News tagged with cell and molecular biology


Mutation causing wrong-way plumbing explains one type of blue-baby syndrome

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC), one type of "blue baby" syndrome, is a potentially deadly congenital disorder that occurs when pulmonary veins don't connect normally to the left atrium of the heart. This ...

Medical research created May 12, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Rare, lethal childhood disease tracked to protein

A team of international researchers led by Northwestern Medicine scientists has identified how a defective protein plays a central role in a rare, lethal childhood disease known as Giant Axonal Neuropathy, or GAN. The finding ...

Medical research created Apr 29, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Using genetic variants to improve PSA testing technique and reduce biopsies

With the help of genetics, prostate specific antigen (PSA) screenings may become more accurate and reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine.

Cancer created Apr 24, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Team finds antibody that transforms bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells

In a serendipitous discovery, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way to turn bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells.

Medical research created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (11) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Researchers identify and block protein that interferes with appetite-suppressing hormone

Ever since the appetite-regulation hormone called leptin was discovered in 1994, scientists have sought to understand the mechanisms that control its action. It was known that leptin was made by fat cells, reduced appetite ...

Medical research created Apr 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Fatheads: How neurons protect themselves against excess fat

We're all fatheads. That is, our brain cells are packed with fat molecules, more of them than almost any other cell type. Still, if the brain cells' fat content gets too high, they'll be in trouble. In a recent study in mice, ...

Medical research created Apr 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers develop new system to study trigger of cell death in nervous system

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a new model system to study a receptor protein that controls cell death in both humans and fruit flies, a discovery that could lead to a better understanding ...

Medical research created Apr 03, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Loss of tumor suppressor SPOP releases cancer potential of SRC-3

Mutations in a protein called SPOP (speckle-type POZ protein) disarm it, allowing another protein called steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) to encourage the proliferation and spread of prostate cancer cells, said researchers ...

Cancer created Apr 01, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Fanning the flames of tumor growth: Enzyme responsible for protecting chromosome ends stimulates tumorigenesis

Chromosomes are capped by long, repetitive DNA sequences called telomeres. These caps prevent genomic damage by insulating against the steady shortening of DNA ends that naturally accompanies replication. ...

Cancer created Feb 27, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Eat too much? Maybe it's in the blood

Bone marrow cells that produce brain-derived eurotrophic factor (BDNF), known to affect regulation of food intake, travel to part of the hypothalamus in the brain where they "fine-tune" appetite, said researchers from Baylor ...

Medical research created Feb 26, 2013 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Protein that represses critical checkpoint protein for cellular growth helps drive tumor development

(Medical Xpress)—One of the hallmarks of cancer is unchecked cellular growth. Fortunately, our cells contain a number of tumor suppressor proteins, including the cell cycle regulator p21, to keep cell growth ...

Cancer created Feb 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Hydrogen sulfide: The next anti-aging agent?

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) may play a wide-ranging role in staving off aging, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. In this review article, a team from China explor ...

Medical research created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Preclinical study identifies 'master' proto-oncogene that regulates ovarian cancer metastasis

Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered the signaling pathway whereby a master regulator of cancer cell proteins – known as Src – leads to ovarian cancer progression when exposed ...

Cancer created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Diabetes drug could hold promise for lung cancer patients

Ever since discovering a decade ago that a gene altered in lung cancer regulated an enzyme used in therapies against diabetes, Reuben Shaw has wondered if drugs originally designed to treat metabolic diseases ...

Cancer created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Mouse mutant opens new path for birth defect research

(Medical Xpress)—According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 3 of every 100 babies in the U.S. are born with a birth defect. Among boys, one of the most common defects is the displacement of the ...

Medical research created Jan 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0