Biochemistry News and Research

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Signaling molecule involved in osteoarthritis identified

Using naturally-occurring mutant mice with a defective collagen gene, scientists at Harvard have identified a signaling molecule involved in one of the most common causes of disability among the elderly in the United States, osteoarthritis.

4 Jan 2005

Significant advance in understanding the human genome

An Oregon Health & Science University-led development of a technique for identifying control elements that drive the expression of genes in brain cells could unleash the disease-fighting potential of the much-hailed human genome.

28 Dec 2004

Stevioside is an excellent choice for diabetics

Stevioside, the main sweet component in the leaves of the Stevia plant, tastes about 300 times sweeter than table sugar, which means only a small amount is needed for sweetening purposes.

23 Dec 2004

Researchers can now inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip

Devices the size of a pager now have greater capabilities than computers that once occupied an entire room. Similar advances are being made in the emerging field of synthetic biology at the University of Houston, now allowing researchers to inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip.

23 Dec 2004

New theory driving evolutionary changes

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have used canine DNA to identify a genetic mutation mechanism they believe is responsible for rapid evolutionary changes in the physical appearance of many species.

14 Dec 2004

Molecular Achilles heel in the organism that causes pneumonia

Scientists have found a “molecular Achilles heel” in the organism that causes pneumonia, providing a target for the development of a new class of antibiotics that could eventually eradicate the disease.

13 Dec 2004

Using precise, radioactively labeled genetic probes, researchers study cancer gene activity from outside the body

Using precise, radioactively labeled genetic probes, researchers at Jefferson Medical College have seen cancer gene activity from outside the body in laboratory mice. The probes, which work by attaching to genetic codes copied from an active cancer gene, may someday aid physicians and scientists in cancer detection and in determining the appropriate treatment for a cancer.

13 Dec 2004

New malaria enzyme laid bare with help of computer calculations

Using only computers, a research team at Uppsala University in Sweden has managed to reveal both the structure and the function of a newly discovered enzyme from the most dangerous malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.

8 Dec 2004

New research is allowing biochemists to understand a key hierarchy of protein interactions that occurs in DNA

"All cancers are marked by some form of DNA replication gone awry, so a basic understanding of DNA replication is of paramount importance to those designing cancer-fighting drugs,"

8 Dec 2004

New advances in sickle cell disease

Excruciating pain episodes, recurrent pneumonias, strokes, severe infections, chronic hemolytic anemia, and secondary pulmonary hypertension are common complications of sickle cell disease, a life-threatening inherited defect in blood that causes normally disc-shaped red blood cells to take on a sickle shape.

6 Dec 2004

Gene decoding revealed at atomic level

A recent finding by a North Carolina State University biochemist advances the fundamental biology of how genetic information, encoded in DNA, is decoded for the production of proteins.

4 Dec 2004

Stress affects molecules believed to play a key role in cellular aging

There have been many studies that have shown that your health is greatly affected by how you react to stressful events in life-setbacks or deadlines at work, conflicts and losses at home.

29 Nov 2004

Indoprofen may lead to new treatments for spinal muscular atrophy

A drug withdrawn from pharmacy shelves over 20 years ago may point the way to a new treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a muscle-wasting and often life-threatening childhood disease.

29 Nov 2004

Rifampicin can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have shown that rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis, can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with the death of brain cells in people with Parkinson's disease. The drug also dissolved existing fibrils in laboratory tests.

29 Nov 2004

New research may lead to treatments for atherosclerosis

Scientists are one step closer to deciphering the molecular signaling process controlling innate immunity with the discovery that a molecule called IRAK1 regulates the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Because atherosclerosis patients often have elevated IL-10 levels, IRAK1 may be a viable target for developing therapeutics for atherosclerosis.

29 Nov 2004

Scientists have determined the crystal structure of a protein kinase C (PKC) isozyme

This structure should prove extremely useful in the rational design of small molecule inhibitors of PKCÈ, which has been implicated in T-cell mediated disease processes including inflammation and autoimmunity.

19 Nov 2004

Overexpression of a protein called Down Syndrome Critical Region 1 (DSCR-1) reduces tumor growth

Scientists have found that overexpression of a protein called Down Syndrome Critical Region 1 (DSCR-1) blocks the formation of new blood vessels and thus reduces tumor growth. Therapeutics based on this finding may potentially lead to new cancer treatments.

19 Nov 2004

Family experience guides Alzheimer’s research

After watching his father struggle with and ultimately succumb to Alzheimer’s disease, ASU professor Michael Sierks shifted his research focus from starch hydrolyzing to neurodegenerative diseases.

18 Nov 2004

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from a virus that causes a fatal nervous system disorder, according to research conducted at Brown University and Case Western Reserve University.

18 Nov 2004

Enzyme that normally alters the activity of other protein molecules in cells may also help prevent cancer

The enzyme is known as PTPRO (for “protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type O”). When the gene responsible for producing PTPRO is silenced, as can happen in lung cancer, for example, the amount of the enzyme drops, allowing the cells to grow when they shouldn’t.

11 Nov 2004

Biochemistry News and Research

Signaling molecule involved in osteoarthritis identified

Significant advance in understanding the human genome

Stevioside is an excellent choice for diabetics

Researchers can now inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip

New theory driving evolutionary changes

Molecular Achilles heel in the organism that causes pneumonia

Using precise, radioactively labeled genetic probes, researchers study cancer gene activity from outside the body

New malaria enzyme laid bare with help of computer calculations

New research is allowing biochemists to understand a key hierarchy of protein interactions that occurs in DNA

New advances in sickle cell disease

Gene decoding revealed at atomic level

Stress affects molecules believed to play a key role in cellular aging

Indoprofen may lead to new treatments for spinal muscular atrophy

Rifampicin can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with Parkinson's disease

New research may lead to treatments for atherosclerosis

Scientists have determined the crystal structure of a protein kinase C (PKC) isozyme

Overexpression of a protein called Down Syndrome Critical Region 1 (DSCR-1) reduces tumor growth

Family experience guides Alzheimer’s research

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Enzyme that normally alters the activity of other protein molecules in cells may also help prevent cancer

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