Category Biology/Biotechnology

2 new genes have been identified in which mutations can interfere with a cell’s ability to remove misplaced links between DNA strands, and, as a result, cause a rare genetic disorder known as Fanconi anemia. These discoveries offer new insight on a repair process critical to maintaining certain tissues and preventing cancer.

Dividing cells are prone to errors, and so they must be prepared to summon sophisticated emergency systems to deal with potential damage. One type of division-derailing mishap can occur when assault by certain chemicals causes 2 strands of DNA to permanently connect when they shouldn’t, in what scientists call interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). Properly fixing these crosslinks is crucial to preventing cancer, maintaining tissues, and fertility.

To better understand h...

MGO-adducted rhBD-2 (recombinant hBD-2) shows a concentration-dependent reduction of bactericidal activity, shown as a reduction in CFU vs unadducted peptide. Credit: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0130533

Case Western Reserve scientists may have uncovered a molecular mechanism that sets into motion dangerous infection in the feet and hands often occurring with uncontrolled diabetes. It appears that high blood sugar unleashes destructive molecules that interfere with the body’s natural infection-control defenses.

The harmful molecules – dicarbonyls – are breakdown products of glucose that interfere with infection-controlling antimicrobial peptides known as beta-defensins...

Nicotine-degrading enzyme from Pseudomonas putida, NicA2, a flavin-containing protein was studied. A kinetic evaluation of the enzyme was conducted, which included determination of Km, kcat, buffer/serum half-life, and thermostability. Additionally, the catabolism profile of NicA2 was elucidated to assess the potential toxicity of the nicotine-derived products. In characterizing the enzyme, a favorable biochemical profile of the enzyme was discovered, making NicA2 a prospective therapeutic candidate. This approach provides a new avenue for the field of nicotine addiction therapy.

This enzyme can be recreated in lab settings and possesses a number of promising characteristics for drug development...

The polarized light reflected from the leaf contains a footprint of the leaf’s biopigments. These biosignatures can be detected with a polarization filter, shown here as a pair of sunglasses. Credit: Illustration: Svetlana Berdyugina

Biopigments of plants, so-called biological photosynthetic pigments, leave behind unique traces in the light they reflect, an international team has discovered. The scientists studied these biosignatures with the help of polarization filters: If biopigments were present as a sign of life on a planet, they would leave behind a detectable polarized signature in the reflected light.

Eg Chlorophyll pigments in plant leaves, absorb blue to red light but reflect a small part of green in the visible spectrum and thus appear green...