Life Sciences and Chemistry

Because they target and track deadly brain tumor cells – even those that migrate within the brain – neural stem cells appear to be effective “delivery systems” to transport cancer-killing gene and immune products. But not all neural stem cells take on this tracking role.

Now researchers at Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, using mouse and human cells, have defined a subset of neural stem cells that have this tumor-tracking potential. They also have identified a bioc

Staying close to mother helps baby dolphins swim – but they can’t keep together when fleeing from fishing boats

Why has the introduction of dolphin-friendly tuna-fishing methods not led to a recovery of dolphin populations? A new study shows how chase by tuna fishermen may sever the link between mother and baby dolphins, to disastrous effect.

Young dolphins keep up with their mothers, who are more powerful swimmers, by adopting the ideal position to get a ’free ride’ in th

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) announces today the publication of a high-quality draft genome sequence of the white rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium. These are the only known microbes capable of efficiently degrading the recalcitrant aromatic plant polymer lignin, one of the most abundant natural materials on earth. White rot fungi such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium play a pivotal role in the carbon cycle–the circulation of carbon from the atmospher

Findings published in current issue of Nature Cell Biology

Adult stem cell transplantation offers great therapeutic potential for a variety of diseases due to their ability to replenish diseased cells and tissue. While they are unique in this ability, it remains a challenge to effectively treat disease long-term with stem cells because of our inability to grow them in the laboratory. Defining the molecular switch in the stem cell replication process, or cell cycle, is a key step to st

In a finding that deepens our understanding of epigenetic regulation, researchers at the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology in Vienna have identified a novel protein in Arabidopsis that may help so-called short guide RNAs and silencing effector proteins target specific DNA sequences for modification.

The ’nuclear side’ of RNA interference (RNAi) is increasingly recognized as an important part of RNA-mediated gene silencing pathways. Short RNAs and proteins of the R

In a finding that broadens our understanding of how the immune system can detect infection, researchers have identified a previously unappreciated way in which bacteria can be recognized inside our cells.

Many bacteria cause disease by invading cells and creating a safe niche in which to replicate. Cells respond to the infection by activating the immune system, and a chief challenge for bacteria is to avoid immune detection. Prior research had shown that bacteria inside the cytosol (the cel