UAB researchers confirm HIV-1 originated in wild chimpanzees
...e to detect SIVcpz-specific antibodies and nucleic acids (viral genetic information) in as many as 35 percent of chimpanzees in some ape communities. The UAB investigators went on to molecularly clone and sequence the complete viral genomes from four individual chimpanzees. According to UAB post-doctoral...Malaria, potato famine pathogen share surprising trait
...leader sequence is a group of about 20 to 30 amino acids on a protein secreted by the parasite. This sequence contains instructions on how to enter, and therefore start infecting, a plant or animal cell. In laboratory experiments, the researchers infected human red blood cells with the modified malarial p...... Scherz, has found that a switch in just two amino acids (the building blocks of protein) can make a differ...p differences in just two of the hundreds of amino acids making up the enzyme sequence. When the scientists replaced these two amino acids in the enzyme adap...Chocolate, wine, spicy foods may be OK for heartburn, Stanford study finds
...keeps the food you've swallowed and your digestive acids down in your stomach, where they belong. Heartburn is most commonly caused when the esophageal sphincter relaxes more often than it is supposed to, allowing stomach acid to flow up into the esophagus. That causes a burning sensation behind the breas...New potential drug target in tuberculosis
... group discovered how LipB attaches specific fatty acids onto other proteins. "LipB is a very promising drug target," Wilmanns says, "because it belongs to a vital pathway. Unlike other organisms M. tuberculosis has no backup mechanism that could take over LipB's role. This means that an inhibitor blocki...Salmon go veggie to save wild fish stocks
Salmon, like humans, require omega-3 fatty acids in their diet to function healthily. But as the fish farming industry expands, feeding salmon and other aquatic species with pellets containing fishmeal and oil derived from processing wild-caught marine fish is unsustainable in the long term. This i...Study finds 60 new genes controlled by DNA snippet
...No More Genes are the chains of deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) that encode instructions for the building of proteins, the workhorses that make up the body's organs and carry its signals. The Human Genome Project, which first reported results in 2001, produced a near complete listing of the DNA sequences th...Pennsylvania researchers find liver transplants provide metabolic cure for rare genetic disease
...n. MSUD is a metabolic disease which causes amino acids from proteins to accumulate in the body. The disea...eet smell of the urine. The accumulation of amino acids in the blood can cause metabolic crisis at any age, which can lead to brain swelling, stroke and eve...Report lists top 20 most-vulnerable African carnivores
...when the researchers made a series of single amino acids changes within the domain, they found that three of these severely affected the binding of the chromosome end. "They turned out to be lined up right within that groove," Cech said. The scientists found that these same mutations abolished telomerase...Groovy protein essential for promoting cancer development
...when the researchers made a series of single amino acids changes within the domain, they found that three of these severely affected the binding of the chromosome end. "They turned out to be lined up right within that groove," Cech said. The scientists found that these same mutations abolished telomerase...Creation of antibiotic in test tube holds promise for better antibiotics
...tains 34 amino acid residues and the unusual amino acids lanthionine, methyllanthionine, dehydroalanine and...oether rings vary in size from four to seven amino acids and provide sturdy protease-resistant bonds at precise locations. They account for nisin's robust re...Gut protein found to protect against infection and intestinal breakdown
...nto the small intestine via a duct, contains harsh acids that help the body absorb nutrients, kill certain ...lood infection known as sepsis. Simply giving bile acids orally as a substitute isn't a good solution because they can cause liver damage, Dr. Kliewer said. ...Major WHO study concludes calcium supplements can reduce complications during pregnancy
... -- the three-dimensional arrangement of the amino acids that make up a protein -- is the first step in ide...protease enzyme with two mutations in the 99 amino acids that make up each half of the enzyme. One of those mutations, V82F, is common, and it can emerge ear...Computer simulation hints at new HIV drug target
... -- the three-dimensional arrangement of the amino acids that make up a protein -- is the first step in ide...protease enzyme with two mutations in the 99 amino acids that make up each half of the enzyme. One of those mutations, V82F, is common, and it can emerge ear...The giant protein titin helps build muscles
... titin, which possesses tens of thousands of amino acids in some isoforms. "There are probably hundreds or even thousands of more interactions down the road. We have found one of the first and eagerly anticipate discovering many others, probably coming with lots of surprises," Wilmanns concludes. "We have ...Scientists develop a way to make the deadliest toxin known even more toxic
...ng up proteins into smaller elements such as amino acids and reducing the amount of energy needed for the activation. The study was released in an advanced online version by the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Kim Janda, currently the Ely R. Callaway Jr. professor of chemistry, director of th...Common enzyme is a key player in DNA repair
... also discovered that a single change in the amino acids that make up DinB will strip it of its unique talent and change it into an ordinary polymerase. When a protein is that easy to modify, scientists assume its function must be important to have survived several billion years of evolution. "In general...Hantavirus found in African wood mouse
...ent of its nucleotides and 85 percent of its amino acids with Asian and European hantaviruses. "Those observed differences are large enough to allow its classification as a novel hantavirus," said ter Meulen. The new virus appears most closely related to the Dobrava virus, originally discovered in Slovenia...Minor mutations in avian flu virus increase chances of human infection
...Avian viruses prefer binding to ?2-3-linked sialic acids on receptors of intestinal epithelial cells, while human viruses are usually specific for the ?2-6 linkage on epithelial cells of the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Such interactions allow the virus membrane to fuse with the membrane of the host ......, characterized by a single, spiral chain of amino acids stabilized by hydrogen bonds. "We live in a world of forces," Bennett continued. "For example, every time a neuron pushes its way through body tissues to its target, every time a heart beats, or a bicep muscle contracts, forces are generated. Cells ...