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Ajuba protein plays a central role in regulating function of heart stem cells

It is not unusual for babies to be born with congenital heart defects. This is because the development of the heart in the embryo is a process which is not only extremely complex, but also error-prone. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now identified a key molecule that plays a central role in regulating the function of stem cells in the heart.

14 Jul 2012

Two cellular proteins team up to provide steady supply of RBCs

Two cellular proteins team up to provide a steady supply of red blood cells (RBCs), according to a study by Lizhao Wu, PhD, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, and colleagues.

14 Jul 2012

Researchers define interaction between two essential proteins that control inflammation

Researchers at the IRCM, led by geneticist Dr. Jacques Drouin, recently defined the interaction between two essential proteins that control inflammation.

14 Jul 2012

PGC-1alpha and TFEB provide two new therapeutic targets for Huntington's disease

In a paper published in the July 11 online issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified two key regulatory proteins critical to clearing away misfolded proteins that accumulate and cause the progressive, deadly neurodegeneration of Huntington's disease.

12 Jul 2012

Presence of SPDEF protein may predict prostate cancers that are unable to metastasize

Prostate cancer doesn't kill in the prostate - it's the disease's metastasis to other tissues that can be fatal. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published this week in the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that prostate cancer cells containing the protein SPDEF continue to grow at the same pace as their SPDEF- cousins, but that these SPDEF+ cells are unable to survive at possible sites of metastasis.

8 Jul 2012

New insights into role and importance of exosomes and their targeted gene transcripts

In the July 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe how human epidermal progenitor cells and stem cells control transcription factors to avoid premature differentiation, preserving their ability to produce new skin cells throughout life.

6 Jul 2012

PHF21A gene plays a big role in Potocki-Shaffer syndrome

A gene whose mutation results in malformed faces and skulls as well as mental retardation has been found by scientists.

6 Jul 2012

Safer alternative to experimental gene therapy against HIV infection

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a surprisingly simple and safe method to disrupt specific genes within cells. The scientists highlighted the medical potential of the new technique by demonstrating its use as a safer alternative to an experimental gene therapy against HIV infection.

2 Jul 2012

Researchers map significant portion of functional sequences of mouse genome

Popularly dubbed "the book of life," the human genome is extraordinarily difficult to read. But without full knowledge of its grammar and syntax, the genome's 2.9 billion base-pairs of adenine and thymine, cytosine and guanine provide limited insights into humanity's underlying genetics.

2 Jul 2012

FDA approves test for dengue virus infection

The first test that can detect the presence of the dengue virus itself rather than antibodies to the virus has been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration.

27 Jun 2012

FOXO3a transcription factor actually promotes growth of anaplastic thyroid cancer

A molecule widely believed to fight many forms of cancer actually helps deadly thyroid tumors grow, and cancer therapies now being tested in humans might boost the activity of this newly revealed bad guy, researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida say.

21 Jun 2012

NF-κB inhibitors can mitigate cellular damage and prevent aging-related degenerative changes

Age-associated degeneration is caused, at least in part, by accumulated cellular damage, including DNA damage, but how these types of damage drive aging remains unclear. Dr. Paul Robbins and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh sought to address this question using a mouse model of DNA repair deficiency.

19 Jun 2012

ISCO develops new TTF-based stem cell technology

International Stem Cell Corporation announced that scientists in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lifeline Cell Technology (LCT), have developed a technology to modify human stem cells by using engineered proteins, called "transducible transcription factors" or "TTFs."

15 Jun 2012

New chemical-screening method can discover compounds against HIV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have used a powerful new chemical-screening method to find compounds that inhibit the activity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

14 Jun 2012

Fluidigm unveils details of new C1 Single-Cell AutoPrep System at ISSCR meeting

Fluidigm today unveiled the details of its new C1 Single-Cell AutoPrep System to attendees at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) meeting in Yokohama, Japan.

13 Jun 2012

Scientists discover new genetic information linked with shigellosis

Scientists have found new genetic information that shows how harmful bacteria cause the acute diarrheal disease shigellosis, which kills more than a million people worldwide each year.

12 Jun 2012

Researchers determine function of series proteins within the mosquito

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have, for the first time, determined the function of a series proteins within the mosquito that transduce a signal that enables the mosquito to fight off infection from the parasite that causes malaria in humans.

8 Jun 2012

Researchers shed light on key biological events that may lead to new disease treatments

In exploring how proteins interact with crucial DNA sequences to regulate gene activity, researchers have shed light on key biological events that may eventually be manipulated to provide new disease treatments.

8 Jun 2012

Scientists discover new function for thrombospondin protein

Scientists have discovered a new function for a protein that protects cells during injury and could eventually translate into treatment for conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to Alzheimer's.

8 Jun 2012

NIH awards $1.9M grant to study genetic control of cell migration

Developmental biologists Dominique Alfandari and Hélène Cousin at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently received a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to investigate craniofacial development in a frog model to better understand genetic control of cell migration.

2 Jun 2012