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A virus reveals the physics of nanopores

By Guest PostJuly 8, 2014Sciencebacterial phyla, brown university, candidatus andersenbacteria, derek stein, dna sequencing, dna strands, e coli bacteria, ebola, gemaelde, interaction, jenifer johnson, jill banfield, karthik anantharaman, ken williams, kunstgeschmack, matthew pelowski, membrane, nanopore, new bacteria groups, polymer, sozial faktoren, virus

Nanopores could provide a new way to sequence DNA quickly, but the physics involved isn’t well understood. That’s partly because of the complexities involved in studying the random, squiggly form DNA takes in solution. Researchers from Brown have simplified matters by using a stiff, rod-like virus instead of DNA to experiment with nanopores. Their research has uncovered previously unknown dynamics in polymer-nanopore interactions.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Nanopores may one day lead a revolution in DNA sequencing. By sliding DNA molecules one at a time through tiny holes in a thin membrane, it may be possible to decode long stretches of DNA at lightning speeds. Scientists, however, haven’t quite figured out the physics of how polymer strands like DNA interact with nanopores. Now, with the help of a particular type of virus, researchers from Brown University have shed new light on this nanoscale physics. (more…)

The Virus That Makes a Disposable Syringe

By Guest PostDecember 28, 2013Sciencealpha helical molecules, application, bacteria, bacterial cell, bacteriophage, bentley fane, century long mystery, cryo electron tomography, DNA, dna transmitting structure, e coli bacteria, electron microscope, erica zbornik, host cells, infection, lindsey n young, michael rossmann, Nanotechnology, noninfectious, phix174, prey, purdue university, t7, tube shaped structure, university of arizona, viral, virus, xinzheng zhang

For decades, no one knew how a virus that preys on bacteria transfers its DNA into the host cells because it appeared to lack the structures other viruses use for that process. Now researchers have discovered how the virus does it – using a structure that might hold applications for nanotechnology.

A research team led by the University of Arizona and Purdue University has discovered something very unique about a virus that has been studied for decades: It has the ability to grow a temporary tube-shaped structure, enabling it to inject its DNA into the bacteria on which it preys. (more…)

Bugs produce diesel on demand

By Guest PostApril 27, 2013Environmentbiofuel, bugs produce diesel, carbon dioxide emissions, cell membranes, diesel fuel, drop ins, e coli bacteria, global oil price, global requirement, oil molecules, professor john love, rob lee, shell, shell research ltd, synthetic fuel, Technology, transport fuel, university of exeter

It sounds like science fiction but a team from the University of Exeter, with support from Shell, has developed a method to make bacteria produce diesel on demand.

While the technology still faces many significant commercialisation challenges, the diesel, produced by special strains of E. coli bacteria, is almost identical to conventional diesel fuel.

This means that it does not need to be blended with petroleum products as is often required by biodiesels derived from plant oils. It also means that the diesel can be used with current supplies in existing infrastructure because engines, pipelines and tankers do not need to be modified. Biofuels with these characteristics are being termed ‘drop-ins’. (more…)

Fungi, Fungi Everywhere

By Guest PostFebruary 16, 2013Environmentantibiotics, archaea, bacteria, carbon, coasts of oregon, contamination, deep sea fungi, e coli bacteria, elements, Environment, fungi, fungi population, genetic material, inactive spores, industrial applicable enzymes, jennifer biddle, microbes bacteria, namibia, ocean environments, oceanographic institution, organism, peru, ribosomal ribonucleic acid, rrna, seafloor, sequence, single celled, strong indication, sunlight, university of delaware, virginia edgcomb, william orsi, woods hole

New research shows fungi living beneath the seafloor are widespread

Fungi living beneath the seafloor are widespread in ocean environments around the world, according to a new paper by scientists at the University of Delaware and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

“They’re ubiquitous,” said co-author Jennifer Biddle, assistant professor of marine biosciences at UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. “They are everywhere.” (more…)

UMass Amherst Biochemists Trap a Chaperone Machine in Action, Opening Pathway to Possible New Cancer Treatment

By Guest PostJanuary 2, 2013Scienceadp, amino acid chains, anastasia zhuravleva, atp, bacteria, cancer cell, chemical environments, cycle, dnak, drug target, e coli bacteria, Environment, eugenia clerico, folding of proteins, heat shock protein, holding pattern, hsp, hsp70, humans, key step, lila gierasch, massachusetts amherst, mechanism, molecular chaperones, molecular machine, nanofactories, neurodegenerative diseases, nmr methods, nuclear magnetic resonance, origami like, ribosomes, stress, uncontrolled growth, university

AMHERST, Mass. – Molecular chaperones have emerged as exciting new potential drug targets, because scientists want to learn how to stop cancer cells, for example, from using chaperones to enable their uncontrolled growth. Now a team of biochemists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst led by Lila Gierasch have deciphered key steps in the mechanism of the Hsp70 molecular machine by “trapping” this chaperone in action, providing a dynamic snapshot of its mechanism.

She and colleagues describe this work in the current issue of Cell. Gierasch’s research on Hsp70 chaperones is supported by a long-running grant to her lab from NIH’s National Institute for General Medical Sciences. (more…)

More Power to the Cranberry: Study Shows the Juice is Better than Extracts at Fighting Bacterial Infections

By Guest PostOctober 29, 2011Health, Scienceage old wisdom, berry, biofilm formation, cranberries, cranberry sauce, e coli bacteria, escherichia coli, fimbriae, flavonoids, hair like projections, infection fighting properties, juice, kerrie holguin, pacs, paola andrea pinzon arango, precursor of infection, proanthocyanidins, sauce, strain of e coli, terri camesano, urinary tract infections, utis, worcester polytechnic institute

With scientific evidence now supporting the age-old wisdom that cranberries, whether in sauce or as juice, prevent urinary tract infections, people have wondered if there was an element of the berry that, if extracted and condensed, perhaps in pill form, would be as effective as drinking the juice or eating cranberry sauce. A new study from researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute helps to answer that question.

The study tested proanthocyanidins or PACs, a group of flavonoids found in cranberries. Because they were thought to be the ingredient that gives the juice its infection-fighting properties, PACs have been considered a hopeful target for an effective extract. The new WPI report, however, shows that cranberry juice, itself, is far better at preventing biofilm formation, which is the precursor of infection, than PACs alone. The data is reported in the paper “Impact of Cranberry Juice and Proanthocyanidins on the Ability of Escherichia coli to Form Biofilms,” which will be published on-line, ahead of print, Oct. 31, 2011, by the journal Food Science and Biotechnology. (more…)

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