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New view of body’s infection response
ScienceDaily (Aug. 10, 2012) A new 3-D view of the body’s response to infection — and the ability to identify proteins involved in the response — could point to novel biomarkers and therapeutic agents for infectious diseases
Gene network restores cystic fibrosis protein function
ScienceDaily (July 31, 2012) Researchers at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine have discovered a genetic process that can restore function to a defective protein, which is the most common cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease caused by mutations in a gene that adversely affect its protein product. In its correct form and cellular location, this protein, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), functions as a channel for ions to move across cell membranes, and is critical for maintaining cellular salt and water balance
Gene network restores cystic fibrosis protein function
ScienceDaily (July 31, 2012) Researchers at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine have discovered a genetic process that can restore function to a defective protein, which is the most common cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease caused by mutations in a gene that adversely affect its protein product
Gene discovery set to help with mysterious paralysis of childhood
ScienceDaily (July 29, 2012) Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a very rare disorder that causes paralysis that freezes one side of the body and then the other in devastating bouts that arise at unpredictable intervals. Seizures, learning disabilities and difficulty walking are common among patients with this diagnosis
Deadly E. coli strain decoded
ScienceDaily (July 26, 2012) The secret to the deadly 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany has been decoded, thanks to research conducted at Michigan State University. The deadliest E.
How a common fungus knows when to attack
ScienceDaily (July 24, 2012) The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans inconspicuously lives in our bodies until it senses that we are weak, when it quickly adapts to go on the offensive. The fungus, known for causing yeast and other minor infections, also causes a sometimes-fatal infection known as candidemia in immunocompromised patients.
Dairy researchers identify bacterial spoilers in milk
ScienceDaily (July 20, 2012) Our days of crying over spoiled milk could be over, thanks to Cornell food scientists. Milk undergoes heat treatment — pasteurization — to kill off microbes that can cause food spoilage and disease, but certain bacterial strains can survive this heat shock as spores and cause milk to curdle in storage.
How hosts recognize bacteria
ScienceDaily (July 20, 2012) We are surrounded by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The fact that we nevertheless do not fall prey to infections is thanks to certain cellular sensor molecules such as toll-like receptors (TLR), which recognize the molecular structure of pathogens and intercede by ensuring an often completely unnoticeable elimination of the invaders. Their immune-activating abilities were only detected in 1998, a discovery which was awarded with the Nobel Prize
Like a transformer? Protein unfolds and refolds for new function
ScienceDaily (July 19, 2012) New research has shown that a protein does something that scientists once thought impossible: It unfolds itself and refolds into a completely new shape. This protein, called RfaH, activates genes that allow bacterial cells to launch a successful attack on their host, causing disease. The researchers determined that RfaH starts out in its alpha form, composed of two spiral shapes
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