Genetics & Molecular Biology

Golgi Apparatus In Cells Implicated In Alzheimer's Progression

Alzheimer's disease progresses inside the brain as deposits of the toxic protein amyloid-beta (Aβ),overwhelm neurons. A side effect of accumulating Aβ in neurons is the fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus, the part of the cell involved in packaging ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 5 2014 - 1:30pm

Macrophages Chase White Blood Cells Away From Wounds To Resolve Inflammation

Macrophages sweep up cellular debris and pathogens in order to thwart infection- sometimes even before the white blood cells, which are designed for that task.  Neutrophils, white blood cells, are "first responders" that are attracted to wounds ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 8 2014 - 11:10am

How Unfolded Proteins Move In The Cell- Visualized

When a large protein unfolds in a cell, it slows down and can get stuck in traffic. University of Illinois chemists now can watch the way the unfolded protein diffuses, which could provide great insight into protein-misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer&# ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 10 2014 - 9:00am

The Key To Vitamin A Metabolism Is Lecithin Retinol Acyltransferase

The discovery of the mechanism that enables the enzyme Lecithin: retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) to store vitamin A, a process that is indispensable for vision, may provide a boost for designing small molecule therapies for degenerative eye diseases. The s ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 10 2014 - 1:30pm

MDH2: Mitochondrial Enzyme Targeting May Reduce Chemotherapy Side Effects

Two compounds appear to block the cardiac damage caused by the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, according to a report in Science Translational Medicine which indicates that inhibiting the action of the enzyme MDH2, which is key to the generation of cellular ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 10 2014 - 3:47pm

A Misplaced Concern About An Arctic Apple

As a consumer and as an agricultural scientist, I’m looking forward to the introduction of the Arctic® apple. It is possibly nearing approval by regulators in the US and Canada which could mean that supplies might finally be available in a few more years. ...

Article - Steve Savage - Dec 11 2014 - 5:30pm

GTPBP3 Mutations Cause Mitochondrial Translation Defect- And Diseases

Diseases of dysfunctional mitochondria, also known as mitochondrial diseases, have a prevalence of  up to 1 in 2,000 people and predominantly affect children, though adult-onset disorders are also recognized. An international collaboration has discovered t ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 13 2014 - 8:30am

Cellular Hydrogen Peroxide- A New Twist On The Free Radical Antioxidant Relationship

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a strong oxidizer. You may know it as a wound disinfectant or as a bleaching agent for hair and teeth but it is also created naturally in our bodies, as part of our cellular oxidation. H2O2 belongs to a group of natural chemica ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2014 - 10:43am

You Can Self-identify With Any Ancestry You Want, But Genetically...

There is a running joke in America that there are three times as many people in the U.S. claiming to be Irish as there are actual people in Ireland.  Though it's nice to claim to be Irish because of a last name, America is a melting pot. And it is so ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2014 - 3:05pm

When Embryonic Stem Cells Don't Know What To Make Of Themselves

A new paper has found that inhibiting or blocking stem cells ability to make a specific decision, leads to better cell growth and could lead to defined ways to differentiate stem cells. Th authors say their research is the first comprehensive analysis of ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2014 - 1:25pm