Body

Flaviviruses--such as Zika, dengue, and yellow fever--have emerged as human (and other primate) pathogens because of their ability to specifically overcome our anti-viral defenses. In the case of Zika, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report May 19 in Cell Host & Microbe that one of the virus's seven non-structural proteins (NS5) is singularly responsible for blocking the action of interferons (proteins that stop viral replication) in human cells, while mouse cells are unaffected.

Stem cells are typically thought to have the intrinsic ability to generate or replace specialized cells. However, a team of biologists at NYU showed that regenerating plants can naturally reconstitute their stem cells from more mature cells by replaying embryogenesis.

"Paradoxically, this means that, in this system, stem cells don't immediately generate the plant's tissue, but, rather, tissues make stem cells," explains Kenneth Birnbaum, an associate professor in New York University's Department of Biology and the study's senior author.

If he ever gives a TED talk, Jeremy Sanford may have to come up with a better name for the protein he's been studying, which appears to play an important role in driving the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. For now, it's known as IGF2BP3, which stands for "insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3."

A new USC-led study identified a "sunscreen" gene that may help stave off skin cancer.

The researchers found that the "UV radiation Resistance Associated Gene" is a tumor suppressor for skin cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer. In fact, melanoma rates have doubled over the last three decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For many birds, just like for many people, red is the color of love. And, as with so many things, there is science behind the color.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues have discovered the gene that produces the brilliant red color in male birds that is so attractive to females.

LA JOLLA--A new technique developed by Salk Institute scientists for rapidly mapping regions of DNA targeted by regulatory proteins could give scientists insight into what makes some plants drought tolerant or disease resistant, among other traits.

La Jolla, Calif., May 19, 2016 (embargoed until 12:00 P.M. EST) -- An international collaborative study led by scientists at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) has identified a malicious form of a protein that drives the formation of melanoma. The findings, published today in Cell Reports, reveal unexpected insight into how this lethal skin cancer develops and progresses, and may help understand and develop novel therapies against these aggressive tumors.

A large proportion of cancer cases and deaths among U.S. individuals who are white might be prevented if people quit smoking, avoided heavy drinking, maintained a BMI between 18.5 and 27.5, and got moderate weekly exercise for at least 150 minutes or vigorous exercise for at least 75 minutes, according to a new study published online by JAMA Oncology.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in the United States.

An aging Baby Boomer population in the U.S. will contribute to an expected doubling of the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness in the next 35 years, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.

Patients with asthma have chronic lung inflammation that results in sporadic narrowing of the airways and difficulty breathing. Symptoms and severity are variable among individuals; however, the cells and inflammatory factors that trigger asthmatic events have been fairly well characterized and are similar regardless of the asthma-inducing stimuli. In this issue of JCI Insight, investigators led by Karin Reif of KARBio LLC and Cary Austin of Genentech Inc.

Obesity and subsequent complications are increasing in frequency worldwide. The accumulation of adipose tissue is associated with increased inflammation, and it has been proposed that modification of proinflammatory responses could alter adipose tissue composition. A study in this issue of JCI Insight demonstrates that mice lacking the proinflammatory signaling molecule TAK1 are protected from obesity and insulin resistance induced by a high fat diet.

Sepsis is a life-threatening complication of infection in which the molecules that the body releases to fight an infection trigger widespread inflammatory responses, resulting in damage to multiple organ systems. In this issue of JCI Insight, Huan Yang of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Ulf Andersson of the Karolinska Institutet and colleagues, report on a method to scavenge inflammatory molecules that mediate sepsis in mice.

Right across the bird and animal kingdoms, the colour red is used for communication, often to attract mates, and zebra finches are no different: the males have a distinctive red beak, which is a sexually selected trait - as females prefer males with redder beaks.

New research on zebra finches has identified for the first time the genes that allow some bird species to produce the red pigment that plays such a critical role in attraction and mating.

New York, NY (May 19, 2016) - Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute discovered an important biological phenomenon in human cells that will help scientists and clinicians design safer treatments to prevent mitochondrial diseases. NYSCF first pioneered a technique, mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT), in 2012 to prevent inheritance of these devastating and debilitating diseases.

OAKLAND, Calif., May 19, 2016 -- Overweight colorectal cancer patients were 55 percent less likely to die from their cancer than normal-weight patients who have the disease, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in JAMA Oncology.