Tag: "leads" at biology news

Scratch no more: Gene for itch sensation discovered

...ering with sleep or giving rise to scratching that leads to scarring. Effective treatment options for itchy patients are limited. Historically, scientists regarded itch as just a less intense version of the pain sensation. As a result, research on itching has been somewhat neglected. "Many genes have been...

Common cancer gene sends death order to tiny killer

... brake in pancreatic cells and uncontrolled growth leads to cancer," says Anirban Maitra, M.B.B.S., associate professor of pathology, oncology and genetic medicine. Mendell and his team are looking for missing miR-34a in other cancers. If it's a widespread phenomenon, the work could lead to treatments t...

Discovery in orange cauliflower may lead to more nutritious crops

...amin A deficiency, common in developing countries, leads to compromised immune systems and is the leading cause of blindness in children. "A large percentage of the human population depends on staple crops for nutrition," said Li, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Plant Breeding and Gen...

Largest synthetic gene ever built offers insights into anti-malarial drug resistance

...ible for the vast majority of drug resistance that leads to human death from malaria. Earlier this year, they also helped describe how the gene PfNHE likely contributes, and this turns out not to be as vital as PfCRT. Now, based in part on this study, they know that PfMDR1 is dependent on mutated PfCRT, an...

Loss of stem cells correlates with premature aging in animal study

...at deleting a gene important in embryo development leads to premature aging and loss of stem cell reservoirs in adult mice. This gene, ATR, is essential for the body’s response to damaged DNA, and mutations in proteins in the DNA damage response underlie certain types of cancer and other disorders in human...

In mice, drug protects against diabetes and atherosclerosis

...lity to bind with fatty acids -- the function that leads to inflammatory and metabolic havoc when a high-fat or high-cholesterol diet is consumed. The drug appears to have no effect on lean animals eating a normal diet, the scientists said, suggesting that blocking aP2 may not be harmful in people -- thoug...

Breakthrough developments in rheumatoid arthritis reported

...p rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that leads to painful joint swelling. Scientists are cracking the genetic code that makes the immune system wage an attack on a person’s joints. Over the last decade, Dr. Gregersen and his colleagues have been amassing a genetic database complete with siblings ...

Researchers reveal structure of protein altered in autism

...t affect neurotransmission during development, new leads into drug therapies may emerge. “We really don’t know what causes autism, but this research represents a solid starting point,” said Sarah Dunsmore, Ph.D., program director with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the Nat...

Penn researchers link cell's protein recycling systems

...hen proteasomes are impaired or overwhelmed, which leads to accumulation of defective proteins, HDAC6 facilitates delivery to the autophagy-lysosomal system for degradation. “That’s how we think HDAC6 links the two systems,” says Taylor. Dr Taylor and his team are now testing the ability of HDAC6 to pre...

Researchers identify protein pathway involved in Parkinson disease development

... that produce dopamine. This lowering of dopamine leads to decreased stimulation of the brain's motor cortex. Although scientists have not known the exact cause of the loss of these dopamine-producing neurons, they believe it is related to dysfunctional mitochondria and oxidative stress. Mitochondria are...

Researchers develop buckyballs to fight allergy

...nse by inhibiting a basic process in the cell that leads to the release of an allergic mediator. Essentially, the buckyballs are able to prevent mast cells from releasing histamine. Mast cells are responsible for causing allergic response and are packed with granules containing histamine. They are pres...

Study identifies 5 genetic themes key to keeping stem cells in a primitive, flexible state

...ch Institute and the University of Ottawa. He also leads the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research in Ottawa and Canada’s Stem Cell Network. While previous studies have tried to compare gene expression in different types of stem cells, the strategy used in this study was unique. Rather than simply searc...

Understanding why C. difficile causes disease -- it's hungry

...nt strain has a much higher toxin production which leads to more destructive and deadly disease, says Vivian Loo of McGill University. Sonenshein is studying a five-gene region of the bacterium’s chromosome known as the tcd locus. Two of the genes code for the toxins the bacterium produces that caus...

Smallpox outbreak: How long would it take for vaccines to protect people? Would it work?

..., how long would it take for a vaccinSLU scientist leads national studye to start protecting Americans by stimulating an immune response? A new national study led by Saint Louis University School of Medicine will attempt to answer this question. General routine vaccinations for smallpox were stopped i...

Nitric oxide: Key to cardiovascular and pulmonary function and drug effectiveness

...rants and light. The activation of these receptors leads to the propagation of intracellular signals. Once ... the researchers found that a lack of nitric oxide leads to a decrease in beta adrenergic receptor number and function. Also, the researchers found that when...

First clinical trial of gene therapy for childhood blindness

...he condition as children. Mr James Bainbridge, who leads the surgical team, said: "It is very encouraging that we can deliver genes to an extremely fragile site in the eye without complications." Professor Moore said: "Some indications of the results of the trial may be available within several months...

DNA repair proteins monitored at double-strand break

...ncy in two of these repair proteins, ATM and NBS1, leads to defects in double-strand break repair by disrupting the signaling processes triggered by the break. "A lack of functioning ATM causes ataxia-teleangiectasia, a disease that causes a variety of debilitating problems, such as neurodegeneration, canc...

Hepatitis E takes a piggyback

...oar liver is one Japanese delicacy that frequently leads to infection. Suckling pigs don't contract the virus in their first 30 days, because a maternal antibody protects them. Vaccines are currently under development against HEV, although Satou and Nishiura suggest that changes in husbandry practices a...

DNA-damage test could aid drug development

In the daunting marathon that leads to successful drugs, promising drug candidates must pass toxicity tests before entering clinical trials. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Whitehead Institute have developed a cell culture test for assessing a compound's gene...

Researchers develop way to calculate speed of bacterial sex

... The swapping of genetic material between bacteria leads to bacterial adaptation and evolution; however, ba...ed bacteria cells. Just as the bite from a vampire leads a victim to be transformed into a vampire, the donor bacteria’s "bite" injects genetic material into...

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