cell – Page 4 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Researchers Suggest A Proximate Cause of Cancer

By Guest PostJanuary 26, 2012Health, Science3d cancer model, biochemical carcinogenic factors, biochemical factors, boston university, cancer cells, cancer progression, cancerous behavior, carcinogenic factors, cell, computational model, Environment, genetic, healthy tissue, life cycle, malignant tumor, mechanical factors, mechanical property, muhammad zaman, multiplication rate, parag katira, physical stress, prevent cancer, probability of death, radiation, roger t bonnecaze, softening of cells, stiffer cells, synthetic chemicals, types of cancers, understanding of cancer, university of texas at austin

AUSTIN, TX — Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Chemical Engineering are the first to show that mechanical property changes in cells may be responsible for cancer progression — a discovery that could pave the way for new approaches to predict, treat and prevent cancer.

Postdoctoral student Parag Katira and his adviser, Roger T. Bonnecaze, department chair in the Cockrell School of Engineering and T. Brockett Hudson Professor, worked with Muhammad Zaman of Boston University to devise a 3-D cancer model that shows the softening of cells and changes in cell binding cause cancerous behavior in cells. These mechanical property changes cause cells to divide uncontrollably — making them less likely to die and resulting in malignant tumor growth. The findings present a unique physics-based perspective on understanding cancer progression and were published recently in the American Physical Society’s journal Physical Review Letters. (more…)

Researchers Do Precise Gene Therapy Without A Needle

By Guest PostOctober 21, 2011Health, Scienceandrew morss, anti cancer gene, billionth of a meter, brian henslee, cell, early cancer detection and treatment, electrical pulses, fluorescent molecules, gene therapy, genetic pathways, gold coated dna strands, human cells, l james lee, leukemia cells, lung cancer, nanochannel electroporation, nanometer, nanometer sized channels, needle, nep, ohio state university, polymer stamps, polymeric device, pouyan boukany, reservoir of therapeutic agent, scale channel, therapeutic biomolecules, tumors, wei ching liao

COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the first time, researchers have found a way to inject a precise dose of a gene therapy agent directly into a single living cell without a needle.

The technique uses electricity to “shoot” bits of therapeutic biomolecules through a tiny channel and into a cell in a fraction of a second.

L. James Lee and his colleagues at Ohio State University describe the technique in the online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology, where they report successfully inserting specific doses of an anti-cancer gene into individual leukemia cells to kill them. (more…)

A “Jumping Gene’s” Preferred Targets May Influence Genome Evolution

By Guest PostSeptember 10, 2011Scienceallan spradling, baylor college of medicine, cell, chromosomes, DNA, dna duplication, drosophila, drosophila melanogaster, drosophila transposons, fruit fly, gene disruption project, gene function, genetic blueprint, genome duplication cycle, genome structure, hugo bellen, human cell, human genome, jumping genes, minos, model organisms, p element, piggybac, rogerhoskins, transposons

Baltimore, MD — The human genome shares several peculiarities with the DNA of just about every other plant and animal. Our genetic blueprint contains numerous entities known as transposons, or “jumping genes,” which have the ability to move from place to place on the chromosomes within a cell.

An astounding 50% of human DNA comprises both active transposon elements and the decaying remains of former transposons that were active thousands to millions of years ago before becoming damaged and immobile. If all of this mobile and formerly mobile DNA were not mysterious enough, every time a plant, animal or human cell prepares to divide, the chromosome regions richest in transposon-derived sequences, even elements long deceased, are among the last to duplicate. The reason for their delayed duplication, if there is one, has eluded biologists for more than 50 years. (more…)

Salmonella Stays Deadly With a ‘Beta Version’ of Cell Behavior

By Guest PostAugust 20, 2011Scienceabdominal, alpha form, alpha forms of amino acids, amino acid, antibiotics, bacteria, benjamin wolfe, beta lysine, betty zou, cell, common pathogen, diarrhea, ef p, fever, genes, genetically encoded amino acids, hervé roy, michael ibba, ohio state university, poxa, protein synthesis, proteins, salmonella, salmonella infection, typical cell behavior, yjek

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Salmonella cells have hijacked the protein-building process to maintain their ability to cause illness, new research suggests.

Scientists say that these bacteria have modified what has long been considered typical cell behavior by using a beta form of an amino acid – as opposed to an alpha form – during the act of making proteins. (more…)

Berkeley Lab Researchers Illuminate Laminin’s Role in Cancer Formation

By Guest PostMarch 8, 2011Sciencebreast, breast cancer, cancer death, cell, cytoplasmic protein, dna synthesis, dynamic reciprocity theory, epithelial cell quiescence, epithelial tissue, genetic information, laminin, laminin 111, matrix metalloproteinase 9, microenvironment of breast, mina bissell, mmp9, nucleus, protein, quiescence, stages of tumor development, transcription, united states, zinc dependent enzyme

Laminin, long thought to be only a structural support protein in the microenvironment of breast and other epithelial tissue, is “famous” for its cross-like shape. However, laminin is far more than just a support player with a “pretty face.” Two studies led by one of the world’s foremost breast cancer scientists have shown how laminin plays a central role in the development of breast cancer, the second most leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. In one study it was shown how laminin influences the genetic information inside a cell’s nucleus. In the other study it was shown how destruction of laminin can play a detrimental role in the early stages of tumor development. (more…)

Getting a Tighter Grip on Cell Division

By Guest PostNovember 25, 2010Sciencebungo akiyoshi, cell, cell division, chinese handcuff, chromosomes, DNA, genetic information, kinetochore, microtubule, sue biggins

*Molecular “machine” responsible for pulling chromosome copies apart is isolated and seen in action outside the cell*

The dance of cell division is carefully choreographed and has little room for error. Paired genetic information is lined up in the middle of the cell in the form of chromosomes. The chromosomes must then be carefully pulled apart so that the resulting daughter cells each have an identical copy of the mother cell’s DNA. (more…)

Change in Temperature Uncovers Genetic Cross Talk in Plant Immunity

By Guest PostNovember 17, 2010Nature, Sciencearabidopsis thaliana, avrrps4, bacterial infection, bacterial invaders, bacterial pathogen, cell, cross talk, disease, effector proteins, immune system, mechanism, pathogen, plant proteins, plants, proteins, pseudomonas syringae, resistance proteins, saikat bhattacharjee, sang hee kim, srfr1, walter gassmann

*University of Missouri investigators’ discovery sheds light on how plants fight off bacterial infections*

Columbia, MO — Like us, plants rely on an immune system to fight off disease. Proteins that scout out malicious bacterial invaders in the cell and communicate their presence to the nucleus are important weapons in the plant’s disease resistance strategy. Researchers at the University of Missouri recently “tapped” into two proteins’ communications with the nucleus and discovered a previously unknown level of cross talk. The discovery adds important new information about how plant proteins mediate resistance to bacteria that cause disease and may ultimately lead to novel strategies for boosting a plant’s immune system.

Special proteins in the plant, called resistance proteins, can recognize highly specific features of proteins from pathogen, called effector proteins. When a pathogen is detected, a resistance protein triggers an “alarm” that communicates the danger to the cell’s nucleus. The communication between the resistance protein and nucleus occurs through a mechanism called a signaling pathway. (more…)

One Step Closer to a Drug Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis, MU Professor Says

By Guest PostOctober 13, 20101 commentHealth, Scienceatp, cell, cftr, chloride channels, cystic fibrosis, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, drug, fatal genetic diseases, genetic mutations, paper of the week, protein, tzyh chang hwang, university of missouri

*Study recognized for significance and importance in the world’s most common genetic disease*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A University of Missouri researcher believes his latest work moves scientists closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis, one of the world’s most common fatal genetic diseases. (more…)

Tag Archives: cell