ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

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• Noncoding RNAs alter yeast phenotypes in a site-specific manner
• Tangled up in DNA: New molecule has potential to help treat genetic diseases and HIV
• Chemists mimic nature to design better medical tests
• Critical stage of embryonic development now observable
• Link between sodium, calcium and heartbeat illuminated
• Sensing self and non-self: New research into immune tolerance
• Radiation treatment generates cancer stem cells from less aggressive breast cancer cells, study suggests
• The developing genome?

Noncoding RNAs alter yeast phenotypes in a site-specific manner Posted: 14 Feb 2012 11:53 AM PST Scientists have shown for the first time how two long intergenic noncoding RNAs in brewer's yeast contribute to a location-dependent switch for the yeast FLO11 gene to toggle between active and inactive states.

Tangled up in DNA: New molecule has potential to help treat genetic diseases and HIV Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:49 AM PST Chemists have created a molecule that's so good at tangling itself inside the double helix of a DNA sequence that it can stay there for up to 16 days before the DNA liberates itself, much longer than any other molecule reported.

Chemists mimic nature to design better medical tests Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:49 AM PST Over their 3.8 billion years of evolution, living organisms have developed countless strategies for monitoring their surroundings. Chemists have adapted some of these strategies to improve the performance of DNA detectors. Their findings may aid efforts to build better medical diagnostics, such as improved HIV or cancer tests.

Critical stage of embryonic development now observable Posted: 14 Feb 2012 09:18 AM PST A novel approach in the study of the development of mammalian embryos has just been developed. The research enables scientists to view critical aspects of embryonic development which was previously unobservable.

Link between sodium, calcium and heartbeat illuminated Posted: 13 Feb 2012 03:56 PM PST Researchers have revealed, for the first time, one of the molecular mechanisms that regulates the beating of heart cells by controlling the movement of sodium in out of the cells -- and what calcium has to do with it.

Sensing self and non-self: New research into immune tolerance Posted: 13 Feb 2012 03:56 PM PST Cancer cells can undergo unchecked proliferation, producing self-antigens that are tolerated by the immune system, rather than being targeted for destruction. At the opposite extreme, autoimmune disorders can result when healthy cells in the body are misidentified as hazards. Researchers now examine how CD8 T cells -- critical weapons in the body's defensive arsenal -- are regulated when they transition from this tolerant state to an activated state and back.

Radiation treatment generates cancer stem cells from less aggressive breast cancer cells, study suggests Posted: 13 Feb 2012 03:51 PM PST Breast cancer stem cells are thought to be the sole source of tumor recurrence and are known to be resistant to radiation therapy and don't respond well to chemotherapy. Researchers report for the first time that radiation treatment -- despite killing half of all tumor cells during every treatment -- transforms other cancer cells into treatment-resistant breast cancer stem cells. Researchers stressed that breast cancer patients should not be alarmed by the study findings and should continue to undergo radiation if recommended by their oncologists.

The developing genome? Posted: 13 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST An expert says that a genome, rather than a static collection of information, is a dynamic structure itself, responding to stress and contributing to our genetic development. His re-conception of the genome has the potential to provide deeper insight into how all living organisms evolve.

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