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Marine bacteria genes can help track environmental changes caused by humans

The gene expression of marine bacteria can be a valuable sensor for discovering environmental changes caused by humans. Furthermore, bacteria help to clean our oceans and hopefully they could be used to purify drinking water from harmful environmental toxins in the future.

13 Feb 2020

Study reveals molecular pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy

In a study recently published in Nature Communications scientists at Okayama University describe the detailed molecular pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy in mice lacking the fukutin gene (Fktn), the causative gene for Fukuyama muscular dystrophy.

13 Feb 2020

Light-activated protein restores mitochondrion function in fruit fly model of Parkinson’s disease

A light-sensitive protein can restore mitochondria function in fruit flies bearing a gene mutation associated with Parkinson’s disease and relieve its symptoms, report researchers at Juntendo University in the journal Communications Biology.

13 Feb 2020

Macrophages consult with neighbors before making decisions

Many people consult their friends and neighbors before making a big decision. It turns out that cells also are consulting their neighbors in the human body.

13 Feb 2020

New insights may guide design of light-sensitive proteins with desired properties

A team of scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University has gained insight into how electric fields affect the way energy from light drives molecular motion and transformation in a protein commonly used in biological imaging.

13 Feb 2020

Microbiome in dermis skin layer is the same regardless of age and gender

In the dermis skin layer, the same bacteria are found across age and gender. This has been shown by researchers from the University of Copenhagen in a new study which has studied skin samples from knees and hips.

12 Feb 2020

Bacterial viruses in intestinal tracts of children may play a role in stunting

New research spearheaded by McGill University has discovered that bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) found in the intestinal tracts of children may play a role in childhood stunting, a significant impediment to growth that affects 22% of children under the age of five around the world.

12 Feb 2020

Diets high in fat and protein exacerbate C. diff infections in mice

Popular diets low in carbs and high in fat and protein might be good for the waistline, but a new UNLV study shows that just the opposite may help to alleviate the hospital-acquired infection Clostridioides difficile.

12 Feb 2020

Researchers discover antibiotics with unique approach to attacking bacteria

A new group of antibiotics with a unique approach to attacking bacteria has been discovered, making it a promising clinical candidate in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

12 Feb 2020

New approach for organic synthesis may apply to drug discovery

After helping develop a new approach for organic synthesis -- carbon-hydrogen functionalization -- scientists at Emory University are now showing how this approach may apply to drug discovery

12 Feb 2020

New therapeutic compounds could fight against brain-eating amoebae

Brain-eating amoebae can cause particularly harmful forms of encephalitis, and more than 95% of people who develop these rare but devastating infections die.

12 Feb 2020

Bacterial DNA promotes tau protein misfolding and aggregation, study shows

Researchers from Human Microbiology Institute and Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School in Houston have discovered that bacterial extracellular DNA can trigger Tau protein misfolding into neurotoxic aggregates, a key process in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis.

12 Feb 2020

Pro EZLC method translator simplifies LC method migration

Scaling down an existing LC method to a smaller column format can speed up run time, increase sample throughput, and reduce solvent use, but only if the LC conditions are also properly adjusted. Pro EZLC method translation software simplifies and streamlines this process by taking manual calculations and time-consuming lab work out of the way.

From Restek Corporation 12 Feb 2020

Natural product from a fungus could shed light on cellular interactions prominent in cancer

A fungus that attacks almond and peach trees may be key to identifying new drug targets for cancer therapy.

12 Feb 2020

Vapers exhibit similar chemical changes in their genome as smokers

Biologically important changes in DNA seen in smokers are also being found in people who vape, according to a new study published in the journal Epigenetics.

12 Feb 2020

Unexpected findings could lead to new therapeutic intervention for ALS

A therapeutic intervention for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, could be on the horizon thanks to unexpected findings by University of Arizona researchers.

11 Feb 2020

Microbiome can predict a person's chronological age

Our microbiomes - the complex communities of microbes that live in, on and around us - are influenced by our diets, habits, environments and genes, and are known to change with age.

11 Feb 2020

New technique may yield insights on the immune response to intestinal parasite infections

A new technique may help scientists study the body's immune response to intestinal parasite infections one gut cell at a time, according to a study published today in eLife.

11 Feb 2020

DNA misfolding linked to heightened risk for Type 1 diabetes

It's known that genetics, or an inherited genome, is a major determinant of one's risk for autoimmune diseases, like Type 1 diabetes. In human cells, a person's genome--about six feet of DNA--is compressed into the micrometer space of the nucleus via a three-dimensional folding process.

11 Feb 2020

Major breakthrough in understanding how malaria parasite grows and multiplies

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in understanding how the parasite that causes malaria is able to multiply at such an alarming rate, which could be a vital clue in discovering how it has evolved, and how it can be stopped.

11 Feb 2020