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Tag: "pore" at biology news

Scientists document complex genomic events leading to the birth of new genes

...RanBP2 is the largest protein found at the nuclear pore complex, helping to regulate nucleic acid and protein traffic in and out of the nucleus. The corresponding gene is present in all sequenced animal genomes but not in other eukaryotes, such as plants or fungi. The new gene family characterized by Dr....

Breakthrough method in nanoparticle synthesis paves the way for new pharmaceutical and biomedical applications

...ed particles of between 50 and 300 nm with tunable pore sizes in the range of 5-30 nm (The width of a huma...ucture, degree of structural ordering and range of pore sizes. Most current technologies can only produce 2-dimensional hexagonal structure with small pore ...

Cousin of Asian super termite invades Florida

... their teardrop-shaped heads and the presence of a pore that secretes a sticky, milk-like fluid. When in doubt, homeowners should contact a professional pest control operator and have a thorough inspection of their property. For more information on the new termite, visit UF's "Featured Creature" and "Pes...

At the molecular level, the predator is the prey

...ce between the costs of the changes in the channel pore structure on channel function and the benefits of changes in TTX binding." The evolution of new traits often happens one of two ways, either by altering existing genes or by changing patterns and amounts of expression. The current Nature report show...

Critical step traced in anthrax infection

...to a specific complex that is capable of forming a pore in a cellular membrane. The pore permits the other two proteins, lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF), to enter the cell interior...

Several minute intermediate stage in virus-cell fusion discovered; opportunity for drug development

...cell does not open up right away; instead, a small pore can persist for several minutes before adopting it...amount of time and, in the rare cases in which the pore does not open, it fails to infect the cell at all. "It's like a space craft docking on a space stat...

Cells direct membrane traffic by channel width

... way around, by mutating amino acids that line the pore of the channel, but they have failed." The E-coli proteins studied were AqpZ, a water channel, and GlpF, a glycerol channel. Side-by-side in computer-generated images the channels appear virtually identical. The Beckman teamed pushed glycerol throug...

MSKCC researchers uncover structure of key protein complex in cells

...complex they have observed is assembled at nuclear pore complexes, portals that connect the nucleus with the cytoplasm beyond. These conduits permit the transfer of information both to and from the nucleus, and are vital to proper cell function. "The next step in this research is to probe the importance ...

Why Christmas trees are not extinct

...o pores, which are about 100 times larger than the pore in flowering tree valves ?on the scale of one 10-millionth of a meter versus one billionth of a meter. The bottom line is that conifers have shorter conduits and fewer valves, both of which would increase resistance to water flow, "but they compens...

Membrane research opens window to benefits for plants, humans

...t specific residues that sit far away from a water pore control the opening of the channel, said biophysic...otein allows water to go through; when closed, its pore size is reduced by 2 angstroms, effectively closing the channel, the Swedish researchers reported. ...

Zooming in on the protein-conducting channel

...n synthesis machinery. The PCC then opens either a pore that is perpendicular or lateral to the cell membrane to feed the new protein either across or into the membrane. For the studies, the Swiss researchers created a complex comprising the PCC from E. coli attached to a ribosome that contained a newly ...

New technique helps researchers determine amino-acid charge

...nel, and we now know how the helices that line the pore are oriented. This was not known before," Grosman said. "Previous work has told us how the helices are oriented in the closed state." A major problem in understanding the relationship between structure and function in proteins, and the impact that e...

Low-cost drug gaining favor for use in HIV-infected children in poor countries

... from around the world -- including Grimwade -- to pore over the scientific evidence on the preventive use of cotrimoxazole for people with HIV. Nine months later, Grimwade said despite concerns over drawing conclusions from one study there is now much more consensus. She said, "the new WHO guidelines wi...

Scientists design potent anthrax toxin inhibitor

...tic portions of the toxin enter the cell through a pore created for them by PA after it binds to the cell's outer surface. PA can be seen as a bundle of seven cigar-shaped parts, a molecular arrangement referred to as "polyvalent," meaning it displays multiple binding sites. The inhibitor designed by Dr...

Researchers solve mystery of how nuclear pores duplicate before cell division

... for Biological Studies watched as new funnel-like pore structures formed from scratch, and inserted thems...pe, where they form eight-fold symmetrical nuclear pore complexes. Each protein is present in copies of eight or multiples of eight, forming a structure tha...

Unraveling the mysteries of poison

... attaches to a particular area of the channel ?the pore region ?and changes the area's structure. The poison is thus only effective when it recognises a particular amino acid sequence in the ion channel. It is also important how intrinsically flexible the binding partner is; for a strong interaction to ta...

Gene variation increases SIDS risk in African Americans

...DS? The SCN5A gene codes for a sodium channel, a pore found in cardiac muscle cells that controls the passage of sodium ions in and out of the cell. "This seemed like a good candidate for a genetic difference that could contribute to SIDS," said Goldstein, "but we had no clear idea how it increased r...

Nanopore method could revolutionize genome sequencing

...d by a single strand of DNA as it passes through a pore more than a thousand times smaller than the diamet...strand of DNA. They based their calculations on a pore about a nanometer in diameter made from silicon nitride--a material that is easy to work with and co...

Discovery could aid fight against cystic fibrosis infection

...crystallographer Marianne Cuff saw a bagel-shaped pore that might be involved in transferring toxins into cells. She deposited the structure of the protein, called Hcp1, into the Protein Data Bank, a resource used by biologists worldwide to find information about the proteins they are studying. While ...

Light-sensitive photoswitches could restore sight to those with macular degeneration

...hed, one end of the compound sticks in the channel pore and blocks it like a drain plug. When hit with UV light, the molecule kinks and pulls the plug, allowing ions to flow through the channel and activate the nerve cell. Green light unkinks it and replugs the channel, blocking ion flow. Isacoff said t...

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