Microbiology

H3K4me3 And H3K27me3 Keep Embryonic Stem Cells Embryonic

A human embryonic stem cell is reined in – prevented from giving up its unique characteristics of self-renewal and pluripotency – by the presence of a protein modification that stifles any genes that would prematurely instruct the cell to develop into hear ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 5 2007 - 12:47am

"Neo-Bladder" Grown From Adult Stem Cells Could Help Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Urologists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are studying whether a neo-bladder construct grown from a patient’s own cells can improve bladder function for adult spinal cord injury patients. Jefferson is only one of six sites in the U.S. enrolling pa ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 5 2007 - 11:09am

The Cellular Compass Of Molecular Biology

Using a molecular cellular compass, individual cells in complex organisms know which way is up or down, in epithelial cells known as apical-basal polarity. Determining the orientation is essential for an individual cell to perform it’s designated tasks. No ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 8 2007 - 11:13am

TPPII Enzyme Promotes Stimulation Of Fat Cells

The enzyme TPPII may contribute to obesity by stimulating the formation of fat cells, suggests a study in EMBO reports this week. The enzyme, TPPII, has previously been linked to making people feel hungry, but Jonathan Graff and colleagues now show that it ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 12 2007 - 12:15pm

Twins: Identical, Mirror Images, Fraternal And Chimeras

Cloning is not a human invention; nature has been creating clones for millions of years, among all organisms including humans. Nature’s clones, identical twins, are born in approximately 1 / 1000 births. Identical twins come in two varieties: identical and ...

Article - Sarda Sahney - Oct 23 2007 - 4:43am

Discovery: Womb Lining Discarded During Menstruation Contains New Type Of Stem Cells

The cells which thicken the womb wall during a woman's menstrual cycle contain a newly discovered type of stem cell, and could be used in the treatment of damaged and/or old tissue, according to research published in the Journal of Translational Medic ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 14 2007 - 6:12pm

Ena/VASP Proteins Key To Brain Function

MIT researchers have identified a family of proteins key to the formation of the communication networks critical for normal brain function. Their research could lead to new treatments for brain injury and disease. The team, led by MIT biology professor Fra ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 19 2007 - 11:09pm

Research Without Drama? Turning Skin Cells Into Faux Embryonic Stem Cells

There's always been speculation that human embryonic stem cell research was not worth the controversy due to uncertainty about their value in research and objections from womens' rights groups on one side and right-to-life groups on the other. Pl ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 20 2007 - 11:26am

Shinya Yamanaka Reprograms Human Adult Cells To Function Like Embryonic Stem Cells

Acclaimed stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, has reported that he and his Kyoto University colleagues have successfully reprogrammed human adult cells to function like pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells. Because it circumvents much of the co ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 20 2007 - 3:58pm

Prion Fingerprints Detected With Glowing Molecule

An effective and sensitive new method for detecting and characterizing prions, the infectious compounds behind diseases like mad cow disease, is now being launched by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden and other institutions. Mad cow disease (BS ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 27 2007 - 11:30am