Enhancer in Biological News

UNC researchers find MSG use linked to obesity

... CHAPEL HILL People who use monosodium glutamate, or MSG, as a flavor enhancer in their food are more likely than people who don't use it to be ... between MSG use and weight in humans." Because MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods, studying its potential effect on humans has been ...

Hyperviscous fluids: Better treatment for severe blood loss

... hypertonic saline and a small volume of a commercially available viscosity enhancer called Hextend, blood flow through arterioles improved to 40 percent of ... the hypertonic saline, Hextend, and a small volume of another viscosity enhancer called alginate were given, arteriole blood flow improved to 55 percent of ...

Ultraconserved elements in the genome: Are they indispensable?

... all ultraconserved elements within our genome. Uc467 is thought to be an enhancer for ARX, a gene that, when defective in mice, disturbs male sexual ... ultraconserved elements positioned near it in the genome that show similar enhancer activity. These may rescue the organism from the abnormalities we ...

TGen and ASU researchers find drug that could reduce risk of Alzheimer's

... cushion the impact of aging, or even enhance learning and memory throughout one's life span. "Fasudil shows great promise as a cognitive enhancer during aging,'' said Dr. Heather Bimonte-Nelson, an Assistant Professor in ASU's Department of Psychology and the paper's lead author. "The effects ...

Research uncovers new steps on pathway to enlarged heart

... molecular level, signals driving myocardial hypertrophy, such as elevated levels of catecholamine hormones (i.e. adrenaline), activate the Myocyte enhancer Factor (MEF) proteins. This alters gene expression in heart muscle cells and induces an adverse developmental paradigm known to cardiologists as the ...

Nano vaccine for hepatitis B shows promise for third world

... pain and redness that results after people get shots with the current vaccines, in which an irritating compound, alum, is used as an adjuvant, or enhancer of a vaccine's effect. There was no local inflammation at the nasal site of administration with the new vaccine. This finding may be significant, ...

Class of antibiotics can enhance gene-silencing tool

... part is that doctors have years of experience treating bacterial infections with them, so they are generally considered safe." The most powerful enhancer of RNA interference was enoxacin, which has been used to treat gonorrhea and urinary tract infections. The group of compounds also includes the ...

Researchers link early stem cell mutation to autism

... for Medical Research have shown that neural stem cell development may be linked to Autism. The study demonstrated that mice lacking the myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) protein in neural stem cells had smaller brains, fewer nerve cells and showed behaviors similar to those seen in humans with a form ...

Researchers find way to make tumor cells easier to destroy

... treatment but doesn't always completely control tumors. For several years, raising tumor temperature has been investigated as a radiation therapy enhancer with few adverse side effects. "Past research has shown that hyperthermia is one of the most potent ways to increase cell-killing by radiation," ...

University of Leicester scientists discover technique to help 'friendly bacteria'

... and company evaluations are already underway. Dr Freestone commented: We are delighted with the overwhelmingly positive response to Lab enhancer amongst the probiotic and associated industries. Im continuing to work closely with PBL in promoting the technology and have been excited in the high ...

Researchers find new taste in fruit flies: carbonated water

... that a fruit flys attraction for the taste of carbon dioxide is on a much smaller scale than for sugar, so it may be used more as a possible flavor enhancer as opposed to a full-fledged taste. This makes sense, they say, since carbon dioxide offers no nutrition to the fly. In humans, taste occurs by ...

'Insulator' helps silence genes in dormant herpes virus

... "If the element we were testing was an insulator, then only one enhancer would be affected, and that's exactly what we found," Zhou says. Further studies showed that the insulator element blocked enhancer activities in the eye tissue of fruit flies and in human cells in culture. ...

Researchers track down cause of a disfiguring bone disorder

... that the disease is caused by the absence of one or more distant enhancer elements in the deleted region that help direct the expression of the SOST gene in adult humans. In an effort to locate the specific enhancer sequence responsible for SOST regulation, the team compared human and ...

Beyond the DNA: Chemical signatures reveal genetic switches in the genome

... says Heintzman, this 'histone code' was able to accurately distinguish between promoters, from which gene transcription is directly initiated, and enhancer regions - some of which are very distant from the target gene - to which transcription-activating cofactors bind. According to LICR's Dr. Bing ...

Growth factor stimulates rapid extension of key motor neurons in brain

... of CSMN axons, which confirmed the applicability of the in vitro experiments to living mammals. "The role of IGF-1 as a potent and specific enhancer of CSMN axon growth is highly relevant to our understanding of this critical population of neurons. These findings are a first step that may someday ...

Just the expectation of a mirthful laughter experience boosts endorphins 27 percent, HGH 87 percent

... the secretion of cortisol and epinephrine, while enhancing immune reactivity. In addition, mirthful laughter boosts secretion of growth hormone, an enhancer of these same key immune responses. The physiological effects of a single one-hour session viewing a humorous video has appeared to last up to 12 to ...