Thursday, March 08, 2012

ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

Teaching fat cells to burn calories: New target against obesity involves brown fat

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:46 PM PST

In the war against obesity, one's own fat cells may seem an unlikely ally, but new research suggests ordinary fat cells can be reengineered to burn calories.

What have we got in common with a gorilla? Insight into human evolution from gorilla genome sequence

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 10:22 AM PST

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the last great ape to have its genome decoded, the gorilla. This study provides a unique perspective on our own origins and is an important resource for research into human evolution and biology, as well as for gorilla biology and conservation.

Inside the cell nucleus: A foot in the door to genetic information

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 06:46 AM PST

In the cell nucleus, DNA wraps around what are called histone proteins, forming regularly spaced spherical bodies called nucleosomes. Thus, large portions of the genetic material are inaccessible to the gene reading machinery. Scientists have now simulated at high time resolution how short DNA segments repeatedly detach spontaneously from the nucleosome. The group has been the first to demonstrate that the spool-shaped histone proteins have an active role in opening access to the genetic information.

Archaea: Crystal structure of archael chromatin clarified

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PST

Researchers have clarified for the first time how chromatin in archaea, one of the three evolutionary branches of organisms in nature, binds to DNA. The results offer valuable clues into the evolution of chromatin structure in multi-cellular organisms and promise insights into how abnormalities in such structure can contribute to cancers and gene disorders.
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