responsible in Biological News

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for hereditary neuroendocrine tumor

SALT LAKE CITY University of Utah researchers and their colleagues have identified the gene that is mutated in a hereditary form of a rare neuroendocrine tumor called paraganglioma (PGL). The gene, called hSDH5, is required for activation of an enzyme complex that plays a critical role in the che...

ISU researcher identifies genetic pathway responsible for much of plant growth

AMES, Iowa -- Researchers at Iowa State University have discovered a previously unknown pathway in plant cells that regulates plant growth. Yanhai Yin, an assistant professor in genetics, development and cell biology, examined signaling mechanisms of a plant hormone called brassinosteroids. The ...

Learning how the pieces responsible for interpreting the human genome work

The human genome complete sequencing project in 2003 revealed the enormous instruction manual necessary to define a human being. However, there are still many unanswered questions. There are few indications on where the functional elements are found in this manual. To explain how we develop, scien...

Male flower parts responsible for potent grapevine perfume: UBC research

University of British Columbia scientists have traced the fragrant scent of grapevine flowers to pollen grains stored in the anthers, contrary to common perception that petals alone produce perfume. While studying grapes used to produce Cabernet Sauvignon from the Okanagan region of British Col...

New book, 'Untangling the Double Helix,' explores enzymes responsible for maintaining genome integrity

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. If it were not for a group of enzymes called topoisomerases, DNA would become a knotted, coiled, dysfunctional mess inside of a cell as it gets twisted, rolled, unzipped, and pulled by the cellular machinery that reads and copies its sequence. Topoisomerases, which are r...

Male flower parts responsible for potent grapevine perfume: UBC research

University of British Columbia scientists have traced the fragrant scent of grapevine flowers to pollen grains stored in the anthers, contrary to common perception that petals alone produce perfume. While studying grapes used to produce Cabernet Sauvignon from the Okanagan region of British Col...

Stowers Institute's Hawley Lab identifies factors responsible for restart of meiotic cycle

The Stowers Institutes Hawley Lab has identified a pair of proteins that work in concert to restart the meiotic cycle of oocytes following a natural period of dormancy. The Hawley Lab has described the dual actions of these two proteins as the Sleeping Beauty Kiss that awakens the long-dorman...

Scientists complete genome sequence of fungus responsible for dandruff, skin disorders

Scientists from P&G Beauty announced that they successfully sequenced the complete genome for Malassezia globosa (M. globosa) , a naturally occurring fungus responsible for the onset of dandruff and other skin conditions in humans. Results of the genome sequencing are published in todays online ...

Gene responsible for common hearing loss identified for first time

A gene responsible for the single most common cause of hearing loss among white adults, otosclerosis, has been identified for the first time, a scientist told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Nice, France. Ms Melissa Thys, from the Department of Medical Genetics, ...

Study shows continued success for new HPV vaccine against virus responsible for cervical cancer

A new vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer is nearly 100 percent effective against the two types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. Results of a nationwide study of the vaccine will be published in the May 9 issue of the New England Journal of Me...

Scientists sequence genome of parasite responsible for common sexually transmitted infection

Researchers have decoded the genetic makeup of the parasite that causes trichomoniasis, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs), revealing potential clues as to why the parasite has become increasingly drug resistant and suggesting possible pathways for new treatments, diagnos...

Study uncovers mutation responsible for Noonan Syndrome

Scientists have discovered that mutations in a gene known as SOS1 account for many cases of Noonan syndrome (NS), a common childhood genetic disorder which occurs in one in 1,000-2,500 live births. NS is characterized by short stature, facial abnormalities, and learning disabilities, as well as he...

Study shows antibiotic-resistant bacteria responsible for increase in muscle infections

Researchers in Houston, Texas have found two bacterial muscle infections common in tropical countries becoming more frequent occurrences along with the emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), according to a study published in the Oct. 15 issue of Clini...

Researchers discover new gene responsible for brittle bone disease

A team of researchers has identified a new genetic mutation responsible for osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a condition that makes bones much more likely to break, according to a study published today in the journal Cell. Victims may experience just a few fractures in a lifetime or several hundre...

A single sugar found responsible for an antibody's ability to treat inflammation

For years, researchers have struggled to understand how IVIG worked. It's ability to treat autoimmune diseases seemed to bean apparent contradiction. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a complex mixture of IgG antibodies made from human plasma that contains the pooled antibodies from thousand...

Key stress protein linked to toxicities responsible for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have discovered a mechanistic link between cellular stress caused by free radicals and accumulation of misfolded proteins that lead to nerve cell injury and death in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. ...

Gene therapy reverses genetic mutation responsible for heart failure in muscular dystrophy

University of Pittsburgh investigators have for the first time used gene therapy to successfully treat heart failure and other degenerative muscle problems in an animal model that is genetically susceptible to a human muscular dystrophy. Reporting in the Oct. 25 edition of the journal Circulation, ...

K-State professors discover enzyme responsible for creation of a beetle's hard shell

Kansas State University researchers think their discovery of the enzyme involved in the hardening of a beetle's exoskeleton or cuticle could lead not only to better pest control, but also help create similar strong, lightweight materials for use in aircraft and armor. After a beetle first molts,...

Scientists discover genetic pathway responsible for breast cancer cell growth

Scientists at the MUHC have made an important discovery that will advance our understanding of how the female hormone estrogen causes growth of breast cancer cells. The research, in collaboration with scientists at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) identifies 153 genes that re...

Scientists identify genes responsible for 'black rot' disease in vegetables

Scientists at four major genomics and plant pathology laboratories in China have collaborated on a project to characterize the causative agent of "black rot" disease, which is the most serious disease of vegetable crops worldwide. Their study, which represents the largest comparative and functional...

Mary had a lot of lambs: Researchers identify way to accelerate sheep breeding

...e has been definitively correlated with the ability to breed out of season, the researchers caution that it may only be a marker for the gene actually responsible for the trait. "Breeding out of season is a complex trait," Mateescu said, "so there are a lot of genes controlling it." Mateescu observed the phen...

Restoring a natural root signal helps to fight a major corn pest

... Early Edition, August 3𔃅, 2009) The Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) is the most damaging maize pest in the US and is responsible for enormous financial losses. Current methods to control the rootworm pest include insecticides, crop rotation and transgenic Bt maize lines that are...

Protecting cells from their neighbors

...ment is determined. It is dictated by the separation of cells that will become sperm and ovules - germ cells-, from the remaining cells, which will be responsible for forming the body organs and tissues -, and that comprise the somatic cell line. Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barce...

Stem cell 'daughters' lead to breast cancer

... Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have found that a population of breast cells called luminal progenitor cells are likely to be responsible for breast cancers that develop in women carrying mutations in the gene BRCA1. BRCA1 gene mutations are found in 10-20 per cent of women with heredi...

August 2009 Geology and GSA Today media highlights

... two decades. This crater, named after the town Chicxulub, was formed by a giant meteorite impact about 65 million years ago. The impact may have been responsible for the great extinction event that occurred at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, including the extinction of dinosaurs. Although a several-kilometer...

Opening a new window on daylight

...l of Environment, Resources and Development, at the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumtani, Thailand, explain that electric lighting is typically responsible for 25 to 40% of total electricity consumption in air-conditioned buildings. These figures could be reduced significantly they say if daylighting were...

Got zinc? New zinc research suggests novel therapeutic targets

...ions. Specifically, scientists from Florida found that zinc not only supports healthy immune function, but increases activation of the cells (T cells) responsible for destroying viruses and bacteria. "It has been shown that zinc supplementation significantly reduces the duration and severity of childhood dia...

'Microfluidic palette' may paint clearer picture of biological processes

...tration across an areain a miniature chamber about the diameter of a pinhead. The tool can be used to study the complex biological mechanisms in cells responsible for cancer metastasis, wound healing, biofilm formation and other fluid-related processes. The advantage of the NIST system, as described in a new ...

Researchers develop 'brain-reading' methods

... held belief that localized areas of the brain are responsible for specific mental functions is misleading and in...n pinpointing areas of the brain that are uniquely responsible for specific mental functions, such as learning, ...f the brain, for example, and say that is the area responsible for our concept of self or that part is the source...

Discovery to aid in future treatments of third-world parasites

...usly known that the complex mixture of proteins released by schistosome eggs induce Th2 responses and the production of IL-4, the specific molecule(s) responsible for these effects were unknown. Research from the laboratories of Markus Mohrs of the Trudeau Institute and Gabriele Schramm of the Research Centr...

New drug may reduce heart attack damage

...rsity of New South Wales (UNSW) have shown. The drug, known as Dz13, specifically targets and neutralises the master regulator c-Jun gene, which is responsible for inflammation and muscle death in the aftermath of a heart attack, trials in preclinical models have found. The drug also reduces incidental ce...

Short stressful events may improve working memory

...rs after the stressful experience and one day post-stress, compared to the non-stressed rats. To determine if the corticosterone neuropathway was responsible for the improved memory, as they proposed, researchers injected one group of rats before the stressful forced-swim with a medicinal compound that bloc...

Scripps-led study shows ocean health plays vital role in coral reef recovery

...mprove resilience to global warming stress. Coral bleaching occurs when the tiny zooxanthellae, living with the tissues of coral polyps, which are responsible for their vibrant colors, are lost and the coral turns white in color. The fast-recovering were corals collected from Turneffe Atoll, which is ...

Iowa State University researchers develop process for 'surgical' genetic changes

... the upper Midwest and Canada, would benefit from this new market for canola meal. Other plants could benefit as well. Removing the genes that are responsible for peanut allergies, or removing genes that produce harmful chemicals or anti-nutritionals in other crops are just a few of the immediate crop improv...

C. difficile spores spread superbug

...chers to use them in experimental settings and to establish their structure. " C. difficile is a high-profile and rapidly emerging pathogen and is responsible for the death of a patient every hour in our hospitals - but its biology and transmission are so far poorly understood," says Brendan Wren, Professor ...

Stuff of stink bombs investigated for role in pregnancy

... investigating how the stuff of stink bombs and flatulence could play a critical role in the human reproductive system. Hydrogen sulphide partially responsible for the foul odour of stink bombs- is also a toxic gas and has been used for chemical warfare. But research at the University of Leicester is now l...

Our brain looks at eyes first to identify a face

...noise ratio, and was also the same resolution observed in the psychophysical experiments". This result therefore suggests that faces are themselves responsible for our resolution preference. This led Keil to one of the brain's properties: "The brain has adapted optimally to draw the most useful information fr...

'Invisibility cloak' could protect against earthquakes

...avel through the earth and surface waves which travel across it. The new technology controls the path of surface waves which are the most damaging and responsible for much of the destruction which follows earthquakes. The technology involves the use of concentric rings of plastic which could be fitted to the...

Flexible neck in cell-receptor DC-SIGN targets more pathogens

...rvival against infection. A small cell-receptor protein called DC-SIGN is part of the immune system, and recognizes certain pathogens, including those responsible for Ebola, Dengue fever and HIV. How the molecule binds to pathogens has been unclear. New findings from a research team led by University of Illino...

Researchers gain insight into mechanism underlying Huntington's

...er DNA strand, ensuring the fidelity of the TNR sequences in the parental strand. It is proposed that defects or inadequacies in the HPR system may be responsible for TNR instability in the disease state. ...