Biology News Net - Molecular & Cell Biology

A new gene trigger for pregnancy disorder identified

Sun, 11 May 2008 14:13:22 -0500

The COMT gene – known already for its role in schizophrenia – has been found to play a role in preeclampsia, according to a report in today’s advance on-line issue of Nature.

Fruit fly avoidance mechanism could lead to new ways to control pain in humans

Sun, 11 May 2008 14:13:22 -0500

At first, fruit flies eat like horses. Hatching inside over-ripe fruit where they were laid, they feed wildly in the sugar-rich environment until nature sends them an offer they can’t refuse. To survive, they must leave the fruit, wander off and burrow into the earth where they avoid food as if it were poison. Only then can the larvae grow and hatch into flies that will take wing to lay their own eggs.

How body size is regulated

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:35:43 -0500

This meta-analysis, published in the latest issue of Nature Genetics, is based on data from more than 26,000 study participants. It verifies two already known genes, but also discovered ten new genes. Altogether they explain a difference in body size of about 3.5 centimeters.

New cancer gene found

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:32:27 -0500

Researchers at the OU Cancer Institute have identified a new gene that causes cancer. The ground-breaking research appears in Nature’s cancer journal Oncogene.

Surprising discovery: Multicellular response is 'all for one'

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:32:23 -0500

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Real or perceived threats can trigger the well-known “fight or flight response” in humans and other animals. Adrenaline flows, and the stressed individual’s heart pumps faster, the muscles work harder, the brain sharpens and non-essential systems shut down. The whole organism responds in concert in order to survive.

Magnet Lab researchers make observing cell functions easier

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:32:21 -0500

Now that the genome (DNA) of humans and many other organisms have been sequenced, biologists are turning their attention to discovering how the many thousands of structural and control genes -- the “worker bees” of living cells that can turn genes on and off -- function.

MicroRNAs appear essential for retinal health

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:19:44 -0500

Retinas in newborn mice appear perfectly fine without any help from tiny bits of genetic material called microRNAs except for one thing — the retinas do not work.

Prions show their good side

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:19:44 -0500

Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, also have a helpful side. According to new findings from Gerald Zamponi and colleagues, normally functioning prions prevent neurons from working themselves to death. The findings appear in the May 5th issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.

Combined physical and genetic map finds cancer's 'ignition key'

Tue, 06 May 2008 12:30:56 -0500

Whole-organ maps that superimpose genetic information over the terrain of cancerous bladders chart the molecular journey from normal cell to invasive cancer, an international research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports online at the journal Laboratory Investigation, a member of the Nature Publishing Group.

Nixing immaturity in red blood cells

Sun, 04 May 2008 21:48:25 -0500

A process of self-digestion called autophagy prompts the maturation of red blood cells. Without a protein called Nix, the cells would not effectively rid themselves of organelles called mitochondria and consequently become short-lived, leading to anemia, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online today in the journal Nature.