ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News |
- A biodiversity discovery that was waiting in the wings -- wasp wings, that is
- Blood mystery solved: Two new blood types identified
- Mobile DNA elements can disrupt gene expression and cause biological variation, study shows
- Disarming the botulinum neurotoxin
- Protein assassin: Unfolded end of a protein can kill E. coli-like bacteria selectively
| A biodiversity discovery that was waiting in the wings -- wasp wings, that is Posted: 24 Feb 2012 11:05 AM PST From spaghetti-like sea anemones to blobby jellyfish to filigreed oak trees, each species in nature is characterized by a unique size and shape. But the evolutionary changes that produce the seemingly limitless diversity of shapes and sizes of organisms on Earth largely remains a mystery. Nevertheless, a better understanding of how cells grow and enable organisms to assume their characteristic sizes and shapes could shed light on diseases that involve cell growth, including cancer and diabetes.  |
| Blood mystery solved: Two new blood types identified Posted: 23 Feb 2012 03:38 PM PST You probably know your blood type: A, B, AB or O. You may even know if you're Rhesus positive or negative. But how about the Langereis blood type? Or the Junior blood type? Positive or negative? Most people have never even heard of these. Yet this knowledge could be "a matter of life and death." While blood transfusion problems due to Langereis and Junior blood types are rare worldwide, several ethnic populations are at risk.  |
| Mobile DNA elements can disrupt gene expression and cause biological variation, study shows Posted: 23 Feb 2012 03:26 PM PST The many short pieces of mobile DNA that exist in the genome can contribute to important biological differences between strains of mice, according to a new study. The mobile DNA, sometimes called jumping genes, can disrupt gene expression even from a distance, with the disruption influenced by the gender of the parent that supplied it. The findings reveal a mechanism of natural variation in animals and humans that may apply to cancer and other diseases.  |
| Disarming the botulinum neurotoxin Posted: 23 Feb 2012 11:26 AM PST Researchers have discovered how botulinum neurotoxin, a potential bioterrorism agent, survives the hostile environment in the stomach on its journey through the human body. Their study reveals the first 3D structure of a neurotoxin together with its bodyguard, a protein made simultaneously in the same bacterium. This new information reveals the toxin's weak spot -- a point in the journey that can be targeted with new therapeutics.  |
| Protein assassin: Unfolded end of a protein can kill E. coli-like bacteria selectively Posted: 23 Feb 2012 07:33 AM PST Scientists find that the unfolded end of a protein can kill E. coli-like bacteria selectively. The results may one day help scientists find new, more targeted ways to kill antibiotic-resistant microbes.  |
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