid ComasGiovanni Destro-BisolChiara Batini Source Type: research

Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of all species of swordtails and platies (Pisces: Genus Xiphophorus) uncovers a hybrid origin of a swordtail fish, Xiphophorus monticolus, and demonstrates that the sexually selected sword originated in the ancestral lineage of the genus, but was lost again secondarily
Conclusions: This comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the entire genus Xiphophorus provides evidence that a second swordtail species, X. monticolus, arose through hybridization. Previously, we demonstrated that X. clemenciae, another southern swordtail species, arose via hybridization. These findings highlight the potential key role of hybridization in the evolution of this genus and suggest the need for further investigations into how hybridization contributes to speciation more generally.
Source: BMC Evolutionary Biology - Latest articles - January 29, 2013 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Ji Hyoun KangManfred SchartlRonald WalterAxel Meyer Source Type: research

Satellite visualization tool for high-res observation accessible from anywhere with internet access
(Elsevier) A paper published in the February issue of Computers & Geosciences, describes a case study in which an earth-observing satellite tool, the Tool for High-Resolution Observation Review, using minimal coding effort, is converted into a practical web-based application, THOR-Online.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Israel Prize awarded to Tel Aviv University biochemist
(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Tel Aviv University's professor Nathan Nelson has won the 2012 Israel Prize for his research into molecular biology and proteins.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Cultural evolution changes bird song
(University of Guelph) Thanks to cultural evolution, male Savannah sparrows are changing their tune, partly to attract "the ladies."According to a study of more than 30 years of Savannah sparrows recordings, the birds are singing distinctly different songs today than their ancestors did 30 years ago - changes passed along generation to generation, according to a new study by University of Guelph researchers.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

NSF-funded team samples Antarctic lake beneath the ice sheet
(National Science Foundation) In a first-of-its-kind feat of science and engineering, a National Science Foundation funded research team has successfully drilled through 800 meters (2,600 feet) of Antarctic ice to reach a subglacial lake and retrieve water and sediment samples that have been isolated from direct contact with the atmosphere for many thousands of years.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Clemson University researchers to study oil and gas operations' impact on Gulf Coast pelicans
(Clemson University) A federal agency has turned to Clemson University's South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit to collect data that will help it assess the environmental impact of oil and natural gas operations on the marine and coastal environments of the northern Gulf of Mexico's outer continental shelf.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

New study will predict how trees will adapt to rapid climate change
(University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science) The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million grant to researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Appalachian Laboratory to study climate adaptation in forest trees and predict the areas where trees are most and least adapted to changing climates in the future.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

National Academy of Inventors honors 3 University of Houston professors
(University of Houston) The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named three University of Houston faculty members NAI Charter Fellows.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Beer's bitter compounds could help brew new medicines
(University of Washington) Researchers using a century-old technique have determined the precise configuration of substances from hops that give beer its distinctive flavor. That could lead to formulation of new pharmaceuticals to treat diabetes, some cancers and other ailments.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 29, 2013 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Hydrogen sulfide: The next anti-aging agent?
(American Society for Microbiology) Hydrogen sulfide may play a wide-ranging role in staving off aging, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. In this review article, a team from China explores the compound's plethora of potential anti-aging pathways.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - January 29, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

Serum receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) levels predict biochemical recurrence in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy
Conclusions Greater activity of the RANKL pathway in the serum of patients with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy is a risk factor for BCR. The RANKL pathway seems to contribute to the biological behaviour of prostate cancer even at the organ‐confined stage of the disease.
Source: BJU International - January 29, 2013 Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tilman Todenhöfer, Jörg Hennenlotter, Philipp Leidenberger, Alexander Wald, Andrea Hohneder, Ursula Kühs, Johannes Mischinger, Stefan Aufderklamm, Georgios Gakis, Gunnar Blumenstock, Arnulf Stenzl, Christian Schwentner Tags: Translational Science Source Type: research

Brupbacher Prize goes to cancer researcher Michael Karin
(University of Zurich) Molecular biologist Michael Karin is to receive this year's Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research in recognition of his studies on the role of chronic inflammation in the development of tumors. The award, which carries CHF 100,000 in prize money, is considered one of the highest accolades for cancer researchers worldwide. The awards ceremony takes place in Zurich this Thursday in the framework of an international symposium on "Breakthroughs in Cancer Research and Therapy."
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - January 29, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

Kinase dysfunction and kinase inhibitors.
This article reviews the biology of protein kinase dysfunction in human and animal cancers, and the application of specific kinase inhibitors to veterinary cancer patients. PMID: 23331696 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Veterinary Dermatology - January 28, 2013 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: London CA Tags: Vet Dermatol Source Type: research

The contribution of stem cells to epidermal and hair follicle tumours in the dog.
Conclusions and clinical importance - Our results show that K15 can be a reliable marker for investigating the role of stem cells in hair follicle tumours of the dog, while nestin was judged to be a nonoptimal marker. Furthermore, our study suggests that hair follicle stem cells are present in the bulge region of hair follicles and could possibly play a role in tumourigenesis of canine tumours originating from this portion of the follicle, namely trichoblastomas, tricholemmomas and trichoepitheliomas. The loss of K15 expression in squamous cell carcinomas compared with normal skin suggests that this event could be impor...
Source: Veterinary Dermatology - January 28, 2013 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Brachelente C, Porcellato I, Sforna M, Lepri E, Mechelli L, Bongiovanni L Tags: Vet Dermatol Source Type: research

UCLA to play key role in worldwide effort to map human brain
UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI) has entered into a partnership with academic centers from Europe and around the world in a massive, unprecedented effort to understand the human brain. The European-led Human Brain Project (HBP), announced Jan. 28, will pull together all the world's existing knowledge about the brain and reconstruct it, piece by piece, in super-computer–based models and simulations. The 10-year, 1.19 billion–euro ($1.6 billion) effort is backed by the European Commission and will begin with 87 partners in 27 countries. UCLA's LONI has long been at the forefront in developi...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - January 28, 2013 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news

Why are there redheads? Birds might hold the clues
Biologists examined the survival rates and chestnut feather coloration of barn swallows and other species of birds, to unearth factors favoring the evolution of pheomelanin in spite of its costs. They found that under conditions of low stress, birds with larger amounts of pheomelanin survived better, suggesting the pigment may serve a beneficial role.
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - January 28, 2013 Category: Science Source Type: news

Who Was the First Human Ancestor? - Instant Egghead
From the time of Charles Darwin science has painted a picture of our earliest ancestor in the image of a chimpanzee. Scientific American editor Katherine Harmon explains how new fossil evidence is redrawing the lines of human evolution.
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - January 28, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Evolution,Biology Source Type: research

Potential applications of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic markers in liver cancer.
Abstract Primary liver tumors are mainly represented by hepatocellular hepatocarcinoma (HCC), one of the most aggressive and resistant forms of cancer. Numerous studies have reported the key role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in development, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor biology. The alteration of cancer-related miRNA expression can be associated with tumorigenesis. In HCC, deregulated miRNAs frequently act as oncogenes or altered tumor suppressors. Distinct subtypes of hepatic cancer can also be related to an aberrant expression of particular miRNAs, arguing for the significance of using miRNAs as tumor biomark...
Source: Molecular Medicine - January 28, 2013 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Gailhouste L, Gomez-Santos L, Ochiya T Tags: Front Biosci Source Type: research

Multi-Component Synthesis of Peptide-Sugar Conjugates
, 2013, Accepted ManuscriptDOI: 10.1039/C3OB27176E, PaperAlessandro Volonterio, Maria Cristina Bellucci, Giancarlo TerraneoThe development of new methods for linking sugars to peptides or proteins is an active area of research because natural glycopeptides or neoglycoconjugates play important roles in biology and medicine...The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry
Source: RSC - Organic Biomolecular Chemistry - January 28, 2013 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Alessandro Volonterio Source Type: research

Emerging trends in G-quadruplex biology - role in epigenetic and evolutionary events
, 2013, Accepted ManuscriptDOI: 10.1039/C3MB25492E, Review ArticleAradhita Baral, Pankaj Kumar, Rajiv Pathak, Shantanu ChowdhuryG-quadruplex biology gained interest based on evidence supporting its wide spread role as elements that can control or modulate gene regulation. This followed initial prediction based on computational analysis that...The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry
Source: RSC - Mol. BioSyst. latest articles - January 28, 2013 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Aradhita Baral Source Type: research

My Yeast Let Me Down: A Love Song
Nathaniel, a young Berkeley biologist, met a beautiful yeast who promised opportunity and adventure, but once they got together, Nathaniel was clumsy, the yeast not what he'd hoped, and their romance? Well, it didn't work out. It's now a song. Sung by Nathaniel. The yeast, lacking vocal chords, is silent.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Source: NPR Health and Science - January 28, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

7‐chloro‐4‐quinolinylhydrazones: a promising and potent class of antileishmanial compounds
Abstract In this work, we report the antileishmanial evaluation of twenty 7‐chloro‐4‐quinolinylhydrazone derivatives (1‐20). Firstly, the compounds were tested against promastigotes of four different Leishmania species. After that, all derivatives were assayed against L. braziliensis amastigotes and murine macrophages. Furthermore, it was investigated if the antiamastigote L. braziliensis effect of the compounds could be associated to NO production. Compounds 6 and 7 showed a strong leishmanicidal activity against intracellular parasite with IC50 in nanogram levels (30 and 20 ng/mL, respectively). Appreciable activ...
Source: Chemical Biology and Drug Design - January 28, 2013 Category: Biology Authors: Elaine S. Coimbra, Luciana M. R. Antinarelli, Adilson D. da Silva, Marcelle L. F. Bispo, Carlos R. Kaiser, Marcus V. N. Souza Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Highly efficient production of the Alzheimer's γ‐secretase integral membrane protease complex by a multi‐gene stable integration approach
Abstract Inefficient production of membrane‐embedded multi‐protein complexes by conventional methods has largely prevented the generation of high‐resolution structural information and the performance of high‐throughput drug discovery screens for this class of proteins. Not exempt from this rule is γ‐secretase, an intramembrane‐cleaving protease complex regulating a multitude of signaling pathways and biological processes by influencing gene transcription. γ‐Secretase is also implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and several types of cancer. As an additional challenge, the reconstitution of t...
Source: Biotechnology and Bioengineering - January 28, 2013 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Jean‐René Alattia, Mattia Matasci, Mitko Dimitrov, Lorène Aeschbach, Sowmya Balasubramanian, David L. Hacker, Florian M. Wurm, Patrick C. Fraering Tags: Article Source Type: research

Why Poor Sleep and Forgetfulness Plague the Aging Brain
Deterioration of a specific brain region impairs sleep quality as people age, leading to poorer memory retention, according to research published today in Nature Neuroscience . [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - January 28, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Mind & Brain,Thought Cognition,Neurological Disorders,Neuroscience,Biology,Mind Source Type: research

Scientists identify crocodile ancestor among fossils discovered a century ago
Tyrannoneustes lythrodectikos, whose remains lay unidentified in a museum, was a super-predator with dolphin-like featuresA creature resembling a hybrid dolphin and crocodile has been identified by scientists examining fossil remains discovered more than a century ago.The new species, named Tyrannoneustes lythrodectikos, was a marine "super-predator" that lived 163m years ago. It belonged to a group of ancient crocodiles with dolphin-like features.An amateur fossil hunter found the reptile's partial skeleton in a clay pit near Peterborough in the early 1900s. Experts have only now been able to confirm the identity of the r...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 28, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Evolution Biology News Archaeology guardian.co.uk UK news Fossils Science Source Type: news

Getting The Best Out Of Biobanks
The diversity of biobanks, collections of human specimens from a variety of sources, raises questions about the best way to manage and govern them, finds a study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Medicine. The research highlights difficulties in standardizing these collections and how to make these samples available for research. Biobanks have been around for decades, storing hundreds of millions of human specimens. But there has been a dramatic increase in the number of biobanks in the last ten years, since the human genome sequencing project...
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - January 28, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Biology / Biochemistry Source Type: news

Study Bolsters Quantum Vibration Scent Theory
How does the sense of smell work? Today two competing camps of scientists are at war over this very question. And the more controversial theory has just received important new experimental confirmation. [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - January 28, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Health,Health,Evolution,Everyday Science,More Science,Biology,Physics Source Type: research

The Secrets Of Tumor Growth
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen's Center for Healthy Ageing have identified a compound that blocks the expression of a protein without which certain tumours cannot grow. This compound has the potential as an anticancer agent according to the research published in the journal CHBIOL: Chemistry and Biology this week. The BLM protein is also known to be important in maintaining stability in cells when they multiply, thus preventing cancer. However, certain types of tumour need BLM to grow...
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - January 28, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer / Oncology Source Type: news

Plastic Products And Jet Fuel Exposures Raising Incidences Of 'Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance'
Washington State University researchers have lengthened their list of environmental toxicants that can negatively affect as many as three generations of an exposed animal's offspring. Writing in the online journal PLOS ONE, scientists led by molecular biologist Michael Skinner document reproductive disease and obesity in the descendants of rats exposed to the plasticizer bisephenol-A, or BPA, as well DEHP and DBP, plastic compounds known as phthalates...
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - January 28, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Public Health Source Type: news

Sampling the membrane: function of rhomboid-family proteins.
Abstract Rhomboids constitute a conserved protein superfamily that specifically binds membrane proteins and directs them into various different cellular pathways ranging from regulated secretion to endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD). Rhomboid proteases are known to release protein domains from membranes by a cut in their membrane anchor, whereas an emerging new class of rhomboid-family proteins lacks key catalytic residues and is not proteolytically active. Recent work has shown that these rhomboid pseudoproteases, including iRhoms and derlins, bind membrane proteins to regulate their fate, bu...
Source: Trends in Cell Biology - January 28, 2013 Category: Cytology Authors: Lemberg MK Tags: Trends Cell Biol Source Type: research

Arthritis gene therapy and its tortuous path into the clinic.
Abstract Arthritis is a disease of joints. The biology of joints makes them very difficult targets for drug delivery in a manner that is specific and selective. This is especially true for proteinaceous drugs ("biologics"). Gene transfer is the only technology that can solve the delivery problem in a clinically reasonable fashion. There is an abundance of preclinical data confirming that genes can be efficiently transferred to tissues within joints by intra-articular injection using a variety of different vectors in conjunction with ex vivo and in vivo strategies. Using the appropriate gene transfer technologies,...
Source: Translational Research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine - January 28, 2013 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Evans CH, Ghivizzani SC, Robbins PD Tags: Transl Res Source Type: research

Cell signaling analyses in the functional genomics era.
Abstract The advancements in proteomics over the past decade have brought tremendous increases in sensitivity of mass spectrometry (MS) analyses and new technologies such as methods for quantitative MS and phosphoproteomics. The development of antibodies targeting a large fraction of the human proteome as well as specific antibodies that detect phosphorylations and other post-translational modifications now allows detection of a great variety of signaling marks. Combined with medium and high throughput methods for detecting many parallel signaling events such as phospho-flow cytometry analyses and MS-based analyses...
Source: New Biotechnology - January 28, 2013 Category: Biotechnology Authors: Rogne M, Taskén K Tags: N Biotechnol Source Type: research

An Inhibitor of Thrombin Activated Fibrinolysis Inhibitor (TAFI) can reduce Extracellular Matrix accumulation in an in vitro model of glucose induced ECM expansion.
Abstract Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterised by the pathological accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins leading to progressive kidney scarring via glomerular and tubular basement membrane expansion. Increased ECM synthesis and deposition, coupled with reduced ECM breakdown contribute to the elevated ECM level in CKD. Previous pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that increased plasmin activity has a beneficial effect in the protein overload model of CKD. As plasmin activation is down regulated by the action of the thrombin activated fibrinolytic inhibitor (TAFI), we tested the hypothesis th...
Source: Matrix Biology - January 28, 2013 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Atkinson JM, Pullen N, Johnson TS Tags: Matrix Biol Source Type: research