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Tag: "essential" at biology news

Microbe fixes nitrogen at a blistering 92 C

...itrogen is necessary for all life because it is an essential part of amino acids and proteins. To be used by organisms, gaseous nitrogen must be converted to other compounds, or "fixed," which can only be done by certain bacteria and specific archaea. Nitrogen can be fixed into ammonia, nitrate and other prod...

Researchers barcode DNA of Venice museum's vast fungi collection

... that include yeasts, mushrooms and mold. They are essential to most terrestrial ecosystems, channeling nutrients in the soil and making them available for the growth of plants, including trees and agricultural crops. "Without fungi, there would be no forests," Garbelotto pointed out. A large number of fung...

New moth variety disarms plants guarded by selenium

...n element with properties similar to sulfur, is an essential trace element for many organisms, but it typically is toxic at high levels, and the function behind the intriguing tendency of some plants to hyperaccumulate this element has been largely obscure. The so-called elemental-defense hypothesis proposes t...

Bitter taste identifies poisons in foods

...d converts iodine into thyroid hormones, which are essential for protein synthesis and regulation of the body's...hould enjoy these foods. In addition to providing essential nutrients and vitamins, many are reported to have anti-cancer properties." Lead author Mari Sande...

Advance helps explain stem cell behavior

...rstanding this pattern formation mechanism will be essential to the ultimate use of stem cells in medical research and disease treatment, the scientists said. Ideally, researchers would like to create a "transcriptional network model" that simulates all of the complex and interactive steps in this patterning p...

Embryonic selection of sex avoids conceiving blind children

...r that does not involve sex selection, it would be essential to know the exact mutation in the chromosome, something which has not been achieved in this particular case. This embryonic selection enables the prevention of the transmission of this disease to future generations and may be a way to reduce the n...

Gene therapy for hereditary lung disease advances

...to 12 patients who are unable to produce a protein essential for health called alpha-1 antitrypsin. "The primary end point in the trial was to see whether it was safe to give patients this gene transfer vector and then to try to begin to see if we could get the dose into a range where we would begin to rep...

Critical hearing gene helps send auditory messages to brain

...led the researchers to conclude that "otoferlin is essential for a late step of [neurotransmitter release] and may act as the major [calcium] sensor triggering membrane fusion at the inner hair cell ribbon synapse." The findings also have therapeutic implications, as they suggest that people who are deaf as ...

Coral reefs are increasingly vulnerable to angry oceans

...ral assemblages respond to the power of the sea is essential for understanding the natural distribution of cora...n the reef. These new models provide us with that essential tool." ...

Researchers discover new gene responsible for brittle bone disease

...demonstrating for the first time that CRTAP has an essential function in humans. In addition, the findings of the current study provide the first proof that osteogenesis imperfecta can be inherited in a recessive manner. Previously, the genes known to be involved in OI were dominant, meaning that if you ha...

Serengeti patrols cut poaching of buffalo, elephants, rhinos

...ive enforcement of laws and regulations remains an essential tool for conserving biological diversity," Hobbs says. "This sounds so simple, but it has been controversial." ...

Intrinsic eye protein halts angiogenesis

... remains clear and free of blood vessels, which is essential for vision, and raises questions about the implications for anti-angiogenesis treatments in macular degeneration, cancer and other diseases. Angiogenesis, or blood vessel growth, is what propels the growth of cancerous tumors and blinding condition...

New target for cancer therapy identified

...from producing a protein called telomerase that is essential if cancer cells are to proliferate. Telomerase plays a key role in controlling the life span of cells by modifying structures called telomeres that are found at the end of chromosomes. Although it is involved in tumour development, telomerase is al...

Buildup of damaged DNA in cells drives aging

...vity; whereas a second portion, known as ERCC1, is essential for the enzyme to bind to the damaged DNA. Mutations in either XPF or ERCC1 lead to reduced activity of this key DNA repair enzyme. "We were completely surprised by the finding that the patient had a mutation in XPF, because mutations in this gene...

Age-related changes in DNA repair illuminate the connection between age and genetic damage

...t Biology, published by Cell Press. DNA repair is essential for the accurate preservation of genetic informati...al cellular processes. Repairing such breaks is an essential but hazardous process, often leaving missing or added bases at the point of repair. Cells possess a ...

Cloning techniques produce FDA-approved antibiotic

...rous bond. Fosfomycin functions by inactivating an essential enzyme involved in the formation of the bacterial ...W. Metcalf, the researchers were able to clone the essential genes for fosfomycin synthesis and then produce it in a non-native host, potentially in much larger ...

Researchers add to understanding of how brain cells communicate

...ich, like long-term potentiation, is thought to be essential for learning and memory) and disease. A better understanding of how NMDA receptors work could lead to better treatments for schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke, said Johnson. Memories are formed by strengthening the connections between b...

Scientists find a key to immune system's ability to remember

...ns. The protein, which scientists call Lck, is essential for immune system T cells -- white blood cells that attack virus-infected cells, foreign cells and cancer cells -- to cement the memory induced by cell surface sensors known as antigen receptors that act to identify the signatures of pathogens like m...

UGA scientists unravel 'molecular inch-worm' structure of walking-pneumonia bacterium

...ccomplished. The new data indicate that gliding is essential for cell division in M. pneumoniae. "In addition to its significant impact on public health, M. pneumoniae is intriguing from a biological perspective," said Krause. "They have no cell walls, and their genome is among the smallest known for a cell ...

Jefferson researchers uncover new way nature turns genes on and off

...kely mechanisms behind ncRNAs' ability to regulate essential coding genes is through a "transcription interference" mechanism. "Such mechanisms are known in bacteria and yeast, but not much is known in higher organisms," he explains. In the fruit fly, HOX gene activity is maintained by genes and proteins in ...

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