Tuesday, September 20, 2011

ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

Hope for powerful new C. difficile treatment

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 01:45 PM PDT

Researchers are developing a powerful new antibiotic treatment for resistant infections including the deadly MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) bugs.

New technique fills gaps in fossil record

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT

Evolutionary biologists have resolved a long-standing paleontological problem by reconciling the fossil record of species diversity with modern DNA samples.

Scientists solve long-standing plant biochemistry mystery

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered how an enzyme "knows" where to insert a double bond when desaturating plant fatty acids. Understanding the mechanism may lead to new ways to engineer plant oils as a renewable replacement for petrochemicals.

Shark compound proves potential as drug to treat human viruses, says researcher

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT

A compound initially isolated from sharks shows potential as a unique broad-spectrum human antiviral agent. The compound, squalamine, has been in human clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and several eye disorders, and so has a well-known safety profile, suggesting it can be quickly tested as a new class of drugs to treat infections caused by viruses ranging from dengue and yellow fever to hepatitis B, C, and D.

The benefits of biotech to agriculture

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 10:16 AM PDT

The biotech industry boosted farming across the globe to the tune of almost $65 billion during the period 1996 to 2009, according to the latest analysis. $65 billion is the increase in net farm income, the farm level benefit after paying for the seed and its biotech traits. Researchers estimate that almost half of that was derived by farmers in the developing world.

New thinking on regulation of sex chromosomes in fruit flies

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 09:48 AM PDT

Biologists have discovered that dosage compensation does not occur in the reproductive cells of male fruit flies.

Elite controllers block integration of HIV DNA into host genome

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 08:34 AM PDT

Alone among those infected with HIV-1, so-called elite controllers spontaneously maintain undetectable levels of viral replication even absent the benefit of anti-retroviral therapy. Now researchers show that in elite controllers, integration of HIV-1 DNA into the host chromosomes of CD4 T cells -- the main target cells of HIV-1 -- is markedly reduced in comparison to those whose infection has run a more normal course.

Experts discover oldest DNA regulatory region known to date in vertebrates and invertebrates

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 06:00 AM PDT

A team of scientists has discovered the oldest known DNA regulatory region. The team identified a small DNA fragment, with a deeply conserved noncoding sequence region (CNR), in the vicinity of soxB2 regulatory genes, which plays a role in gene regulation.

Observed 'live': Water is an active team player for enzymes

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 04:39 AM PDT

In biologically active enzyme substrate compounds, as can be found in medicines, water plays a more decisive role than has been imagined up to now. The surrounding water acts like an "adhesive", in order to keep the substrate at the right place on an enzyme. For this, the dynamism of the water is retarded. Scientists have now been able to observe and demonstrate the retardation of the water's dynamism "live" for the first time in close.
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