Tag Archives: mouse

Capturing a hard-wired variability: What makes some identical twins noticeably different?

"We have captured a fundamental randomness at the level of gene expression that has never before been described — one that persists throughout development and into adulthood," says Ludwig scientist Rickard Sandberg at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The discovery was made possible by a powerful new technique developed by Sandberg’s lab for analyzing the global expression of genes in single cells. With the exception of a subset of genes found on sex chromosomes, every mammal inherits one copy of every gene from each of its parents. Each of those copies is known as an allele, and alleles often differ measurably from their genomic siblings — a fact that accounts for a good deal of human and animal diversity…

New therapeutic target that prevents cell division

The Cell Division & Cancer Group, led by Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) researcher Marcos Malumbres, has managed to decode a new mechanism that regulates cell division, in which the key molecule involved, Greatwall − also known as Mastl− could be a new therapeutic target for oncology treatments. The study is published today in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). GREATWALL: A KEY PLAYER OF THE CELL DIVISION PUZZLE The control of cell division or mitosis depends on many proteins, amongst them, Aurora and Polo. Currently, many pharmaceutical companies have shown interest in these molecules, for which inhibitors have already been developed, some of which are currently undergoing clinical trials in oncology…

Explaining cancer to better prevent it

Understanding the disease at source Cancer is the abnormal and disordered production in the body of cells, known as "malignant." During evolution, living beings have put in place natural mechanisms to control this unwanted proliferation and prevent too frequent development of these tumours. Scientists at the Centre for ecological and evolutionary research (Creec) in Montpellier, are studying how natural selection has designed this resistance to cancer in various species. A yet unexplained paradox To understand how the body’s defences are used, scientists have examined a paradox, known as "Peto’s paradox," named after the biologist who discovered it in the 1970’s. The larger an animal, the more cells it has and the greater the risk of contracting a cancer. …

Stem cell discovery furthers research on cell-based therapy and cancer

"Scientists have known that Bmi1 is a central control switch within the adult stem cells of many tissues, including the brain, blood, lung and mammary gland," said Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, who directs the Craniofacial and Mesenchymal Biology (CMB) Program and serves as chair of the Division of Craniofacial Anomalies at UCSF. "Bmi1 also is a cancer-causing gene that becomes reactivated in cancer cells." Klein’s research group now has shown that BMI1 plays another role in ensuring that the process of development unfolds normally. The hallmarks of all stem cells are that they are immature, they keep dividing to replenish their numbers almost indefinitely, and they generate new specialized cells to function in the tissues in which they reside, a process called cell differentiation. …

GATA-3 is important for regulation and maintenance of immune system

GATA-3’s role in CD4 T-cells has been widely studied, but its role in CD8+ cells has received much less attention. "We want to know what the basic function of GATA-3 in regulating cell biology is, although it has been shown that GATA-3 is important for the function of CD4+ T cell type to clear extracellular parasites," said Yisong Wan, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the UNC School of Medicine and member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. The research, published online May 26 by Nature Immunology, shows that GATA-3 is required for the maintenance and function of CD8+ T-cells, a T-cell type mediating the immune response to clear pathogens, eradicate tumors and promote inflammation. …