Scientists have long known that control mechanisms known collectively as "epigenetics" play a critical role in human development, but they did not know precisely how alterations in this extra layer of biochemical instructions ...
May 09, 2013
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RNA molecules, made from DNA, are best known for their role in protein production. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), however, are short (~22) nucleotide RNA sequences found in plants and animals that do not encode pro ...
Apr 25, 2013
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Many proteins undergo extensive modification after being synthesized, particularly those that are secreted or embedded in the cell membrane. This is achieved within the Golgi apparatus (see image), a cellular ...
Apr 24, 2013
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A research team at the University of Guelph has developed a new line of transgenic "Enviropigs." The new line of pigs is called the Cassie line, and it is known for passing genes on more reliably. The results of this project ...
Mar 07, 2013
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Small stretches of DNA in the human genome are known as "pseudogenes" because, while their sequences are nearly identical to those of various genes, they have long been thought to be non-coding "junk" DNA.
Feb 24, 2013
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(Phys.org)—A simple, precise and inexpensive method for cutting DNA to insert genes into human cells could transform genetic medicine, making routine what now are expensive, complicated and rare procedures ...
Jan 08, 2013
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(Phys.org)—Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) report that they have solved the crystal structure of a protein involved in holding bacterial cells together in a biofilm, a major development in their exploration ...
Jan 02, 2013
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Cilia, microscopic whip-like organelles that protrude from the surface of many cell types, are almost ubiquitous. They are present in all eukaryotes—organisms whose cells have a nucleus—and have diversified ...
Jan 02, 2013
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For humans to grow and to replace and heal damaged tissues, the body's cells must continually reproduce, a process known as "cell division," by which one cell becomes two, two become four, and so on. A key ...
Dec 20, 2012
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The Wip1 protein is important for survival, but mutations that inactivate it carry some surprising features. "A lack of Wip1 results in an excessive immune reaction to infectious organisms, in some cases ...
Dec 19, 2012
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(Phys.org)—Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered a protein that does its best work with one foot in the grave.
Dec 12, 2012
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For decades, microbiologists thought that bacteria act individually, unaware of their multitudinous counterparts involved in causing the same infection. In the past two decades, however, they have discovered ...
Nov 21, 2012
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Notch – the protein that can help determine cell fate – maintains a stable population of basal cells in the prostate through a positive feedback loop system with another key protein – TGF beta (transforming growth factor ...
Nov 01, 2012
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Bacteria have a bad rap as agents of disease, but scientists are increasingly discovering their many benefits, such as maintaining a healthy gut.
Oct 24, 2012
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(Phys.org)—To remove waste from cells, a class of membrane-sculpting proteins create vesicles—molecular trash bags—that carry old and damaged proteins from the surface of cellular compartments into ...
Oct 23, 2012
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