Body | Page 4475 | Science Codex

Genome sequence published for important biofuels yeast

DURHAM, N.C. – A strain of yeast that thrives on turning sugar cane into ethanol for biofuel has had its genome completely sequenced by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

"Understanding this microbe may enable more efficient biofuel production, and also will produce even more robust industrial organisms that are versatile and capable of producing advanced biofuels from non-food crops like switchgrass," said Lucas Argueso, Ph.D., lead author and research scholar in the Duke Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.

Prion study reveals first direct information about the proteins molecular structure

A collaboration between scientists at Vanderbilt University and the University of California, San Francisco has led to the first direct information about the molecular structure of prions. In addition, the study has revealed surprisingly large structural differences between natural prions and the closest synthetic analogs that scientists have created in the lab.

New treatment more than doubles survival for high risk childhood leukemia

Results of a phase two clinical trial published October 5th in the Journal of Clinical Oncology show that adding continuous daily doses of a targeted drug called imatinib mesylate to regular chemotherapy more than doubled three-year survival rates for children with a high risk type of blood cancer called Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL).

Milk protein supplement may help prevent sepsis in very low birth-weight infants

This release is available in http://chinese..org/zh/emb_releases/2009-10/jaaj-mps100209.php">Chinese.

Very low birth-weight newborns who received the milk protein lactoferrin alone or in combination with a probiotic had a reduced incidence of late-onset sepsis, according to a study in the October 7 issue of JAMA.

Genetic variation of enzyme linked with outcomes for women receiving tamoxifen

This release is available in http://chinese..org/zh/emb_releases/2009-10/jaaj-gvo100209.php">Chinese.

Among women with early stage breast cancer, genetic variation of a certain enzyme appears to be associated with clinical outcomes for women treated with tamoxifen, according to a study in the October 7 issue of JAMA.

Models begin to unravel how single DNA strands combine

MADISON — Using computer simulations, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has identified some of the pathways through which single complementary strands of DNA interact and combine to form the double helix.

Present in the cells of all living organisms, DNA is composed of two intertwined strands and contains the genetic "blueprint" through which all living organisms develop and function. Individual strands consist of nucleotides, which include a base, a sugar and a phosphate moiety.

U of A researcher has rare evidence of dinosaur cannibalism

University of Alberta researcher Phil Bell has found 70 million year old evidence of dinosaur cannibalism. The jawbone of what appears to be a Gorgosaurus was found in 1996 in southern Alberta. A technician at the Royal Tyrell Museum found something unusual embedded in the jaw. It was the tip of a tooth from another meat-eating dinosaur.

Novel polymer delivers genetic medicine, allows tracking

Blacksburg, Va. -- Theresa M. Reineke, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Science, and colleagues in her lab at Virginia Tech and at the University of Cincinnati have developed a new molecule that can travel into cells, deliver genetic cargo, and packs a beacon so scientists can follow its movements in living systems.

"My lab has been trying to find a way to deliver genetic-based drugs into cells." said Reineke.

Trackway re-analysis offers new perspective on dinosaur evolution

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---A new investigation of a fossilized tracksite in southern Africa shows how early dinosaurs made on-the-fly adjustments to their movements to cope with slippery and sloping terrain. Differences in how early dinosaurs made these adjustments provide insight into the later evolution of the group.

The research, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Argentina's Universidad de Buenos Aires, and the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town, South Africa, will be published online Oct. 6 in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

Drive a convertible? You may be at risk for noise-induced hearing loss

San Diego, CA – Drivers who frequently take to the road with the top down may be risking serious damage to their hearing, according to research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

Genetic mutation a strong indicator of age-related hearing loss risk

San Diego, CA – Patients who exhibited a certain genetic mutation of anti-oxidant enzymes are three times more likely to develop age-related hearing loss (ARHL), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

Dasatinib,doxorubicin cocktail found to block breast cancer metastasis

CHICAGO --- Think of a protective fence that blocks the neighbor's dog from charging into your backyard. The body, too, has fences -- physical and biochemical barriers that keep cells in their place.

Could antioxidants actually make us more prone to diabetes?

We've all heard about the damage that reactive oxygen species (ROS) – aka free radicals – can do to our bodies and the sales pitches for antioxidant vitamins, skin creams or "superfoods" that can stop them. In fact, there is considerable scientific evidence that chronic ROS production within cells can contribute to human diseases, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

MicroRNA drives cells' adaptation to low-oxygen living

Researchers have fresh insight into an evolutionarily ancient way that cells cope when oxygen levels decline, according to a new study in the October 7th issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. In studies of cells taken from the lining of human pulmonary arteries, they show that a microRNA – a tiny bit of RNA that regulates the activity of particular genes and thus the availability of certain proteins – allows cells to shift their metabolic gears, in a process known as the Pasteur effect.

Come on in: Nuclear barrier less restrictive than expected in new cells

When it comes to the two basic types of cells, prokaryotes and eukaryotes, compartmentalization is everything. Prokaryotes are evolutionarily ancient cells that only have a membrane surrounding their outer boundary, while the more complex eukaryotes have an outer membrane and membrane bound compartments within the cell. Perhaps most notable is the double layered membrane that surrounds the nucleus, the cellular compartment which houses the cell's genetic material.