Researchers Uncover Key Step In Manufacture of Memory Protein
A cellular enzyme appears to play a crucial role in the manufacture of a protein needed for long-term memory, according to a team of researchers led by scientists at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. The protein is known as mBDNF, which stands for mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor. In an earlier study, another team of...Researchers uncover sequence of major rice pathogen
In a genomics milestone, an international consortium of researchers has for the first time lifted the veil from a fungal plant pathogen by sequencing the genome ?or set of all genes ?of the most destructive enemy of rice: Magnaporthe grisea, the fungus that causes rice blast disease. Dr. Ralph Dean, professor of plant pathology and director of North Carolina State University's Center for I...Study uncovers bacteria's worst enemy
University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have found that the successful use of bacteria to remediate environmental contamination from nuclear waste and processing activities may depend more upon how resistant the bacteria are to chemicals than to how tolerant they are to radioactivity. The results of a recent Laboratory study may help make bacterial bioremedia...Molecular fossils uncover link between viruses and the immune system
Researchers from the Viikki Biocenter, University of Helsinki, show that atomic structures can reveal evolutionary history of viruses in a similar fashion as fossils did for the dinosaurs and reptiles. Their article is published in the April 15 issue of Molecular Cell. These "molecular fossils" also revealed that viruses and proteins of immune system share the same structure. One plausibl...MSU researchers receive $4 million grant to uncover gene functions
A collaboration of Michigan State University researchers will use a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to uncover the functions of genes in a plant - research which may ultimately lead to improvements in human health and agriculture. In a collaborative effort spanning several departments, MSU scientists will determine the functions of roughly 4,400 nuclear genes from the...Cancer-Related miRNAs Uncovered by the mirVana miRNA Microarray Platform
Ambion has developed a complete line of research tools for the analysis of microRNAs (miRNAs). Recently, we introduced the Vana miRNA microarray platform (consisting of the Vana miRNA Labeling Kit and the Vana miRNA Probe Set) and several miRNA tools for interrogating miRNA function and identifyin...ePrairie Uncovers 80 Biotech Companies in Illinois
CHICAGO, IL I didnt realize the depth of the task in front of me when I committed to you that Id put together a Midwest list of public and private biotech companies. Because eight states would take quite a while, lets first start with Illinois, which is the center of the Midwest. A year or two ago, I guesstimated that there were between 200 and 300 biotech companies in the Midwest with...Mystery behind Preeclampsia uncovered
Scientists have linked the rise in levels of S-nitrosoalbumin, a naturally occuring chemical found in the blood with Preeclampsia. This dangerous complication of pregnancy affects 10% of all first pregnancies. If untreated, this can worsen into a life threatening condition called Eclampsia in which a women has convulsive seizures during pregnancy. The research was led by Dr.Valerian E....Uncovering a gene for oesophagal cancer
Scientists are close to uncovering a gene that may influence the risk of oesophagal cancer. A family in Liverpool, England, is helping Cancer Research Campaign scientists learn more of the genetic basis of cancer of the oesophagus. Twenty one members of this family have died of this cancer over five generations. The disease affects those who also have a mild skin disorder called tylosis....A Simple Exercise Can Uncover Undiagnosed Asthma
Researchers from the Coalition of Health for Asthmatics in Sports and Exercise and the Center for Asthma and Allergy Care, gave an exercise test // to 127, 6- to 18-year olds who had at least one risk factor for asthma. Risk factors were determined by a 10-item questionnaire. The most common risk factor noted by children was a family member having allergies or asthma. For the exercise t...Mystery of nacrolepsy uncovered
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the understanding of one of the most mysterious of medical conditions - narcolepsy. Narcolepsy suffers fall asleep anywhere, at any time of day without warning. At other times sufferers remain conscious, but their entire body goes limp and they are unable to move.// Now researchers have identified a segment of DNA they believe is responsible...Major Gene Study Uncovers Secrets of Leukemia
St. Jude Study Scans 350,000 Locations Across the Genome From 242Patients and Identifies New Mutations That Contribute to AcuteLymphoblastic Leukemia, Suggesting New Targets for Improved Therapy MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 07, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Investigators atSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered previouslyunsuspected mutations that contribute to the formation of pediatricac...