News tagged with functional molecules
Researchers unlock mystery of how 'handedness' arises
The overwhelming majority of proteins and other functional molecules in our bodies display a striking molecular characteristic: They can exist in two distinct forms that are mirror images of each other, like ...
May 08, 2012 |
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To get the full story you need to know the motifs
Genome sequencing alone provides researchers with only limited information on the organism works because it neither reveals how the system is regulated nor does it indicate the role of each specific DNA sequence or RNA transcript. ...
Mar 26, 2012 |
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Nerve gas litmus test could sense airborne chemical weapons
(PhysOrg.com) -- Nerve gases are colorless, odorless, tasteless and deadly. While today's soldiers carry masks and other protective gear, they don't have reliable ways of knowing when they need them in time. ...
Mar 13, 2012 |
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A foot in the door to genetic information
In the cell nucleus, DNA wraps around what are called histone proteins, forming regularly spaced spherical bodies called nucleosomes. Thus, large portions of the genetic material are inaccessible to the gene reading machinery. ...
Mar 07, 2012 |
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Why 'soot' could be the key to delivering drugs to cancer cells
Nano-scale tubes made of carbon could be used to safely penetrate human cells and deliver anti-cancer medicines or modified DNA molecules for gene therapy. Although there is a long way to go before the concept ...
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Feb 29, 2012 |
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Metabolic errors can spell doom for DNA
Many critical cell functions depend on a class of molecules called purines, which form half of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, and are a major component of the chemicals that store a cell’s energy. ...
Jan 31, 2012 |
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New test spots early signs of mucopolysaccharidoses -- inherited metabolic disorders
A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, have developed a simple, reliable test for identifying biomarkers for mucopolysaccharidoses ...
Jan 08, 2012 |
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Silk microneedles deliver controlled-release drugs painlessly
Bioengineers at Tufts University School of Engineering have developed a new silk-based microneedle system able to deliver precise amounts of drugs over time and without need for refrigeration. The tiny needles can be fabricated ...
Dec 21, 2011 |
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Nanoparticles offer insights into interactions between single-stranded DNA and their binding proteins
Double-stranded DNA must disentangle itself into single strands during replication or repair to allow functional molecules to bind and perform their various operations. Cellular proteins specifically bind ...
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 29, 2011 |
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Iodate refuses to intimidate
Like a bull in a china shop, a massive, iodine-based ion called iodate should disrupt the surrounding water molecules until it is forcibly expelled. However, it doesn't. This disconnect between the molecule's ...
Nov 08, 2011 |
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Explosive composite based on nanoparticles and DNA could be an energy source for embedded microsystems
A solid explosive with an energy density equivalent to that of nitroglycerine: this is the composite material produced by researchers at the Laboratoire d'Analyse et d'Architecture des Systemes (CNRS) in Toulouse, France, ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Nov 03, 2011 |
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Manipulating single molecules to unravel secrets of protein folding
Physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) are opening a new window into the life of biological cells, using a technique that lets them grab the ends of a single protein molecule and pull, making ...
Oct 27, 2011 |
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New technique gives precise picture of how regulatory RNA controls gene activity
A new technique developed by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine allows researchers to identify the exact DNA sequences and locations bound by regulatory RNAs. This information is necessary to understand ...
Sep 29, 2011 |
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Insect gut microbe with a molecular iron reservoir
Microbes are omnipresent on earth. They are found as free-living microorganisms as well as in communities with other higher organisms. Thanks to modern biological techniques we are now able to address the ...
Sep 01, 2011 |
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A question of gene silencing
When investigating cancer cells, researchers discovered numerous peculiarities: Particular RNA molecules are present in large numbers, particular genes are overactive. Do these characteristics have a relation to cancer? Do ...
Aug 24, 2011 |
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