Homeostasis in Biological News

Iron is involved in prion disease-associated neuronal demise

... Imbalance of iron homeostasis is a common feature of prion disease-affected ... in diseased brains. The imbalance of brain iron homeostasis worsens with disease progression, and is not an ... strategies targeted at restoring brain iron homeostasis in prion disorders. ...

Scripps Research scientists observe human neurodegenerative disorder in fruit flies

... disease. This suggests that Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is related to some fundamental and unknown function the protein plays in the development and homeostasis of the nervous system. Because the unknown function is common to both humans and flies, it probably evolved hundreds of millions of years ago before ...

Drinking 100 percent fruit juice is associated with lower risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome

... non-consumers, 100% juice consumers had lower mean Body Mass Index (BMI), smaller waist circumference and lower insulin resistance (as estimated by homeostasis model assessment, HOMA). The researchers noted an inverse association between level of juice intake (oz/day) and these parameters. Based on the ...

ASBMB Annual Meeting to feature talks on the biochemistry of aging

... evidence that efforts in humans just might work. The Role of Insulin-like Signaling for the Central and Peripheral Regulation of Nutrient homeostasis and Life Span Morris White, Children's Hospital Boston, MA (Tue, April 21 3:30 PM - 5:50 PM, Room: 356) White will discuss some of his group's ...

Penn biologists discover how 'silent' mutations influence protein production

... genes, provides an explanation for how a cell "knows" how much of each protein to make, providing just the right amount of protein to maintain homeostasis yet not too much to cause cell toxicity. In the study, Penn biologists analyzed how protein levels are governed by synonymous, or silent, ...

DREAM: 1 gene regulates pain, learning and memory

... rather than the culprit for the disease. And Calcium regulation is also responsible for tuning the activity of the DREAM-gene. Calcium homeostasis may thus be the link between pain perception, learning and memory. This is supported by observations of patients suffering from chronic pain: very ...

Tips from the American Journal of Pathology

... another FPR family member, FPR-2. The data by Gastardelo et al "provide in vivo evidence that endogenous annexin A1 is an essential mediator for homeostasis during the inflammatory process." They go on to propose "that these experimental findings may impact the development of novel therapeutics based on ...

Scripps research team sheds light on immune system suppression

... may well be caused by viruses that persist without destroying the differentiated cells they infect, alter their functions, and by this means alter homeostasis and cause disease," says Oldstone. "Examples would be viruses that persistently infect neurons and cause problems in learning and behavior, viruses ...

From Canada to the Caribbean: Tree leaves control their own temperature, Penn study reveals

... most likely occurs when leaf temperatures are about 21C, with latitude or average growing-season temperature playing little, if any, role. This homeostasis of leaf temperature means that in colder climates leaf temperatures are elevated and in warmer climates tree leaves cool to reach optimal conditions ...

Biologists at UC San Diego identify key protein in cell's 'self-eating' function

... about 40 years ago, but has recently become a topic of great interest in cell biology because it is linked to cell growth, development aging and homeostasis -- helping cells to maintain a balance among synthesis, degradation and recycling. The UC San Diego researchers report in their paper that they ...

Biophysical Society announces 2008 International Travel Awards

... Tissue. Carlo Manno, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Caracas, Venezuela, Importance of NCX in the Regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis in Skeletal Muscle. Maria V. Mernea, University of Bucharest, Romania, A Three-Dimensional Model of Epithelial Sodium Channel Based on the ...

Overexcited neurons not good for cell health

... diseases among farmers, have profound effects on nerve communication -- even more than we expected. Neuronal Signaling Modulates Protein homeostasis in Caenorhabditis Elegans Post-synaptic Muscle Cells is published by the journal Genes & Development. In addition to Morimoto, the studys ...

Sirtris unveils promising, novel SIRT1 activators for treating diseases of aging

... well-established preclinical model of Type 2 Diabetes and insulin resistance (Zucker fa/fa rats), these SIRT1 activators improved whole-body glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and liver. These rodent models of diabetes are considered highly predictive of efficacy in ...

Sidestepping cancer's chaperone

... protein that promotes tumor cell stability and survivalwithout damaging healthy cells nearby. In Regulation of Tumor Cell Mitochondrial homeostasis by an Organelle-Specific Hsp90 Chaperone Network, published in the October 19 issue of Cell, Dario C. Altieri, MD, the Eleanor Eustis Farrington ...

JCI table of contents: Aug. 9, 2007

... PPAR-alpha as a molecular pathway controlling feeding behavior in mice. TITLE: Brain fatty acid synthase activates PPAR-alpha to maintain energy homeostasis AUTHOR CONTACT: Clay F. Semenkovich Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Phone: (314)-362-4454; Fax: ...

Researchers feed tiny pills of RNA to planarians to identify genes essential for regeneration

... of the most basic and important areas of biological research: stem cells, homeostasis (tissue loss and replacement), regeneration, and disease. "Planarian ... "This tells us that separate genetic pathways for regeneration and homeostasis must exist," Sánchez Alvarado said. "It's a huge step forward for us and ...

Newly discovered genetic disease sheds light on body's water balance

... "It sheds new light on the mechanisms that the body uses to maintain fluid homeostasis -- the correct balance of fluids needed for health and life." Gitelman ... Further characterization of NSIAD may offer additional insights into fluid homeostasis and clinical disease, as well as expand our understanding of GPCR ...

Protein overexpression at heart of heart failure

... Molecular mechanisms are being studied and advances have been made in a minority of cases, e.g.: the familial forms. Intracellular [Ca2+]i homeostasis is essential for normal cardiac function and integrity, and dysregulation of [Ca2+]i is a hallmark of advanced heart failure.2 The primary trigger ...

Just like us, social stress prompts hamsters to overeat, gain weight

... was an unexpected result. "In humans, unpredictable [stress] events are more aversive than predictable events, causing greater alterations in homeostasis and thus increased stress," the authors wrote. "In addition, previous research suggests that unpredictable events cause greater activation in brain ...

Genomatix technology facilitates de novo identification of new renal disease associated genes

... verified. This publication shows a straightforward approach how comparative promoter analysis can identify regulatory pathways at work in tissue homeostasis and disease processes. ...

Regenerating worms help elucidate stem cell biology

... Alvarado said, "We think that piwi is actually involved in producing daughter cells that are competent to restore aged differentiated cells during homeostasis as well as missing tissues after amputation. Unlike what's been thought about piwi for some time, which is that it was required to maintain the ...

Iron exporter revealed that may explain common human disorder

... into the underlying basis for hemochromatosis, Andrews said. The researchers propose that, in patients with the disease, perturbations in iron homeostasis result from a failure to control iron export through ferroportin, leading to increased iron release from macrophages and enhanced intestinal ...