news archive January 2005

• Detection of a new blood pressure-increasing hormone
  Urine adenosine tetraphosphate: a novel endothelium-derived vasoconstrictive factor
  

• Hearing Anger In Voices
  Study suggests that the sound of anger enhances the brain's response to voices.
  
• Understanding Cocaine Cravings
  Cocaine cravings following an extended withdrawal require the activation of a protein called extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) in a part of the brain involved in motivation and emotion.
  
• Tagging Strategy Makes It Easier For Researchers To Leave Their Mark
  New method for the quick addition of small labeling molecules promises to simplify studies tracking the localization and dynamics of cell-surface proteins without interfering with cellular function.
  
• Stem Cells In Need Of A Fresh Start
  Report indicates that a foreign molecule present in human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) may lead to their being killed by the immune system if they are used in a transplantation setting.
  
• Reproductive ACE
  A protein that controls blood pressure is also crucial for fertilization.
  
• Viagra For A Broken Heart
  Sildenafil, better known as Viagra, can prevent and reverse the pathological growth of the heart.
  
• Muscle-Driven Microrobots
  Sceintists show that it is now possible to start with single cells on silicon chips and obtain micromechanical devices operated by muscle tissue.
  
• Natural Selection In Humans
  Report describes evidence for natural selection acting on the human genome.
  
• Stimulating Insight Into Reproductive Hormones
  The revelation, how follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) binds to its receptor on the cell surface, may provide scientists with the key for aiding future drug discovery efforts.
  
• Understanding The Brain, One Cell At A Time
  Scientists report on a tool that can capture the activity of neuronal populations at single-cell resolution and up to four times deeper into the brain than before.
  
• Pokemon Protein Puts New Cancer Treatment On The Cards
  Scientists uncover the role of Pokemon, a key protein in cancer progression.
  
• Protein's Role In Immune Defence Uncovered
  Researchers uncover the role of a vital protein called IRF-5 in triggering immune defences against invading pathogens.
  

• Scientists Discover Key Genetic Factor in Determining HIV/AIDS Risk
  Individual risk of acquiring HIV and experiencing rapid disease progression is not uniform within populations
  
• Researchers simulate molecular biological clock
  Stochastic simulation of the mammalian circadian clock.
  
• Thinking small: Texas A&M team creates lab-on-a-chip
  On-chip manipulation of levitated femtodroplets
  
• Study finds more than one-third of human genome regulated by RNA
  Conserved Seed Pairing, Often Flanked by Adenosines, Indicates that Thousands of Human Genes are MicroRNA Targets
  
• Found: Missing sequence of the human Y chromosome
  Sequence may contain genes controlling stature and tumor development
  
• COX-2 levels are elevated in smokers
  Tobacco smoke triggers the production of COX-2, a cellular protein linked to the development and progression of cancer
  
• Research Identifies Promising Route for Treating Age-Related Hearing Loss
  Proliferation of Functional Hair Cells in Vivo in the Absence of the Retinoblastoma Protein
  
• First 'atlas' of key brain genes could speed research on cancer, neurological diseases
  Mouse brain organization revealed through direct genome-scale TF expression analysis
  
• Transistor Genetics
  Self-assembled carbon-nanotube-based field-effect transistors
  
• Mouse brain tumors mimic those in human genetic disorder
  Natural history of neurofibromatosis 1-associated optic nerve glioma formation in mice
  
• Humans Are A 'Privileged' Evolutionary Lineage
  Accelerated evolution of nervous system genes in the origin of Homo sapiens
  
• Growth of common skin cancer blocked in gene-switch mice
  Scientists have identified genes that promote the growth and recurrence of skin cancer
  

• The Underlying Causes Of Cystic Fibrosis
  Two studies show that a single mutation in the cystic fibrosis protein causes defects at two distinct stages in its maturation process, leading to cystic fibrosis.
  
• 'Tadpoles' Help Researchers Leap-Frog Past Detection Limits
  A powerful new tool promises high sensitivity for the detection of a versatile range of targets, including proteins and small-molecule compounds.
  
• Gene Implicated In Rett Syndrome
  A new gene has been identified that may be involved in the pathogenesis of Rett syndrome -- a neurological disorder resulting in autism, seizures and loss of speech, almost exclusively in girls before the age of 18 months.
  
• Solving A Cancer Paradox - Why Ageing Cells Turn Into Tumours
  Study shows that growth arrest in aging cells might directly lead to cell cancer formation.
  
• Stem Cell Switch
  Study's findings suggest that p53 may protect the genetic stability of stem cells by inducing differentiation and subsequent cell death of defective stem cells.
  
• Red Blood Cell Boost
  French researchers have come up with a method for producing red blood cells that may one day help overcome the shortage of donated blood.
  
• Neuroprotection Offered By Antibiotics
  One team of researchers, focusing on the transporters that deal with glutamate, the principle excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, explains how to produce more transporters for glutamate, and gives hope for preventing nerve failure.
  
• Insulin's Double-Edged Sword Explained
  Study reveals that some cell switches are more sensitive to insulin than others, creating new possibilities for diabetes therapies.
  
• Gene Synthesis Gets Cheaper
  A new method for synthesizing specific DNA sequences could revolutionize the production of genes in the laboratory.
  

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