tubes

Quantum Dots Research Leads to New Knowledge about Protein Binding in Plants

...rotein (chemocyanin) in guiding sperm-laden pollen tubes to the eggsfound in ovules. Applyingnanoparticles...understanding of the interactionof SCA with pollen tubes could help with successful plant breeding?...

Researchers Uncover Key Step In Manufacture of Memory Protein

...the endoplasmic reticulum, a convoluted network of tubes and channels inside the cell. The proBDNF winds through the endoplasmic reticulum until it reaches another structure within the cell, the golgi apparatus. There, the proBDNF binds to CPE, which protrudes from special rafts of fatty, cholesterol-rich ...

Why do insects stop 'breathing'? To avoid damage from too much oxygen, say researchers

...ent." Insects take in oxygen through spiracles -- tubes connected to openings in their sides. In their study, the researchers inserted fine tubes into the spiracles of a moth to measure not only how much carbon dioxide the moth released but also ...

Jumping gene helps explain immune system's abilities

...pak Mitra, Ph.D.,discovered in experiments in test tubes and with E. coli bacteria.Although this loop distances Hermes from its well-studied cousins, theHermes protein still has an important family trait, the researchersreport. Colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that afew key building bl...

UCSD Discovery Shows How Embryonic Stem Cells Perform 'Quality Control' Inspections

...pak Mitra, Ph.D.,discovered in experiments in test tubes and with E. coli bacteria.Although this loop distances Hermes from its well-studied cousins, theHermes protein still has an important family trait, the researchersreport. Colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that afew key building bl...

New therapy for HIV/AIDS eliminates needles and excessive toxicity

...pak Mitra, Ph.D.,discovered in experiments in test tubes and with E. coli bacteria.Although this loop distances Hermes from its well-studied cousins, theHermes protein still has an important family trait, the researchersreport. Colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that afew key building bl...

Gene sequencing explains bioremediation 'bug'

...pak Mitra, Ph.D.,discovered in experiments in test tubes and with E. coli bacteria.Although this loop distances Hermes from its well-studied cousins, theHermes protein still has an important family trait, the researchersreport. Colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that afew key building bl...

Strongest proof yet found for prion hypothesis

...ns taken from infected hamsters and placed in test tubes containing healthy brain proteins. When the healthy proteins had been largely transformed into prions, the samples were diluted over and over again and the process repeated, until the only remaining prions were those that had been generated in the te...

A little stress gives beneficial oomph! to immune system

... study were restrained in clear plastic ventilated tubes for two-and-a-half hours. These mice ?the stressed group ?could not turn around in the tube, but they could move forward and backward. This restraint created a brief spell of psychological stress, similar to the kind of stress a person anticipating o...

Where bacteria get their genes

... Bacteria can also make contact by tiny connection tubes through which they exchange pieces of DNA. They can also take up genetic material from the environment. Ochman thinks the team's findings will stir new research in bacterial evolution. "It should be exciting to see whether gene transfer has been so ...

The making and breaking of microtubules

...aments tightly wrapped around the tube axis. These tubes are double-layered, a property that contributes to...ow wider the ribbons close into very large helical tubes with a diameter of 500 angstroms, instead of the slim, 25-angstrom diameter of a microtubule (an ang...

Where Bacteria Get Their Genes

... Bacteria can also make contact by tiny connection tubes through which they exchange pieces of DNA. They can also take up genetic material from the environment. Ochman thinks the team's findings will stir new research in bacterial evolution. "It should be exciting to see whether gene transfer has been so ...

Scripps research scientists identify infertility molecule

...he sperm has to be able to travel up the fallopian tubes to reach the egg, and once there, it must be able ...ight have problems producing eggs or her fallopian tubes may be blocked. Infertility becomes more pronounced for mature women who are attempting pregnancy b...

New complete muscle grown in the lab

...ansforming into aligned and elongated muscle fiber tubes and the endothelial cells organizing themselves in tubes nestled between the myoblasts. By adding fibroblast cells to the scaffold, the researchers were abl...

Cultural norms not unique to human societies

...er Lift or Poke, to retrieve food from a system of tubes called Pan-pipes. Once the two females mastered the task, other chimpanzees within their groups were allowed to watch them perform the new skill over a seven-day period before all group members were allowed to use the tool. According to the researche...

Nose odors and mouth odors: The brain distinguishes

...odors." In their experiments, they inserted small tubes into the noses of volunteers such that one tube ended at the nostrils and the other ended farther back in the nasal passage near the throat, where odors from the mouth would originate. As they introduced odors into one tube or the other, they scanned...

Ants, not evil spirits, create devil's gardens in the Amazon rainforest, study finds

... domatia were constructed out of foil-wrapped test tubes partially filled with cotton. Two cedar saplings, with and without artificial tubes, were planted in devil's gardens near two D. hirsuta saplings, one with and one without domatia. After 24 hours, there was significant leaf death on all of the ceda...

Virginia Tech, Nanjing Institute researchers discover half-billion year-old fossils

...tube-like elements has been difficult because such tubes tend to be deflated and squashed prior to their pr...cope. They saw organic remains of millimeter-sized tubes that were the building blocks of the Ediacara fossils from China. Their discovery thus directly conf...

Researchers Create DNA-Based Sensors for Nano-Tongues and Nano-Noses

Nano-sized carbon tubes coated with strands of DNA can create tiny sensors with abilities to detect odors and tastes, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Monell Chemical Sciences Center. Their findings are published in the current issue of the jou...

Tiny avalanche photodiodes target bioterrorism agents

...ngle photon precision. Previously, photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) were the only available technology in the short wavelength UV portion of the spectrum capable of this sensitivity. These fragile vacuum tube devices are expensive and bulky, hindering true systems miniaturization. The APD technology may see f...

War on terror meets war on cancer

... in a test tube, freezing the cakes by putting the tubes in liquid nitrogen, using a vacuum to remove the air from each tube, then putting the tubes in boiling water. The water from each cell cake was boiled into steam, which was routed to another t...

Cells from amniotic fluid used to tissue-engineer a new trachea

... in culture, then "seeded" them onto biodegradable tubes of the needed dimensions and shape. The tubes and cells were then exposed to growth factors that caused the mesenchymal cells to differentiate int...

Gene therapy potential for treatment of pancreatic cancer

...d vessels and pancreatic tumour cells both in test tubes and in mice with pancreatic cancer. 'Solid' tumours, such as pancreatic cancer, are heavily dependent on a rich blood supply to enable them to grow rapidly and spread throughout the body. This process is known as angiogenesis. The protein gene was ...

Jefferson researchers find nanoparticle shows promise in reducing radiation side effects

...d vessels and pancreatic tumour cells both in test tubes and in mice with pancreatic cancer. 'Solid' tumours, such as pancreatic cancer, are heavily dependent on a rich blood supply to enable them to grow rapidly and spread throughout the body. This process is known as angiogenesis. The protein gene was ...

3D ultrasound device poised to advance minimally invasive surgery

...g at the Pratt School. Optical endoscopes are thin tubes with a tiny video camera that surgeons can insert directly into the abdomen or chest through small incisions. "With our scanner, doctors could see the target lesion or a portion of an organ in a real-time three-dimensional scan," Smith said. "They w...

Rare Tibetan antelope listed as endangered

...g at the Pratt School. Optical endoscopes are thin tubes with a tiny video camera that surgeons can insert directly into the abdomen or chest through small incisions. "With our scanner, doctors could see the target lesion or a portion of an organ in a real-time three-dimensional scan," Smith said. "They w...

Detection of DNA on nanotubes offers new sensing, sequencing technologies

... serve as sensors in living cells now say the tiny tubes can be used to target specific DNA sequences. Potential applications for the new sensors range from rapid detection of hazardous biological agents to simpler and more efficient forensic identification. In the Jan. 27 issue of the journal Science, ch...

Scientists discover basic defect in cystic fibrosis airway glands

...nfections. The thick, sticky mucus can also block tubes in the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the small intestine. The disorder results from mutations in the gene for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a membrane channel regulator essential for proper sa...

Gut protein found to protect against infection and intestinal breakdown

...structive jaundice or in those who rely on feeding tubes for nourishment, the lining breaks down and bacteria pass through it into the body, sometimes causing the massive blood infection known as sepsis. Simply giving bile acids orally as a substitute isn't a good solution because they can cause liver dama...

Stable polymer nanotubes may have a biotech future

... the elastic membranes to form long, double-walled tubes that are less than 100 nanometers in diameter. (View a movie of this process at: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/images/Polymer_Nanotubes_Animation.htm .) A chemical was added to break bonds between atoms in one section of the polymers and induc...

Study fishes out new role for prostaglandins

...ed. "Before gastrulation, all of these prospective tubes are at the surface of the embryo. Gastrulation puts these different tissue precursors inside the embryo and gives them a proper shape." But little is known about the chemical signals that cause these cells to move. Previous studies in mice and zebra...

Tropical forest CO2 emissions tied to nutrient increases

...eland. Soil respiration was measured using plastic tubes in the ground running into vented, closed chambers. According to the National Academy of Sciences, temperatures on Earth have risen by more than 1 degree F in the past century due to build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily CO2. Ac...

Allergy battle could be won in five years, says scientist

...rface layer of cells that protect the skin and the tubes of the lungs," he said. "Allergens from pollen or house dust mites are inhaled and then dissolve the binding material between the cells that form these protective linings; they can then enter the body by passing between the cells to cause an allerg...

Biological motors sort molecules one by one on a chip

...arch was to ensure beforehand that the microtubule tubes could be transported in a determined direction and were not dislodged by collisions of the motor carpet. PhD student Martin van den Heuvel, master student Martijn de Graaff and groupleader Professor Cees Dekker have for the first time achieved to ...

New angiogenesis finding may help fight cancer growth

...acity to organize in three dimensions, to form the tubes that are the precursors to new blood vessels," Bresnick says. "Then we got excited." Further tests showed that NK-B could inhibit angiogenesis in four ways. It prevents the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key stimulator ...

Pure carbon nanotubes pass first in vivo test

...ber how excited we were when we confirmed that the tubes were fluorescing," said Paul Cherukuri, a doctoral degree candidate in Chemistry. The researchers used this fluorescence to track the nanotubes in the blood and image them in tissues under the microscope. Cherukuri said Smalley initiated several f...

Three-dimensional, miniature endoscope opens new diagnostic possibilities

...te structures as the salivary ducts, the fallopian tubes and the pancreatic duct. Fetal and pediatric procedures may also benefit from this tool. Eventually, SEE could give rise to new procedures that permit diagnosis and microsurgery in previously inaccessible areas of the body." ...

Spelling out cancer on the nanoscale

...lly separates the proteins in very small capillary tubes and then uses antibodies for protein detection. It was also tested on human lymphoma samples. In previous work, the Felsher group had shown that inactivating MYC induces sustained tumor regression in mice. The researchers decided to test their...

Giant insects might reign if only there was more oxygen in the air

...oves carbon dioxide. As the insect grows, tracheal tubes get longer to reach central tissue, and get wider ...nly becoming longer to reach longer limbs, but the tubes increase in diameter or number to take in more air to handle the additional oxygen demands. The d...

Detailed 3-D image catches a key regulator of neural stem cell differentiation in action

...chemically synthesizing them, testing them in test tubes and cells, and imaging them bound to Scp1 in 3D," says Noel. This will set the stage for the rational fine-tuning of their efficacy using an established process Noel likens to molecular dentistry, because his group is striving to shape inhibitory mol...

Cells selectively absorb short nanotubes

...ed nanotubes of controlled length. They found that tubes longer than about 200 nanometers were excluded from the cells and remained in solution. Cells exposed to the longer nanotube solutions did not undergo a decrease in metabolic activity, but cells exposed to nanotubes below that threshold absorbed them...

Breathing easy: When it comes to oxygen, a bug's life is full of it

...p the oxygen through a system of increasingly tiny tubes (tracheae) that deliver oxygen directly to tissues...r each thoracic and abdominal segment. The same tubes that transport oxygen into the insect body usher out carbon dioxide. Insects use different methods t...

Ocean's 'twilight zone' may be a key to understanding climate change

...ect sinking particles, oceanographers use cones or tubes that hang beneath buoys or float up from sea floor. That, Buesseler said, "is like putting out a rain gauge in a hurricane." While many studies have investigated the surface of the ocean, little research has been conducted on the carbon cycle belo...

Vasectomy may put men at risk for type of dementia

... equivalent of a gated community in the body. Tiny tubes within the testes (in which sperm are produced) are protected by a physical barrier of Sertoli cells. The tight connections between these cells prevent blood-borne infections and poisonous molecules from entering the semen. After a vasectomy, how...

Sleepless for science: Flies show link between sleep, immune system in Stanford study

... "All it was really good at doing was throwing the tubes around the room," said Schneider. "Also it was too regular, the flies got used to it so they could nap." Another option was to keep the flies in continuous light. But Schneider and Shirasu-Hiza decided that an even better way would be to turn to e...

Brightening prospects of using fluorescent nanotubes in medical applications

...notubes are nature’s smallest candles. These tiny tubes are constructed from carbon atoms and they are so small that it takes about 100,000 laid side-by-side to span the width of a single human hair. In the last five years, scientists have discovered that some individual nanotubes are fluorescent. That is...

Columbine flowers develop long nectar spurs in response to pollinators

... evolution of the length of nectar spurs--the long tubes leading to plants' nectar--happens in a way that allows flowers to match the tongue lengths of the pollinators that drink their nectar, biologists have found. The researchers were Justen Whittall of the University of California at Davis and Scott Ho...

Cellular message movement captured on video

...e extracellular world to the protein filaments and tubes that comprise a cell’s internal cytoskeleton. While researchers showed that paxillin serves as a docking station for a variety of signaling and structural proteins, they have been limited to visualizing paxillin with dyes that stain cells rigidly...