Excise in Biological News

Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer

... the aging process and increase susceptibility to several disease states. In humans, DNA repair genes produce enzymes called DNA glycosylases that excise sections of DNA strands already modified by oxidative stress, and thus protect the genetic material. One of these repair genes, neil1, was ...

Biofuels can provide viable, sustainable solution to reducing petroleum dependence

... producing the large volumes of ethanol considered in this study. Policy incentives such as a federal cap and trade program, carbon taxes, excise tax credits and loan guarantees for cellulosic biofuels are important to mitigate the risk of oil market volatility. The domestic investment for ...

New test for most virulent HPV strains under study

... therapies. Resulting cervical changes may be followed with frequent Pap smears or colposcopy, in which physicians can view the cervix and freeze, excise or vaporize significant cellular changes. For more information about the study, call Study Coordinator Ansley Dennis in Dr. Ferris?office at ...

Regulating the nuclear architecture of the cell

... -- allows the heterochromatin to open up. The decondensed, repeated DNAs are then free to interact; DNA recombination and repair processes excise the DNA from the chromosome to form extrachromosomal DNA. If these extrachromosomal loops consist of ribosomal DNA, they further accelerate the ...

Heal thyself: Systems biology model reveals how cells avoid becoming cancerous

... injury caused by MMS results in small kinks in the otherwise smoothly curving double helix of DNA. Cells rapidly identify the damage, stop dividing, excise the damaged DNA, and use several alternate methods to substitute a clean copy of genetic material. "It's almost as if cells have something akin to ...

Common enzyme is a key player in DNA repair

... other forms of radiation. Most of the nicks and dings are quickly fixed by the cell's fleet of precision DNA repair processes, which can surgically excise and replace a faulty section. But sometimes a damaged bit of DNA slips through unrepaired. A faulty nucleotide--the basic constituent of DNA--can ...

Discovering the first steps in transcription-coupled repair

... between the two strands. To prevent accumulation of mutations and the production of altered proteins, cells deploy an arsenal of repair mechanisms to excise and replace defective nucleotides, reconnect broken strands, and patch up other kinds of damage. Transcription-coupled repair is unique: it ...

New technique could alter field of mouse genetics

... generations. PiggyBac can also be removed from its place in the family tree by breeding a mouse with another that carries the enzyme necessary to excise the jumping gene. "We do not know why the P element did not work in mammalian organisms, and we do not know why this particular one works," Xu ...

First-ever Compounds To Target Only Metastatic Cells Are Highly Effective Against Breast, Prostate, And Colon Cancers

... in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For decades, doctors have fought cancer by using surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation to excise or shrink the primary tumor. "However, in too many cases it's simply impossible to completely remove the tumor," Dr. Huang explained. "So recently ...