Evolution, Genetics and Environmental Adaptation
Some populations living at high elevations have evolved over time to adapt to low oxygen levels. By analyzing the genomes of the Amhara group in Ethiopia, researchers found that these high-altitude natives have a genetic variant linked to low hemoglobin levels in blood—a trait that makes them less susceptible to chronic mountain sickness. Native highlanders in Tibet have a similar trait, but the researchers determined that the two groups adapted to the same environmental stress through different genetic and physiological mechanisms. This research may shed light on conditions related to low blood oxygen levels, such as as...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Porcupine Quill Structure May Offer Model for Future Medical Devices
A defining characteristic of the North American porcupine is the 30,000 quills on its back, which can quickly release into a predator and cause pain and damage when removed. Researchers recently examined natural and synthetic porcupine quills to test how they penetrate tissue. Their study revealed that the tips have backward-facing barbs that slip into the tissue with ease but catch and drag it during removal, thereby creating a strong grip with minimal effort and depth of penetration. The quills’ structure may inspire--and serve as a model for developing--improved medical adhesives as well as needles. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Chaperones Caught in the Act
Like their human namesakes at a debutante ball, chaperone proteins ensure that their young wards behave correctly and avoid inappropriate interactions. That is, chaperone proteins enable newly minted amino acid chains to fold properly into functional proteins while preventing misfolding or clumping together. Scientists captured the image of a key chaperone, Hsp70, in the midst of this important--and difficult--task. The research promises to provide atomic-level clues about how to regulate the activity of Hsp70, which is excessively high in cancers and insufficiently low in some neurodegenerative diseases. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Yields Its Secrets
Chang San, a Chinese herbal medicine, has been used for thousands of years to treat malaria fevers, yet its mode of action has eluded scientists. A structural study has now revealed clues about how the medicine works: The active compound kills malaria parasites by binding to and blocking the activity of a key enzyme involved in making proteins. In an unusual twist, the scientists discovered that ATP, a molecule needed for the enzyme to function normally, enables the binding. These details of the herbal compound bound to the enzyme and ATP suggests the medicine’s structure could be a useful model in designing drugs to tre...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Cool Image: A Year of Scientific Beauty and Insights
A rabbit virus in beach ball red. Protein ribbons curling every which way. A gold nanochip speckled with multi-colored peptides. These are just three of the images featured in the 2013 calendar from the Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group (TCBG). More than just pretty pictures, the images reveal new details about the inner workings of biological processes like blood coagulation, viral infection and whole cell behavior. They also showcase TCBG’s stellar modeling, visualization and computational abilities. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Evolution, Genetics and Environmental Adaptation
Some populations living at high elevations have evolved over time to adapt to low oxygen levels. By analyzing the genomes of the Amhara group in Ethiopia, researchers found that these high-altitude natives have a genetic variant linked to low hemoglobin levels in blood—a trait that makes them less susceptible to chronic mountain sickness. Native highlanders in Tibet have a similar trait, but the researchers determined that the two groups adapted to the same environmental stress through different genetic and physiological mechanisms. This research may shed light on conditions related to low blood oxygen levels, such as as...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Porcupine Quill Structure May Offer Model for Future Medical Devices
A defining characteristic of the North American porcupine is the 30,000 quills on its back, which can quickly release into a predator and cause pain and damage when removed. Researchers recently examined natural and synthetic porcupine quills to test how they penetrate tissue. Their study revealed that the tips have backward-facing barbs that slip into the tissue with ease but catch and drag it during removal, thereby creating a strong grip with minimal effort and depth of penetration. The quills’ structure may inspire--and serve as a model for developing--improved medical adhesives as well as needles. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Chaperones Caught in the Act
Like their human namesakes at a debutante ball, chaperone proteins ensure that their young wards behave correctly and avoid inappropriate interactions. That is, chaperone proteins enable newly minted amino acid chains to fold properly into functional proteins while preventing misfolding or clumping together. Scientists captured the image of a key chaperone, Hsp70, in the midst of this important--and difficult--task. The research promises to provide atomic-level clues about how to regulate the activity of Hsp70, which is excessively high in cancers and insufficiently low in some neurodegenerative diseases. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Yields Its Secrets
Chang San, a Chinese herbal medicine, has been used for thousands of years to treat malaria fevers, yet its mode of action has eluded scientists. A structural study has now revealed clues about how the medicine works: The active compound kills malaria parasites by binding to and blocking the activity of a key enzyme involved in making proteins. In an unusual twist, the scientists discovered that ATP, a molecule needed for the enzyme to function normally, enables the binding. These details of the herbal compound bound to the enzyme and ATP suggests the medicine’s structure could be a useful model in designing drugs to tre...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
Cool Image: A Year of Scientific Beauty and Insights
A rabbit virus in beach ball red. Protein ribbons curling every which way. A gold nanochip speckled with multi-colored peptides. These are just three of the images featured in the 2013 calendar from the Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group (TCBG). More than just pretty pictures, the images reveal new details about the inner workings of biological processes like blood coagulation, viral infection and whole cell behavior. They also showcase TCBG’s stellar modeling, visualization and computational abilities. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - January 17, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news
A New Way to Detect Aging
Scientists may have found a new way to estimate how fast different parts of a person’s body are aging. The technique involves tallying small chemical tags, called methyl groups, attached to DNA. These methyl groups start out in specific, predictable places throughout our genomes. As we age, they are added and removed. By analyzing changes in the number and location of methyl groups, the scientists estimated the chronological age of hundreds of people with surprising accuracy. The work has a wide range of possible applications, including helping predict whether a person is at risk for certain diseases and enabling forensi...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - December 20, 2012 Category: Research Source Type: news
New Approach May Accelerate Drug Discovery
To develop new drugs, chemists often make many versions of a compound and then select the one that works the best. Scientists recently created a toolkit of chemical reagents that can accelerate the process of synthesizing heterocycles, which are found in many drugs and are a challenge to modify. Researchers discovered that they could use zinc-based salts to attach different modifying molecules to specific heterocycle sites. These reagents make up the new toolkit and may help chemists speed drug development and reduce its cost. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - December 20, 2012 Category: Research Source Type: news
Three’s a Crowd: Extra Chromosome Removed From Down Syndrome Cell Line
In Down syndrome, the body's cells contain three copies of chromosome 21. This extra copy results in serious medical problems, including heart defects, intellectual disabilities, premature aging and certain forms of leukemia. Now, researchers have a new tool to use in studying--and possibly addressing--some of these conditions. They developed a technique to remove the extra chromosome from a Down syndrome cell line, resulting in cells with the normal chromosome number. The technique may help scientists study the mechanisms by which the extra chromosome causes problems in different organ systems and it might lead to therapi...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - December 20, 2012 Category: Research Source Type: news
Weather Forecast Techniques Used to Predict Regional Flu Outbreaks
You take an umbrella when the weather forecast calls for rain, and one day you might take measures to protect your health when the forecast calls for flu in your area. Using a combination of data sets, computational simulations and techniques adapted from modern weather prediction, researchers developed a modeling system that retrospectively forecasted the dynamics of regional flu outbreaks on a week-to-week basis. If additional testing continues to show promise, the system could be a tool to prepare for and manage influenza outbreaks. (Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat)
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - December 20, 2012 Category: Research Source Type: news
Cool Image: Antioxidant for Damaged Mitochondria
Mitochondria (red and green) power cellular activities in this neuron’s nucleus (blue) and other components. Mitochondria can be damaged by harmful reactive oxygen species, and this damage is associated with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Antioxidants may mitigate the effects. Because these molecules don’t target mitochondria, researchers are designing synthetic ones that do. One collaborative team recently reported developing and testing an antioxidant compound in a mouse model of Huntington’s that improved mitochondrial function and suppressed symptoms of the disease. More testing is needed to...
Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - December 20, 2012 Category: Research Source Type: news
