ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

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• Final space shuttle to carry five University of Colorado at Boulder-built payloads
• Functioning small intestine created in laboratory experiments
• Gene secrets of the reef revealed: Genome of staghorn coral Acropora millepora sequenced
• Hot springs microbe yields record-breaking, heat-tolerant enzyme
• Kinetochores prefer the 'silent' DNA sections of the chromosome
• New methods allow for insights into molecular mechanisms of regeneration
• A chaperone system guides tail-anchored membrane proteins to their destined membrane
• A flash of insight: Chemist uses lasers to see proteins at work
• Body's natural marijuana-like chemicals make fatty foods hard to resist

Final space shuttle to carry five University of Colorado at Boulder-built payloads Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:39 PM PDT The University of Colorado Boulder is involved with five different space science payloads ranging from antibody tests that may lead to new bone-loss treatments to an experiment to improve vaccine effectiveness for combating salmonella when Atlantis thunders skyward July 8 on the last of NASA's 135 space shuttle missions.

Functioning small intestine created in laboratory experiments Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:39 PM PDT Researchers have successfully created a tissue-engineered small intestine in mice that replicates the intestinal structures of natural intestine -- a necessary first step toward someday applying this regenerative medicine technique to humans.

Gene secrets of the reef revealed: Genome of staghorn coral Acropora millepora sequenced Posted: 05 Jul 2011 09:36 AM PDT Australian scientists have sequenced the genome of the staghorn coral Acropora millepora, a major component of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs worldwide. This is the first animal genome project to be carried out entirely in Australia, and is an important milestone in Australian biotechnology and in the study of coral reefs.

Hot springs microbe yields record-breaking, heat-tolerant enzyme Posted: 05 Jul 2011 09:33 AM PDT Scientists looking for unusual cellulose-digesting enzymes, called cellulases, have found one that works at a higher temperature, 109 Celsius, than any others found to date. The cellulase comes from an Archaea found in a Nevada hot spring. Enzymes like this may prove useful in reaction chambers where plant fiber (lignocellulose) is digested to release cellulose. The cellulase could then convert this cellulose to sugar to be fermented into biofuel.

Kinetochores prefer the 'silent' DNA sections of the chromosome Posted: 05 Jul 2011 09:27 AM PDT The protein complex responsible for the distribution of chromosomes during cell division is assembled in the transition regions between heterochromatin and euchromatin. The centromere is a specialized region of the chromosome, on which a protein complex known as the kinetochore is assembled. During cell division, the kinetochore provides a point of attachment for molecules of the cytoskeleton, thereby mediating the segregation of chromosomes to the two opposing cell poles. Scientists have investigated the factors that play an essential role in the development of the kinetochore. According to new findings, both the organization of the chromosomes and epigenetic marks determine the location where a kinetochore and, eventually, a centromere can form.

New methods allow for insights into molecular mechanisms of regeneration Posted: 05 Jul 2011 07:42 AM PDT Researchers have gained new insights into planarian flatworms, which are an attractive model for stem cell biology and regeneration. They identified thousands of gene products, many of which are expressed and are important in stem cell function because they precisely characterized all RNA-molecules expressed in the animals' cells, the transcriptome, without using the genome sequence.

A chaperone system guides tail-anchored membrane proteins to their destined membrane Posted: 05 Jul 2011 07:42 AM PDT Newly synthesized proteins can only fold into their correct three dimensional structure thanks to chaperones. In case of membrane proteins chaperones do not only prevent their aggregation, but also escort them to their destination and aid in membrane insertion. The underlying molecular mechanism has now been resolved for tail-anchored membrane proteins.

A flash of insight: Chemist uses lasers to see proteins at work Posted: 05 Jul 2011 05:11 AM PDT Scientists think they have an important brain transport protein -- glutamate transporter -- figured out. And they are using a novel approach to spy on them by taking aim with lasers.

Body's natural marijuana-like chemicals make fatty foods hard to resist Posted: 04 Jul 2011 12:14 PM PDT Recent studies have revealed potato chips and french fries to be the worst contributors to weight gain -- and with good reason. Have you ever wondered why you can't eat just one chip or a single fry? It's not just the carbohydrates at fault.

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