Locking in Biological News

UC Davis researchers visualize formation of a new synapse

... (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) A protein called neuroligin that is implicated in some forms of autism is critical to the construction of a working synapse, locking neurons together like "molecular Velcro," a study lead by a team of UC Davis researchers has found. Published online in the June issue of the journ...

Capturing the birth of a synapse

... Researchers have identified the locking mechanism that allows some neurons to form synapses to pass along essential... building a scaffold to hold the synapse components in place. The moment of locking is captured in a video (link below) that will appear with the paper's final...

Locking parasites in host cell could be new way to fight malaria

...rs have focused on developing ways to keep parasites from entering host cells, but Greenbaum's group was curious about an alternative route of attack: locking the parasites inside the host cell. These studies began with Plasmodium falciparum , which causes the most deadly form of human malaria. Each year,...

Ocean islands fuel productivity and carbon sequestration through natural iron fertilization

...n experiment to study the effects of naturally deposited iron in the Southern Ocean has filled in a key piece of the puzzle surrounding iron's role in locking atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ocean. The research, conducted by an international team led by Raymond Pollard of the National Oceanography Ce...

New synthetic form of protein holds promise to stop cancer spread

...te the molecular model for CXCL12 binding to CXCR4, Drs. Volkman and Veldkamp discovered that it was necessary to link two CXCL12 molecules, in effect locking it into a form that could not be chemically separated. This locked form of the protein, known as a dimer, could still bind to the CXCR4 receptor. ...

Candy-coating keeps proteins sweet

...we know it would be impossible. Sugars used to safeguard protein-based drugs act like cement, taking the place of water by bonding to the proteins and locking them in place. By rapidly freezing liquid sugar, its molecules have no time to form the usual orderly crystal patterns typically found in sugars that ...

Rice lab finds molecular clues to Wilson disease

...r bodies need a small amount for key enzymes involved in, for example, respiration and brain functions. ATP7B acts something like a warehouse manager, locking up bulk quantities of copper and handing it out for use in these proteins. Wilson disease is a genetic disorder that alters the ATP7B protein's abi...

bioMETRX, Inc. Gun Storage Products Endorsed by the Handgun Club of America

...h memory and offers such accessories as a wall-mounting unit for extra security and more permanent placement. A security cable that is very similar to locking a bicycle to a bike rack is also available for more portable usage, allowing the bioVAULT 2.0 to be transported to different locations and easily lock...

bioMETRX, Inc. Files for Several New Patents

...hat are the subject of the filings can all, to some substantial measure, benefit from the integration of biometric technology that will allow for easy locking and secure access. The company currently owns several patents integrating biometrics into padlocks, thermostats and garage door openers, as well as th...

Viruses, oxygen and our green oceans

...ms are also responsible for removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and locking it away in their bodies, which sink to the bottom of the ocean when they di...rts of the oceans, the micro-organisms responsible for providing oxygen and locking away carbon dioxide are actually single celled bacteria called cyanobacteri...

Specially-designed soils could help combat climate change

... a carbon sink* for some time, says Professor Manning. But no-one else has tried to design soils expressly for the purpose of removing and permanently locking up carbon. Once weve confirmed the feasibility of this method of carbon sequestration, we can develop a computer model that predicts how much calcium ...

Slow slip and slide dynamics

...ntists initially intended to assess changes in the locking patterns of the fault and better understand the ph...ate boundary processes like earthquakes, tsunamis, locking zone dynamics and episodic tremors because the pen...ransient motion on the fault plane, as well as the locking patterns before and after the events in an effort ...

Ecologists, material scientists pursue genetics of diatom's elegant, etched casing

...iatoms are so heavy that when they die in the oceans they typically sink to watery graves on the seafloor, taking carbon out of the surface waters and locking it into sediments below. This week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences scientists report the discovery of ...

bioMETRX to Introduce New smartTOUCH(TM) Products in 2008

...to protect themselves from mail theft. In the wrong hands, incoming mail poses a huge opportunity for ID thieves. smartBOX(TM) is a finger activated locking mailbox that is specifically designed to prevent unauthorized access to mail, protecting identity and preventing fraud. smartBOX(TM), as with all smar...

Stem cell nuclei are soft 'hard drives,' Penn study finds

...erentiated cells, typified by muscle cells, fat cells and bone cells, all arise from stem cells that have committed to these specialized cell types by locking the DNA into a set pattern of gene expression. To verify that lamin proteins were responsible for nuclear stiffness, the authors created a line of e...

UCI researchers restore memory process in most common form of mental disability

...l impairment. Neurobiologist Julie Lauterborn and her colleagues identified how a mutated gene linked to fragile X syndrome blocks brain cells from locking new memories into lasting ones. The gene -- called fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) -- is turned off in people with fragile X syndrome. This gene...

How cancer spreads by aggregating platelets

... also release chemicals that may form new blood vessels which, in turn, provide the tumor with the nutrients and oxygen it needs to grow. As a result, locking the podoplanin-CLEC-2 interaction may not only prevent cancer metastasis but also limit the growth of cancer cells, Suzuki-Inuoue says. The researc...

Slow brain waves play key role in coordinating complex activity

...k is over, you want to decouple them and let them link up with someone else. Ryan has shown that the theta waves allow this coupling and uncoupling by locking into phase." Knight and his colleagues continue to probe the connection between waves of different frequency in the brain and are building a more c...

Spider Venom Could Yield Eco-Friendly Insecticides

...st only a small number of nervous system targets. King's spider-venom cocktails could be designed to thwart the resistance of specific insect pests by locking on to novel molecular targets in the insect nervous system. Because the insects have never encountered chemicals that behave like spider toxins, they ...