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Protein interplay in muscle tied to life span

By Guest PostDecember 1, 2013Health, Scienceactivin equivalent, alzheimer's disease, ana maria hernandez, atg8a, autophagy, brain, brown university biologists, central culprit, chain, dawdle, dfoxo, female reproductive system, fly version, fruit flies, gene, hua bai, human aging biology, insulin producing cells, ipcs, life span, mammalian protein, marc tatar, menstrual cycle, misfolded proteins, molecular event, muscle, muscle fibers, muscle tissue, natural mechanism, ping kang, protein degradation, protein interplay, rolf bodmer

Brown University biologists have uncovered a complicated chain of molecular events that leads from insulin to protein degradation in muscles and significantly diminished life span in fruit flies. The new study in PLoS Genetics, which may have broad implications across species, identifies the fly version of the mammalian protein activin as the central culprit in the process.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Fruit flies are notoriously short-lived but scientists interested in the biology of aging in all animals have begun to understand why some fruit flies live longer than others. They have documented a direct association between insulin and life span, for example, and have observed a tradeoff between prolific reproduction and longevity. A new study, which may have broad implications across species, ties those findings more closely together by tracing an insulin signaling cascade through to protein quality control in muscle tissue and shortened life span. (more…)

UW work contributes to largest international study of Alzheimer’s genes

By Guest PostOctober 31, 2013Healthalzheimer's disease, alzheimers genes, amyloid precursor protein, annette fitzpatrick, autoimmune disorder, brain cell, bruce psaty, cell migration, cognitive decline, debby tsuang, gene, genomics of alzheimer, inflammation, international study, joshua bis, lipid transport, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative disease, paul k crane, tau protein

Eleven regions of the human genome have been newly discovered to influence the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings stem from the largest international study ever conducted on this disorder, which causes gradual memory loss and other forms of cognitive decline in older people.

As of 2009, 10 genes were known to be related to Alzheimer’s, the result of about a quarter-century of research. Yet the reasons behind individual susceptibility or resistance to the disease continued to be poorly understood. In February of 2011, four international research groups studying Alzheimer’s disease genetics united to more quickly identify other genes related to the disorder. (more…)

Small bits of genetic material fight cancer’s spread

By Guest PostOctober 25, 2013Healthbone fracture, bone lesions, bone metastasis, brian ell, cancer, class of molecules, combat, david waning, disease, extreme pain, gene, genetic material, Germany, hamburg, indiana university, indianapolis, khalid mohammad, micrornas, nerve compression, pathological activity, predictors of metastasis, princeton university, therapeutic target, theresa guise, university cancer center, yibin kang

A class of molecules called microRNAs may offer cancer patients two ways to combat their disease.

Researchers at Princeton University have found that microRNAs — small bits of genetic material capable of repressing the expression of certain genes — may serve as both therapeutic targets and predictors of metastasis, or a cancer’s spread from its initial site to other parts of the body. The research was published in the journal Cancer Cell. (more…)

Vicious cycle: Changes in brain chemistry sustain obesity

By Guest PostJune 25, 2013Sciencealpha msh, amparo romero, bogdan litvinov, brain cells, brain chemistry, breakdown, brown university, calorie burning, cell, change, chemical called tudca, cycle, diet induced obesity, eduardo a nillni, endoplasmic reticulum, er, gene, high calorie diet, hormone, hormone trh, isin cakir, key enzyme, key proteins, leptin, lifespan researcher, mario perello, nicole cyr, normal weight, obesity, pc2, pomc, pro opiomelanocortin, production, protein processing mechanism, rhode island hospital, ronald stuart, vicious cycle

In a new discovery reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Brown University and Lifespan researchers show that in the brain cells of rats, obesity impedes the production of a hormone that curbs appetite and inspires calorie burning. The root cause appears to be a breakdown in the protein-processing mechanism of the cells. In the lab, the researchers showed they could fix the breakdown with drugs.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry adds substantially to the story by reporting the discovery of a molecular chain of events in the brains of obese rats that undermined their ability to suppress appetite and to increase calorie burning. (more…)

Fat cells in breast may connect social stress to breast cancer

By Guest PostJune 23, 2013Healthacaca, acetyl coa carboxykase, acly, aggressive breast cancer, antigen mice, atp citrate lyase, breast, carcinoma in situ, chronic stress, erin wonder, estrogen, fat cells, female mice, gene, her2, hexokinase, hk2, hormones, leptin, lumpectomy, mammary fat, mammary glands, martha mcclintock, matthew brady, maxwell skor, metabolism, metabolism of glucose, multiple tissues, paul volden, progesterone, receptor, social stress, suzanne conzen, sv40 t, triple negative, tumor growth, tumors, university of chicago

Local chemical signals released by fat cells in the mammary gland appear to provide a crucial link between exposure to unrelenting social stressors early in life, and the subsequent development of breast cancer, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the July 2013 issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Some forms of stress exposure may be associated with an increased risk of certain types of aggressive breast cancer. But the mechanisms linking the biology of social stress to cancer have been hard to identify. To unravel that mechanism, the researchers looked for differences between mice raised in small groups and those that grow up in an isolated setting—an established model of chronic stress without social supports. (more…)

Study Shows How One Insect Got Its Wings

By Guest PostMarch 16, 2013Scienceamanda simcox, bone morphogenetic protein, development of wings, dpp, drosophila melanogaster, egfr signaling pathway, embryonic gene, evolutionary history, fruit fly, gene, genetic activity, liana bonanno, litty paul, molecular genetics, ohio state university, pelotonia fellowship program, sathiya manivannan, shu huei wang

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scientists have delved deeper into the evolutionary history of the fruit fly than ever before to reveal the genetic activity that led to the development of wings – a key to the insect’s ability to survive.

The wings themselves are common research models for this and other species’ appendages. But until now, scientists did not know how the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, first sprouted tiny buds that became flat wings. (more…)

Yale Researchers Identify Salt as a Trigger of Autoimmune Diseases

By Guest PostMarch 14, 2013Healthautoimmune diseases, autoimmune encephalomyelitis, aviv regev, david hafler, destructive immune system, dietary salt, disease, dominik mueller, Environment, function, gene, Germany, hallmark of autoimmunity, high salt content, hypertension, immune cell, low fat diet, low salt, molecular circuitry, ms, multiple sclerosis, mystery, Nature, pathogenic th17 cells, prime suspect, sub-saharan africa, t helper 17, th17 cell, vijay kuchroo

For the past few decades, health officials have been reporting increases in the incidence of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Now researchers at Yale Medical School, Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute have identified a prime suspect in the mystery — dietary salt.

In the March 6 issue of the journal Nature, Yale researchers showed that salt can induce and worsen pathogenic immune system responses in mice and that the response is regulated by genes already implicated in a variety of autoimmune diseases. (more…)

‘Fat Worms’ Inch Scientists toward Better Biofuel Production

By Guest PostMarch 8, 2013Environment, Scienceanimal feed, arabidopsis thaliana, caterpillar larvae, christoph benning, engineered plant, enhance biofuel production, enhance oil production, fat worms, gavin reid, gene, green algae, gregg howe, john olhrogge, kenneth keegstra, leaf tissue, lipids, michigan state university, nontraditional crops, oily leaves, one celled, plant, plant cell, plants for biofuels, regular leaves, vegetable

Fat worms confirm that researchers from Michigan State University have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves – a feat that could enhance biofuel production as well as lead to improved animal feeds.

The results, published in the current issue of The Plant Cell, the journal of the American Society of Plant Biologists, show that researchers could use an algae gene involved in oil production to engineer a plant that stores lipids or vegetable oil in its leaves – an uncommon occurrence for most plants. (more…)

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