Body

A research group at the University of Tokyo has identified a Pac-Man-like enzyme called "Trimmer" involved in the generation of a class of small RNAs, which protect the genome of germ cells from unwanted genetic rewriting.

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 25, 2016 -- As blood flows through our vessels, the cells that constitute these vessels responds to the shear stress of blood flow to ensure normal circulation. This process of converting a mechanical force into a biological function is known as "mechanotransduction."

But a bit of mystery has enshrouded the type of specialized mechanotransducers--force sensors--underlying the process and how they're able to sense a force and, subsequently, transduce to downstream biological functions.

Inflammation is a Catch-22: the body needs it to eliminate invasive organisms and foreign irritants, but excessive inflammation can harm healthy cells, contributing to aging and sometimes leading to organ failure and death. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a protein known as p62 acts as a molecular brake to keep inflammation in check and avoid collateral damage. The mouse study is published February 25 in Cell.

La Jolla, Calif., February 25, 2016 (embargoed until 12:00 P.M. EST) -- In new research from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), scientists have identified a protein that can extend the natural lifespan of C. elegans, a microscopic roundworm commonly used for research on aging and longevity. The findings, published today in Cell Reports, expand what we know about the aging process and may lead to new ways to delay the onset of human age-related diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

The first complete sequences of the Y chromosomes of Aboriginal Australian men have revealed a deep indigenous genetic history tracing all the way back to the initial settlement of the continent 50 thousand years ago, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology today (25th February 2016).

For decades, intensive research has been conducted on drugs all over the world to treat Alzheimer's patients. Although major progress has been made in diagnostics (the disease can be detected increasingly early and accurately), the therapeutic options remain limited.

There is a unique role for the United States medical community to play in determining the future application of, and ethically acceptable approach to, mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs), according to a commentary published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] --This winter has provided several dramatic developments in the ongoing debate about whether altering the "germline" - that is, the genome of a new embryo - should be allowed. Employing the technique could permanently alter not just an individual, but also that person's future genetic lineage. In a new research essay in the journal Cell, a duo of medical and legal experts from Brown and Harvard Universities argues that if the U.S. decides to consider the practice, it has a well-drawn regulatory roadmap to follow, courtesy of the United Kingdom.

A new way to use the chemical reactions of certain enzymes to trigger self-powered mechanical movement has been developed by a team of researchers at Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh. A paper describing the team's research, titled "Convective flow reversal in self-powered enzyme micropumps," is published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Sailing history is rife with tales of monster-sized rogue waves -- huge, towering walls of water that seemingly rise up from nothing to dwarf, then deluge, vessel and crew. Rogue waves can measure eight times higher than the surrounding seas and can strike in otherwise calm waters, with virtually no warning.

Now a prediction tool developed by MIT engineers may give sailors a 2-3 minute warning of an incoming rogue wave, providing them with enough time to shut down essential operations on a ship or offshore platform.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Feb. 25, 2016--Scientists have a new tool for unraveling the mysteries of how diseases such as HIV move through a population, thanks to insights into phylogenetics, the creation of an organism's genetic tree and evolutionary relationships.

Medical scientists just vetted a potentially powerful new tool for helping prevent stroke and heart attack. In a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers show that a drug reduced the risk of stroke or heart attack by almost a quarter in patients who had previously suffered a stroke or mini-stroke.

Environmental scientists at the University of Virginia have found that surface ozone, an abundant chemical known to be toxic to many species of vegetation and to humans, does not necessarily inhibit the productivity of natural ecosystems.

"This is a rare piece of good news in the ozone and ecology story," said Manuel Lerdau, an ecologist who, along with graduate student Bin Wang, post-doctoral fellow Jacquelyn Shuman and Professor Hank Shugart, published their findings this week in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.

Ebola. Chikungunya. Zika. Once rare and exotic pathogens keep popping up and turning into household names. It's the new reality as the climate warms, humans expand more into wildlife habitats and air travel shrinks the distances across the globe.

"Africa and other parts of the developing world are undergoing rapid urbanization, so we are going to keep seeing more of these explosive epidemics," says Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, a disease ecologist focused on mosquito-borne diseases in Emory University's Department of Environmental Sciences.

Lymphatic vessels play multifaceted roles in the body, including the absorption of dietary lipid in the intestines as well as the movement of immune cells throughout the body. Previous work by Guillermo Oliver and colleagues showed that mice with lymphatic defects due to loss of one copy of the Prox1 gene developed obesity late in life.