Molecule Linked to Rare Blood Type
In addition to the familiar ABO blood group system, there are more than 30 others. Scientists now better understand the molecular underpinnings of a rare blood type called Vel-negative. An international research team has shown that a previously unknown protein, SMIM1, is missing from the red blood cells of individuals who are Vel-negative. About 1 in 2,500 people have this blood type, and they are at great risk for potentially fatal complications from successive transfusions. Based on these findings, the researchers have developed two DNA-based tests to assist health professionals in detecting and treating Vel-negative pat...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
CRISPR Gene Silencing Tool
One way to find out what a gene does is to shut it off and observe how the cell responds. However, current techniques often turn off untargeted genes as well, making it harder to understand the effects. Now scientists have found a “crisper” way to deactivate a specific gene. The new technique, which is based on the CRISPR interference mechanism that bacteria use to fight off viruses, silences a target gene while having little effect on other genes. The method is a valuable new tool for exploring gene functions and offers a new therapeutic strategy for quieting overly active genes in diseases like cancer. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Ion Channel Releases ATP for Taste Perception
The sense of taste consists of five primary types: sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (savory). Researchers have figured out how cells transmit information regarding three of these taste types. The involvement of ATP, the body’s main fuel source, was already known, but how it participated remained a mystery. A study conducted in mice found that CALHM1, which is expressed in sweet, bitter and savory tastes bud cells and forms an opening in the pore of the cell membrane, releases ATP molecules. These molecules alert neurons to signal the taste centers of the brain. CALHM1 and its different forms could also play a part in ...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
How a Fungus Outmaneuvers a Copper Attack
Inhaled fungal spores can lead to fatal infections in people with compromised immune systems, and few antifungal drugs are effective. Researchers have discovered two mechanisms used by lethal strains of the fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans, to disarm the immune response in the lungs of mice. When defense cells known as macrophages encounter C. neoformans, they engulf the pathogen and pump it full of copper. In response, the fungus creates a protein shield, protecting it from the toxic copper environment. C. neoformans then shuts down the host’s ability to concentrate copper in macrophages. Scientists are now studying how ...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Cool Image: OMX, Mitosis!
Mitosis is the process that divides a single cell into two new cells. In this scene from mitosis, chromosomes (blue) are pulled apart by hook-like kinetochores (green) and spindle fibers (red). A light microscope called the OMX (the researchers later nicknamed it the OMG because of its stunning results) captured this image using high-resolution super-speed cameras. The incredible resolution will let scientists see where specific proteins act on spindle fibers to coordinate chromosome segregation. Such details could lead to a better understanding of what happens when cell division goes awry, as it does in cancer cells. The ...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Molecule Linked to Rare Blood Type
In addition to the familiar ABO blood group system, there are more than 30 others. Scientists now better understand the molecular underpinnings of a rare blood type called Vel-negative. An international research team has shown that a previously unknown protein, SMIM1, is missing from the red blood cells of individuals who are Vel-negative. About 1 in 2,500 people have this blood type, and they are at great risk for potentially fatal complications from successive transfusions. Based on these findings, the researchers have developed two DNA-based tests to assist health professionals in detecting and treating Vel-negative pat...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
CRISPR Gene Silencing Tool
One way to find out what a gene does is to shut it off and observe how the cell responds. However, current techniques often turn off untargeted genes as well, making it harder to understand the effects. Now scientists have found a “crisper” way to deactivate a specific gene. The new technique, which is based on the CRISPR interference mechanism that bacteria use to fight off viruses, silences a target gene while having little effect on other genes. The method is a valuable new tool for exploring gene functions and offers a new therapeutic strategy for quieting overly active genes in diseases like cancer. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Ion Channel Releases ATP for Taste Perception
The sense of taste consists of five primary types: sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (savory). Researchers have figured out how cells transmit information regarding three of these taste types. The involvement of ATP, the body’s main fuel source, was already known, but how it participated remained a mystery. A study conducted in mice found that CALHM1, which is expressed in sweet, bitter and savory tastes bud cells and forms an opening in the pore of the cell membrane, releases ATP molecules. These molecules alert neurons to signal the taste centers of the brain. CALHM1 and its different forms could also play a part in ...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
How a Fungus Outmaneuvers a Copper Attack
Inhaled fungal spores can lead to fatal infections in people with compromised immune systems, and few antifungal drugs are effective. Researchers have discovered two mechanisms used by lethal strains of the fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans, to disarm the immune response in the lungs of mice. When defense cells known as macrophages encounter C. neoformans, they engulf the pathogen and pump it full of copper. In response, the fungus creates a protein shield, protecting it from the toxic copper environment. C. neoformans then shuts down the host’s ability to concentrate copper in macrophages. Scientists are now studying how ...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Cool Image: OMX, Mitosis!
Mitosis is the process that divides a single cell into two new cells. In this scene from mitosis, chromosomes (blue) are pulled apart by hook-like kinetochores (green) and spindle fibers (red). A light microscope called the OMX (the researchers later nicknamed it the OMG because of its stunning results) captured this image using high-resolution super-speed cameras. The incredible resolution will let scientists see where specific proteins act on spindle fibers to coordinate chromosome segregation. Such details could lead to a better understanding of what happens when cell division goes awry, as it does in cancer cells. The ...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
First Step-by-Step Snapshots of Transcription Initiation
When a gene is turned on--such as insulin in pancreatic cells or melanin in skin cells--an enzyme called RNA polymerase transcribes the genetic information from DNA into RNA. But RNA polymerase can’t initiate the process alone. A bevy of helper molecules identify the gene’s start site, provide a landing pad for the polymerase and prime the DNA for transcription. These helpers alight onto the DNA and assemble into a growing complex in a precise, stepwise manner that has now been captured in a series of detailed molecular snapshots. Knowing how this intricate complex forms provides a valuable framework for understanding ...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - March 21, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
A Potential Cure for Kissing Bug’s Infectious Bite
Chagas disease, which is caused by a parasite and transmitted by a “kissing bug,” can lead to intestinal infection, heart disease and even death. Right now, treatment options are limited and toxic. This might change if new research on VNI, a small molecule, continues to show promise. In mouse models, researchers used VNI to inhibit an enzyme that the parasite needs to survive, achieving both a 100 percent parasitological cure and survival rate with no toxic side effects. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - March 21, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
New Catalysts Improve Production of Important Organic Molecules
Making molecules for biomedical uses is tricky. The work is often expensive and time-consuming, requiring extreme temperatures, toxic ingredients and rare or precious metals. Now, chemists synthesizing common organic molecules can overcome these challenges by employing a new class of catalysts (substances used to spur chemical reactions). The catalysts are renewable, cheap to prepare and easy to use. They promote extraordinarily selective reactions that favor desired products over chemically similar but inactive molecules. The catalysts will enable chemists to create a wide variety of biologically and medically useful mole...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - March 21, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Structural Details of Enzyme Involved in Antibiotic Resistance
Disease-causing bacteria like E. coli have a natural defense against antibiotics--an enzyme called NDM-1. Researchers now have a more detailed understanding of how the enzyme works. NDM-1 binds to and breaks the ß-lactam ring, a structure that antibiotics need to function. Certain metals, including zinc, manganese and cadmium, can bind to the enzyme’s active site and to the ß-lactam ring. While some metals allow the enzyme to cleave the ring, cadmium tends to prevent it from doing so. This inhibitor may offer clues to designing more effective antibiotics, especially ones for drug-resistant “superbugs.” (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - March 21, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Cool Image: Nanoparticles and Lung Function
This image may resemble a trendy textile from a fashion designer’s spring collection, but it’s actually a microscopic image of lung surfactant, a lipid-protein material that aids in respiration by reducing the amount of energy needed. Using microscopy techniques, the researchers captured a snapshot of the changes that occur (black) when surfactant molecules are stressed by carbon nanoparticles. The scientists found that if inhaled, carbon nanoparticles could influence the function of the main lipid component of surfactant. A likely gateway for nanoparticles to enter the body is through the lungs, so this and future stu...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - March 21, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
