http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/biotechnology/ Biotechnology News. Read the latest research from around the world on genetic engineering, drug development and more. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/biotechnology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512092318.htm Researchers in California report development of a new kind of genetically modified yeast cell that produces complex proteins up to 300 times more than possible in the past. These "super yeasts" could help boost production and lower prices for a new generation of protein-based drugs that show promise for fighting diabetes, obesity, and other diseases, the researchers suggest. Tue, 13 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512092318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512105729.htm While it has long been known that embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into any kind of tissue-specific cells, the exact mechanism as to how this occurs has heretofore not been demonstrated. Now, researchers have succeeded in graphically revealing this process, resolving a long-standing question as to whether the stem cells achieve their development through selective activation or selective repression of genes. Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512105729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512120958.htm A new study finds that restricted nutrient availability prevents muscle stem cells from growing into mature muscle cells. The research provides exciting new information about how developing muscle cells sense and respond to nutrient levels. Mon, 12 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512120958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512094440.htm Medical researchers have discovered a key step in the mechanism by which cells destroy themselves. In this process, called "apoptosis," certain proteins cause the cell to self-destruct by puncturing its "power plant." How the proteins do this has now been clarified. The discovery is an important step towards the identification of targets for drugs designed to regulate cell death. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512094440.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222429.htm Scientists have discovered how to keep one's tomatoes from wilting -- the answer lies at the molecular level. Farmers and fellow agriculturalists are continuously battling the ability of plant pathogens to co-evolve alongside their host's immune system. In agriculture, the most environmentally friendly way to combat the evolutionary change in plant diseases is to make use of the innate immune system of plants. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080511205328.htm Scientists have discovered a fast and effective way to investigate important aspects of human aging: a gene in fruit flies that means flies can now be used to study the effects aging has on DNA. The researchers found that flies with damage to this gene share important features with people suffering from the rapid aging condition Werner syndrome. Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080511205328.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508145501.htm Now that the genome of humans and many other organisms have been sequenced, biologists are turning their attention to discovering how the many thousands of structural and control genes -- the "worker bees" of living cells that can turn genes on and off -- function. Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508145501.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222417.htm Researchers from the United States and Switzerland have developed mathematical and statistical tools for reconstructing viral populations using pyrosequencing, a novel and effective technique for sequencing DNA. Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172904.htm Fruit flies are dramatically different from humans not in their number of genes, but in the number of protein interactions in their bodies, according to scientists who have developed a new way of estimating the total number of interactions between proteins in any organism. Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508135223.htm Scientist have examined a new mechanism in the reproductive cycle of a certain species of mold. This mechanism protects the organism from genetic abnormalities by "silencing" unmatched genes during meiosis (sexual reproduction). The finding could have implications for higher organisms and may lead to precise "targeting" of unwanted genes, such as those from the HIV virus. Sun, 11 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508135223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508141525.htm Scientists have revealed the function of a protein that is indispensable for passing on an accurate copy of the genome from mother to daughter cells. This study opens up new avenues of research to reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer. The protein can be compared to a cowboy's lasso: it catches chromosomes and ties them to a transitory structure assembled during cell division. Once they have been neatly tied up, the chromosomes await the end of replication to be equally distributed between the two daughter cells. Sun, 11 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508141525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143317.htm It has been widely assumed that, in single-celled organisms, each cell perceives its environment -- and responds to stress conditions -- individually. Likewise, it had been thought that cells in multicellular organisms respond the same way. But scientists have now discovered otherwise. In studies of the worm C. elegans, they found that authority is taken away from individual cells and given to two specialized neurons to sense temperature stress and organize an integrated molecular response for the entire organism. Sat, 10 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143310.htm Viruses are masters of deception, duping their host's cells into helping them grow and spread. A new study has found that human cytomegalovirus can mimic a common regulatory protein to hijack normal cell growth machinery, disrupting a cell's primary anti-cancer mechanism. Sat, 10 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143310.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133239.htm By surveying the activity of thousands of genes at several different time points, researchers have uncovered new evidence that a network of influential genes act as a kind of genetic tag team to orchestrate one of the most fundamental aspects of all life: the cell cycle. Fri, 09 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507155309.htm A graduating senior has put his basic knowledge of sugars to exceptional use by creating a lab-on-a-chip device that builds complex, highly specialized sugar molecules, mimicking one of the most important cellular structures in the human body -- the Golgi Apparatus. Fri, 09 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507155309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105649.htm Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. New research shows that normally functioning prions prevent neurons from working themselves to death. The findings appear in the May 5 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508103623.htm For the first time, research has made possible a detailed map of how the building blocks of chromosomes, the cellular structures that contain genes, are organized in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The work identifies a critical stop sign for transcription, the first step in gene expression, and has implications for understanding how the AIDS virus regulates its genes. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508103623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505093416.htm Researchers in Korea report development of a way to double production of a sticky protein from marine mussels destined for use as an antibacterial coating to prevent life-threatening infections in medical implants. The coating, produced by genetically-engineered bacteria, could cut medical costs and improve implant safety, the researchers say. Thu, 08 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505093416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506120946.htm Humans and fruitflies -- those pesky little insects that are irresistibly attracted to overripe fruit -- share more than a sweet tooth. Both rely on the same insulin-regulated molecular pathway to maintain their energy balance when starved for food, reports a team of researchers. Thu, 08 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506120946.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm An event as simple as the world's first bite may have sparked an ancient "explosion" of life 500 million years ago that led to the rise of the broad groups of animals that are still alive today. A Harvard professor suggests that it was an increase in interactions between species, such as predation, that drove an escalating evolutionary process that led to the development of teeth and claws and the wide variety of characteristics that we see among Earth's animals today. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506195605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505120757.htm A study performed on the fruit fly unveils how distinct signaling pathways operate between neighboring cells in order to activate the cell proliferation machinery that results in the organized growth of the fly wing. The signaling pathways involved in this process are also conserved in humans, and when altered give rise to the appearance of different types of cancer, including cancer of the colon and skin, and leukemia. Wed, 07 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505120757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507131453.htm The duck-billed platypus: part bird, part reptile, part mammal -- and the genome to prove it. Scientists have decoded the genome of the platypus, showing that the animal's peculiar mix of features is reflected in its DNA. An analysis of the genome can help scientists piece together a more complete picture of the evolution of all mammals, including humans. Wed, 07 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507131453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505224659.htm Genetically engineered rice plants that resist the uptake of toxic metals could boost production and ease the shortage of this staple crop in Asia, India and Bangladesh, where irrigation with contaminated groundwater has created soils with toxic levels of arsenic. More than 80 percent of the world's population depends on rice as a staple food, but production is dropping in the rice paddies of Bangladesh, parts of India and South and East Asia due to toxic levels of arsenic in the topsoil. Om Parkash of the University of Massachusetts Amherst leads a research team that uses genetic engineering to produce rice plants that block the uptake of arsenic, which could increase production of this valuable crop and provide safer food supplies for millions. Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505224659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506110733.htm The origin of the centrosome has been controversial for many years. The theory of symbiogenesis as a mechanism of evolution has also stirred debate since it was introduced in the 1920s and subsequently elaborated in the 1960s by Lynn Margulis of University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Today, only two cellular components -- the mitochondria and the chloroplasts -- are generally accepted by evolutionary biologists as having a symbiogenetic origin. A new paper suggests that centrosomes are another likely candidate. Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506110733.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505094133.htm The transparent embryos of zebrafish are popular models of development, and scientists routinely tag proteins with tracers to study protein trafficking in the embryo. Sugars, which decorate 90 percent of the proteins on a cell's surface, have been harder to track. Now, UC Berkeley scientists have developed a way to attach fluorophores to sugars and follow their changing patterns throughout early development, providing a tool that could reveal the true role of cell-surface sugars. Tue, 06 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505094133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506111626.htm It's a familiar notion that an individual might interpret and respond to stressful events in a unique way based on previous experience and genetic predispositions. A new study by researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy finds that the same can be said of the individual cells in a plant. They respond in a variety of ways to too much salt or too little iron, both widespread environmental challenges for agricultural crops around the world. Tue, 06 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506111626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153820.htm One of the tactics used by influenza virus to take over the machinery of infected cells has been laid bare by structural biologists. A new high-resolution image has been published showing a key protein domain whose function is to allow the virus to multiply by hijacking the host cell protein production machinery. Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125429.htm Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have identified a potential "red tide killer." Red tides and related phenomena in which microscopic algae accumulate rapidly in dense concentrations have been on the rise in recent years, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide losses to fisheries and beach tourism activities. Despite their wide-ranging impacts, such phenomena, more broadly referred to as "harmful algal blooms," remain unpredictable in not only where they appear, but how long they persist. Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504194238.htm Bacteria that cause the bubonic plague may be more virulent than their close relatives because of a single genetic mutation, according to research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology. Mon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504194238.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430124524.htm Using an enzyme of the Japanese mushroom Grifola frondosa (Maitake or dancing mushroom), proteins can be identified without knowing the organism's genetic composition. This advance simplifies the study of proteins lying at the root of such diseases as cancer and diabetes. Sat, 03 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430124524.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501093523.htm Computational Biologist have discovered how to significantly speed up critical steps in an automated method for analyzing cell cultures and other biological specimens. The new technique promises to enable higher accuracy analysis of the microscopic images produced by today's high-throughput biological screening methods, such as the ones used in drug discovery, and to help decipher the complex structure of human tissues. Sat, 03 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501093523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430154945.htm Researchers have discovered how some bacteria can survive antibiotic treatment by turning on resistance mechanisms when exposed to the drugs. The findings could lead to more effective antibiotics to treat a variety of infections. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430154945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204239.htm German researchers have found that deer antler growth and regeneration might be reduced to a stem cell-based process. Their results strongly support the view that the growth of primary antlers as well as the annual process of antler regeneration depend on the periodic activation of mesenchymal stem cells. Thu, 01 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429204239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430123845.htm US scientists have re-awakened 'silent' metabolic pathways in fungi to reveal a new range of natural products. The research could provide not only a source of new drugs, but a way to "listen to what fungi are saying" to organisms around them. Fungi produce a wide variety of natural products, including potent toxins and life-saving drugs such as penicillin. As a result, the genetics of fungi have generated much interest in recent years. Thu, 01 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430123845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429102646.htm Botulinum neurotoxin -- responsible for the deadly food poisoning disease botulism and for the beneficial effects of smoothing out facial wrinkles - can also be used as a dreaded biological weapon. When ingested or inhaled, less than a billionth of an ounce can cause muscle paralysis and eventual death. Although experimental vaccines administered prior to exposure can inhibit the destructive action of this neurotoxin - the most deadly protein known to humans -- no effective pharmacological treatment exists. Scientists have now taken the first step toward designing an effective antidote to the most potent form of botulinum neurotoxin. Thu, 01 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429102646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134243.htm Researchers have found a new model to explain how signals between cells in the embryo control limb development. They discovered that secreted growth factors at the distal tip of the embryonic limb act as instructive molecules that control the pattern of bones along the length of the limb in an animal model. Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429085916.htm Australian researchers are a step closer to turning plants into 'biofactories' capable of producing oils which can be used to replace petrochemicals used to manufacture a range of products. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429085916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428165240.htm Researchers have gained the first detailed insight into the way circadian rhythms govern global gene expression in Cyanothece, a type of cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) known to cycle between photosynthesis during the day and nitrogen fixation at night. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428165240.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428083942.htm Biochemists have discovered a new pathway by which the cell selectively degrades ribosomes. The pathway is called ribophagy and will probably mean new revisions for the textbooks. Ubiquitin makes it all possible. Ribosomes are the cell's translation engines. They use genetic information to build chains of amino-acids that afterwards fold to form proteins. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428083942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428080356.htm A study into one of the world's rarest seabirds provides knowledge that could help avoid extinction. Molecular analysis of the Critically Endangered Magenta Petrel Pterodroma magentae (also known as the Chatham Island Taiko) discovered that 95% of non-breeding adults were male. This suggests that critically low population levels may be causing male birds difficulty in attracting a mate. Their calls are too spread out to attract the infrequent females which pass by. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428080356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140413.htm More than one billion acres of biotech crops have been grown in the US, but their environmental impacts are not fully known. In Arizona, farmers share maps of biotech cotton fields with University of Arizona scientists, enabling detailed analyses of the effects of this technology. Now a team of biologists proposes that making similar maps of the entire US available to scientists will permit much-needed studies of the environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428125221.htm A new 'artificial airway' being developed in a test tube could make it possible to develop better therapies for asthma and allergy sufferers and could reduce the need for animal testing. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428125221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415164309.htm Researchers have developed reliable methods based on DNA analysis to assess the concentration and viability of anthrax spores after prolonged storage. The techniques and data are essential steps in developing a reliable reference standard for anthrax detection and decontamination. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415164309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424121443.htm Got food? A team of scientists think they know how many -- if not most -- living organisms answer this question. They recently showed that when food supplies dwindle, mammals, fruitflies, or frogs probably activate the same ancient cell signaling pathway in order to conserve energy. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424121443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423171524.htm Scientists have discovered why birds, unlike mammals, lack a tissue that is specialized to generate heat. There is a surprising implication that the same lack of heat-generating tissue may have contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423171524.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080426083332.htm Mitochondria, the fuel of a cell, has been found to be the "driver" for cell division, according to biochemists. This discovery could play a big role in finding cures for many human diseases, they say. The biochemists studied yeast cells and found that mitochondria, which generates 90 percent of the cell's energy, can be the deciding factor -- the "brain power" -- behind how fast cells divide. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080426083332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425065411.htm Researchers have identified Heme Detoxification Protein, a unique protein encoded in the malaria genome that represents a potential target for developing new malaria drugs. They have characterized HDP and demonstrated that it plays a major role in protecting Plasmodium as the pathogen pursues infection of its host. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425065411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112445.htm Researchers have discovered that a crucial communications pathway in cells not only stops cells from making proteins, it also makes them go. The team was able to define the way in which proteins called beta arrestins (for their role in stopping signals) also turn on pathways that ultimately lead to the production of new proteins in virtually all tissues in the body. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112445.htm