ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

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• Single protein, key to Ebola virus infection, could aid in drug design
• Three-part handoff delivers proteins to membrane surface
• Scientists identify point of entry for deadly Ebola virus
• Protein essential for Ebola virus infection is a promising antiviral target
• Researchers find 'key' used by Ebola virus to unlock cells and spread deadly infection
• Discovery of a 160-million-year-old fossil represents a new milestone in early mammal evolution
• Researchers identify protein essential in transmission of Ebola virus
• Detailed map of gene activity in mouse brain completed
• Could mutant gene in chickens lead to hypertension cure?
• Gene silencing: Researchers have paved the way for functional analysis of non-protein-coding genes

Single protein, key to Ebola virus infection, could aid in drug design Posted: 24 Aug 2011 04:23 PM PDT New research has identified a cellular protein that plays a critical role in Ebola virus infection. The findings suggest a possible strategy for combating one of the world's most deadly viruses.

Three-part handoff delivers proteins to membrane surface Posted: 24 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT The delivery system for an important class of proteins in the cell membrane can be fully replicated with a mere three components, according to a new study. Tail-anchored proteins, the molecular machines that make up approximately five percent of the membrane proteins in a cell, are known to have their own special pathway for trafficking to the membrane after construction. New research finds that these proteins can be delivered to the membrane via a simple three-part system.

Scientists identify point of entry for deadly Ebola virus Posted: 24 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT Using an unusual human cell line, researchers have performed a genetic screen and identified a protein used by the Ebola virus to gain entry into cells and begin replicating. The discovery may offer a new approach for the development of antiviral therapeutics. Ebola virus, the cause of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is one of the deadliest known viruses affecting humans.

Protein essential for Ebola virus infection is a promising antiviral target Posted: 24 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT Two research teams report identifying a critical protein that Ebola virus exploits to cause deadly infections. The protein target is an essential element through which the virus enters living cells to cause disease.

Researchers find 'key' used by Ebola virus to unlock cells and spread deadly infection Posted: 24 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT Researchers have identified a cellular protein that is critical for infection by the deadly Ebola virus. The findings suggest a possible strategy for blocking infection due to Ebola virus, one of the world's most lethal viruses and a potential bioterrorism agent.

Discovery of a 160-million-year-old fossil represents a new milestone in early mammal evolution Posted: 24 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT A remarkably well-preserved fossil discovered in northeast China provides new information about the earliest ancestors of most of today's mammal species -- the placental mammals. This fossil represents a new milestone in mammal evolution that was reached 35 million years earlier than previously thought, filling an important gap in the fossil record and helping to calibrate modern, DNA-based methods of dating the evolution.

Researchers identify protein essential in transmission of Ebola virus Posted: 24 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT Researchers have used a robotic method to screen tens of thousands of compounds and identified a novel small molecule derived from benzylpiperazine adamantyl diamide that inhibits EboV entry into cells by more than 99 percent. They used the inhibitor as a probe to investigate the EboV infection pathway and found that the target of the inhibitor is the cell protein Niemann-Pick C1.

Detailed map of gene activity in mouse brain completed Posted: 24 Aug 2011 09:29 AM PDT A new atlas of gene expression in the mouse brain provides insight into how genes work in the outer part of the brain called the cerebral cortex. A new article describes the activity of more than 11,000 genes in the six layers of brain cells that make up the cerebral cortex.

Could mutant gene in chickens lead to hypertension cure? Posted: 24 Aug 2011 08:58 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that a gene which, when severely mutated, causes blindness and kidney abnormalities in chickens, is the same as one that predisposes humans to hypertension.

Gene silencing: Researchers have paved the way for functional analysis of non-protein-coding genes Posted: 24 Aug 2011 06:15 AM PDT Our genome contains numerous genes which do not code for the production of proteins. Many of them are transcribed particularly frequently in cancer cells. Scientists have now found a way to study the function of such genes.

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