Category Biology/Biotechnology

Autism spectrum disorder linked to mutations in some mitochondrial DNA. CREDIT Darryl Leja, NHGRI, Flickr

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have greater numbers of harmful mutations in their mitochondrial DNA than family members. Increasingly, studies point to malfunctions in mitochondria as a cause of autism spectrum disorder, but the biological basis for this relationship is unclear. To see if a genetic link exists between mitochondrial malfunction and ASD, the scientists analyzed mitochondrial DNA sequences from 903 children with ASD, along with their unaffected siblings and mothers.

They discovered a unique pattern of heteroplasmic mutations, where both mutant and normal mitochondrial DNA sequences exist in a single cell...

Rutin (rutoside, sophorin) molecule

Good news for those who want to activate their brown fat (or BAT, brown adipose tissue) without having to be cold: New research, published in The FASEB Journal, suggests that a natural compound in mulberries, called “rutin,” can activate the BAT in our bodies to increase metabolism and facilitate weight loss.

“The beneficial effects of rutin on BAT-mediated metabolic improvement have evoked a substantial interest in the potential treatment for obesity and its related diseases, such as diabetes,” said Wan-Zhu Jin, Ph.D. “In line with this idea, discovery of more safe and effective BAT activators is desired to deal with obesity and its related diseases.”

To make their discovery, Jin and colleagues used both genetically obese mice and mice with diet-induced...

STAT2 binds STAT1 via high affinity N Domain interactions.

A protein known for guarding against viral infections leads a double life, new research shows, and can interfere with cell growth and the defense against parasites. Johnathan Ho and Uwe Vinkemeier at the University of Nottingham, UK, and colleagues describe the duplicitous nature of this essential protein, called STAT2, which they discovered while investigating the mechanisms behind interferon signaling.

Interferons are powerful antimicrobials that can also stop the proliferation of normal and cancer cells...

Regulatory DC immunotherapy can be effective for food allergies and suggest that induction of Foxp3− regulatory T cells might be a useful strategy for tolerance induction in this context.

A new immunotherapy technique has been developed that nearly eliminates the allergic response to peanut and egg white proteins in food-allergic mice, reducing the anaphylactic response by up to 90% with only one treatment. The findings open the door to test this new allergy treatment in “humanized mice” – mice with non-existent immune systems implanted with cells from a human immune system, eg, from a peanut-allergic person. With Health Canada approval, the first human trial could begin in about one year, Gordon said.

“If we can reliably ‘cure’ food allergies, or related conditions such as asthma or aut...