Biochemistry

Biochemistry: Electron Relay in Proteins

Complexity digest 2008.03 (Free subscription) | yesterday

Electron transfer in proteins can be accelerated by electron relay along a chain of residues. (...) The movement of electrons between cofactors in proteins is fundamental to photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, aerobic respiration, and many other life processes. Researchers have long asked how the protein architecture separating two cofactors influences the rate of electron transfer between them... Science...

Radicals Shake Up Molecules In A Tug O' War

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 5 hours ago

Until now, it was commonly thought that colliding molecules get the shakes as the result of energy transfer solely from the smashing of the molecules, but some new research adds a second means by which colliding molecules become vibrationally excited--it is being called the "Tug o' War Mechanism." The new experiment, transforming the textbook story, was performed in the lab of Richard Zare, chair of...

• Radicals shake up molecules in a tug o' war - Eurekalert

$950,000 In Seed Grants Awarded By The Parkinson's Disease Foundation

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 02/07/2008

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) is pleased to announce awards of $950,000 toward its 2008-2009 International Research Grants and Fellowship Program (IRGFP). The funding will support the research of 19 Parkinson's scientists, chosen on April 11 from a group of almost 100 candidates by a scientific review committee led by Stanley Fahn, M.D., PDF's Scientific Director.

Survival After Extreme Blood Loss Significantly Improved By 'Hibernation-On-Demand' Drug

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 02/07/2008

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the administration of minute amounts of inhaled or intravenous hydrogen sulfide, or H2S - the molecule that gives rotten eggs their sulfurous stench - significantly improves survival from extreme blood loss in rats. Cell biologist Mark B. Roth, Ph.D., and colleagues in the Basic Sciences Division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in collaboration...

• 'Hibernation-On-Demand' Drug Hydrogen Sulfide Significantly Improves Survival After Extreme Blood Loss - The Earth Times Online Newspaper
• 'Hibernation-On-Demand' Drug Hydrogen Sulfide Significantly Improves Survival After Extreme Blood Loss - Red Orbit
• See the 8 articles on the same subject

Newly Discovered Checkpoint Process Decides Between Death, Division Or Cancer

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 02/07/2008

Each day, a staggering number of cells perform a feat that still amazes researchers with its complexity: they divide to produce perfect replicas of each other. The process is called mitosis, and an inability to control it is one of the hallmarks of cancer.

Fish Odour Triggers Conspecific Attraction Behavior In An Aquatic Invertebrate

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 02/07/2008

Group living has evolved as an adaptation to predation in many animal species. In a multitude of vertebrates, the tendency to aggregate varies with the risk of predation, but experimental evidence for this is less well known in invertebrates. Here, we examine the tendency to aggregate in the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex in the absence and presence of predator fish odour. Without fish odours,...

Female Bushcrickets Fuel Their Metabolism With Male Nuptial Gifts

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 02/07/2008

In some animals, such as bushcrickets, males donate a nutritious gift to a potential mate, and females ingest this so-called nuptial gift during copulation. Previously it was thought that most nuptial gift nutrients are routed to egg production. But, recent studies with isotopically labeled nuptial gifts reveal that female bushcrickets combust nuptial gift nutrients immediately after mating.

Predicting The Fate Of A Living Fossil: How Will Global Warming Affect Sex Determination And Hatching Phenology In Tuatara?

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 02/07/2008

Climate warming will affect animals in many ways, including the sex of some species' offspring. For tuatara, unique and ancient reptiles from New Zealand, warmer nest temperatures produce male-biased clutches. We predicted sex ratios and hatching times of tuatara clutches under future climate scenarios by linking egg development data with sophisticated models of soil microclimates.

Supercomputer Used To Track Pathways In Myoglobin

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 01/07/2008

Some 50 years ago, after decades of effort, John Kendrew determined the structure of the small globular protein, myoglobin, which is responsible for oxygen storage in cells. For this discovery, he shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry with Max Perutz, who did similar work on hemoglobin.

Leukocyte InFusion Therapy Begins Clinical Trial Following Cancer 'Cure' In Mice

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 30/06/2008

Scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center are about to embark on a human trial to test whether a new cancer treatment will be as effective at eradicating cancer in humans as it has proven to be in mice. The treatment will involve transfusing specific white blood cells, called granulocytes, from select donors, into patients with advanced forms of cancer.

Potential Alzheimer's Target

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 30/06/2008

Research in fruit flies has shown that enhancing the production of a protein called neprilysin can reduce the formation of plaques and neuron death associated with Alzheimer's, at the expense of reducing the flies' lifespan. The buildup of amyloid-beta protein plaques within the brain is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's, and one that is believed to contribute to disease progression.

Chemotherapy Resistance Overcome In The Lab Using Re-Purposed Malaysian Folk Medication

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 30/06/2008

Researchers from McGill University's Faculty of Medicine have discovered a compound that reduces resistance to chemotherapy agents used to treat cancer. Their results were published in the June issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI). Dr.

MIT Probe May Help Untangle Cells' Signaling Pathways

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 29/06/2008

MIT researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cell's activities. "We can use this to identify new protein partners or to characterize existing interactions.

Smiths Detection Launches Smart Trigger For Biological Agent Detection

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 27/06/2008

Smiths Detection, part of the global technology business Smiths Group, announced the launch of SmartBio™ Sensor (SBS), a real-time detector for biological agents or airborne toxins. SBS provides a visual or audio alarm when a bio-threat is detected and classifies the agent by threat category.

Potential Safer, More Effective Gene Therapy

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 26/06/2008

The potential of gene therapy has long been hampered by the risks associated with using viruses as vectors to deliver healthy genes, but a new University of Georgia study helps bring scientists closer to a safe and efficient gene delivery method that doesn't involve viruses.