Biotechnology

Jan. 18, 2013 — Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, Austria and at the University of Cologne, Germany have discovered the molecular basis underlying the patterned folding and assembly of muscle proteins. They describe the strikingly new mechanism in the current issue of Cell. Muscle development and function rely on the correct assembly of contractile units called the sarcomeres. Their main components, thin (actin) and thick (myosin) filaments are organized in a precisely ordered, quasi-crystalline protein framework that mediates muscle contraction. Although the overall architecture of the sarcomere has been studied in detail, little is known about its complicated assembly process. In particular, the mechanism of myosin incorporation into thick filaments is poorly understood. So far, it has been shown that the folding of myosin involves the assistance of certain molecular chaperones. Chaperones are specialised he...

Jan. 18, 2013 — Membrane proteins are the "molecular machines" in biological cell envelopes. They control diverse processes, such as the transport of molecules across the lipid membrane, signal transduction, and photosynthesis. Their shape, i.e. folding of the molecules, plays a decisive role in the formation of, e.g., pores in the cell membrane. In the journal Cell, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Cagliari are now reporting a novel charge zipper principle used by proteins to form functional units. "It is fascinating to see the elegant basic principles that are used by nature to construct molecular assemblies," explains Anne Ulrich, Director of the KIT Institute for Biological Interfaces. "A charge zipper between the charged side chains is an entirely unexpected mechanism used by membrane proteins to neutralize their charges such that they can be immersed into hydrophobic cell membranes....

Jan. 17, 2013 — Research at IST Austria shows how immune cells navigate through the skin by sensing graded patterns of immobilized directional cues. A research paper by the group of Michael Sixt, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), published January 17 in Science provides new insights into how immune cells find their way through tissues. The findings provide the first evidence for directed cell migration along concentration gradients of chemical cues immobilized in tissues, a concept that has long been assumed but never experimentally proven. Immune cells constantly patrol our body to check for foreign invaders, such as bacteria or viruses. To do so they leave the blood stream, actively crawl through tissues and finally re-enter the circulation via lymphatic vessels. Research from the laboratory of Michael Sixt elucidates how the cells are guided through tissues like the skin. It is thought that cells...

Jan. 17, 2013 — Scientists have developed a strain of mice that turns on a gene from fireflies when the normal p16 gene is activated. In a study published in the January 18 issue of Cell , researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new method to visualize aging and tumor growth in mice using a gene closely linked to these processes. Researchers have long known that the gene, p16 INK4a (p16), plays a role in aging and cancer suppression by activating an important tumor defense mechanism called 'cellular senescence'. The UNC team led by Norman Sharpless, MD, Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research and Deputy Cancer Center Director, has developed a strain of mice that turns on a gene from fireflies when the normal p16 gene is activated. In cells undergoing senescence, the p16 gene is switched on, activating the firefly gene and causing the affected tissue to glow. Through...

Jan. 16, 2013 — As rapid economic expansion continues to shape the Asian landscape on which many species depend, time is running out for conservationists aiming to save wildlife such as tigers and leopards. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have used genetic analysis to find that the natural forest corridors in India are essential to ensuring a future for these species. According to two studies recently published in two papers, these corridors are successfully connecting populations of tigers and leopards to ensure genetic diversity and gene flow. The results of the study that focused on tigers were published in Ecology and Evolution , and the results from the study that tracked leopards were published in Diversity and Distributions . "This research provides crucial information about the need to maintain these vital veins to support tiger and leopard populations," said Sandeep Sharma, SCBI visiting scholar and lead a...

Jan. 16, 2013 — A Kansas State University-led study has uncovered new information that helps scientists better understand the complex workings of cells in the innate immune system. The findings may also lead to new avenues in disease control and prevention. Philip Hardwidge, associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, was the study's principal investigator. He and colleagues looked at the relationship between a bacterial protein and the innate immune system -- a system of defensive cells that responds rapidly to an infection in a nonspecific manner. Among their findings, the researchers characterized a new protein that affects how cells in the innate immune system function and protect humans against invading bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7. The study, "NleB, a Bacterial Effector with Glycosyltransferase Activity, Targets GAPDH Function to Inhibit NF-kappaB Activation," was published in the most recent issue of the scient...

Jan. 15, 2013 — Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a menu of 61 new strains of genetically engineered bacteria that may improve the efficacy of vaccines for diseases such as flu, pertussis, cholera and HPV. The strains of E. coli , which were described in a paper published this month in the journal PNAS , are part of a new class of biological "adjuvants" that is poised to transform vaccine design. Adjuvants are substances added to vaccines to boost the human immune response. "For 70 years the only adjuvants being used were aluminum salts," said Stephen Trent, associate professor of biology in the College of Natural Sciences. "They worked, but we didn't fully understand why, and there were limitations. Then four years ago the first biological adjuvant was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. I think what we're doing is a step forward from that. It's going to allow us to design vac...