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Updated: 4 hours 46 min ago

Ants are friendly to some trees, but not others

Fri, 11/06/2009 - 17:08

Tree-dwelling ants generally live in harmony with their arboreal hosts. But new research suggests that when they run out of space in their trees of choice, the ants can get destructive to neighboring trees.

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Possible help in fight against muscle-wasting disease

Fri, 11/06/2009 - 14:11

A compound already used to treat pneumonia could become a new therapy for an inherited muscular wasting disease, according to researchers at the University of Oregon and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York.

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Pathogen protection and virulence: Dark side of fungal membrane protein revealed

Fri, 11/06/2009 - 12:19

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and Montana State University have discovered a fungal protein that plays a key role in causing disease in plants and animals and which also shields the pathogen from oxidative stress. The researchers have found that the fungal protein TmpL is critical for the infection of host tissue and helps these pathogens regulate oxidative stress responses that are caused by the presence of destructive reactive oxygen species, a natural feature of the adaptive response to infection.

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DNA molecules in moss open door to new biotechnology

Fri, 11/06/2009 - 11:30

Plasmids, which are DNA molecules capable of independent replication in cells, have played an important role in gene technology. Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden have now demonstrated that plasmid-based methods, which had been limited to single-cell organisms such as bacteria and yeasts, can be extended to mosses, opening the door to applications of a number of powerful techniques in plant research. The findings have been published in the distinguished journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS).

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Genomes of biofuel yeasts reveal clues that could boost fuel ethanol production worldwide

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 18:42

As global temperatures and energy costs continue to soar, renewable sources of energy will be key to a sustainable future. An attractive replacement for gasoline is biofuel, and in two studies published online in Genome Research (www.genome.org), scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale.

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CU-Boulder map of human bacterial diversity shows wide interpersonal differences

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 18:13

A University of Colorado at Boulder team has developed the first atlas of bacterial diversity across the human body, charting wide variations in microbe populations that live in different regions of the human body and which aid us in physiological functions that contribute to our health.

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Horse genome sequence and analysis published in Science

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 15:22

An international team of researchers has decoded the genome of the domestic horse Equus caballus, revealing a genome structure with remarkable similarities to humans and more than one million genetic differences across a variety of horse breeds. In addition to shedding light on a key part of the mammalian branch of the evolutionary tree, the work also provides a critical starting point for mapping disease genes in horses.

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Caught in the act: Butterfly mate preference shows how 1 species can become 2

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 15:22

Breaking up may actually not be hard to do, say scientists who've found a population of tropical butterflies that may be on its way to a split into two distinct species.

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Study reveals how plants and bacteria 'talk' to thwart disease

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 15:22

When it comes to plants' innate immunity, like many of the dances of life, it takes two to tango. A receptor molecule in the plant pairs up with a specific molecule on the invading bacteria and, presto, the immune system swings into action to defend against the invasion of the disease-causing microbe.

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Why nice guys usually get the girls

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 14:44

Female water striders often reject their most persistent and aggressive suitors and prefer the males who aren't so grabby, according to new research. Water striders are insects commonly seen skittering across the surface of streams.

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Stanford study shows neural stem cells in mice affected by gene associated with longevity

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 14:13

A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurons in the adult brain, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study in mice suggests that the gene may play an important role in maintaining cognitive function during aging.

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Crossing the line: how aggressive cells invade the brain

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 14:13

This press release is available in German.

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New Notre Dame study provides insights into the molecular basis of tumor cell behavior

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 13:46

A new study by a team of researchers led by Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, sheds light on the molecular basis by which tumor cells modulate their surroundings to favor cancer progression.

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Deciphering the regulatory code

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 10:10

Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. Cells carry out different functions according to a developmental plan, by expressing, i.e. turning on, different combinations of genes. These patterns of gene expression are controlled by transcription factors: molecules which bind to stretches of DNA called cis-regulatory modules (CRMs), and, once bound, switch the relevant genes on or off. Thanks to scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, it is now possible to accurately predict when and where different CRMs will be active. The study, published today in Nature, is a first step towards forecasting the expression of all genes in a given organism and demonstrates that the genetic regulation that is crucial for correct embryonic development is more flexible than previously thought.

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Scientists reveal how induced pluripotent stem cells differ from embryonic stem cells

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 10:00

The same genes that are chemically altered during normal cell differentiation, as well as when normal cells become cancer cells, are also changed in stem cells that scientists derive from adult cells, according to new research from Johns Hopkins and Harvard.

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Lung tissue generated from human embryonic stem cells

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 19:40

Scientists in Belgium have successfully differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into major cell types of lung epithelial tissue using a convenient air-liquid interface. The technique, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research, could provide an alternative to lung transplants for patients with lung injury due to chronic pulmonary disease and inherited genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

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Hybrid bluegrasses analyzed for use in transition zone

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 19:08

The transition zone can be one of the most challenging places to maintain high-quality turfgrass; changeable growing conditions in these regions often prove too hot for some grasses and too cold for others. Finding turfgrass that thrives in these challenging environments can be perplexing for turf management professionals and homeowners alike.

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Organic weed control options for highbush blueberry

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 16:10

Research scientists at Nova Scotia Agricultural College have been working steadily to find effective organic methods to control weeds in cultivated blueberry crops. One resulting study, published in a recent issue of the ASHS journal HortScience, reported on the efficacy of three organic mulches used on highbush blueberry (HBB) produced under organic production practices. The research team determined that the major factor influencing weed suppression by compost mulches (for certain weed species) was likely mulch thickness and bulk density, which provide a barrier to weed growth and prevents light penetration to the soil surface.

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Researchers identify drug candidate for treating spinal muscular atrophy

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 15:44

A chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. This is the finding of a research collaboration involving Adrian Krainer, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and scientists from Paratek Pharmaceuticals and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

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'Genome 10K' proposal aims to sequence 10,000 vertebrates

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:46

An international group of scientists is proposing to generate whole genome sequences for 10,000 vertebrate species using technology so new it hasn't yet been invented. But the scientists say new genome sequencing protocols that will allow them to embark on the project are close to completion and may be available within a year or two.

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