Life Science

PLoS Biology - Deletion of Ultraconserved Elements Yields Viable Mice

Geoff — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:03:22 -0700

I was recently alerted to this paper from PLoS about the deletion of ultraconserved elements. The researchers knocked out four different ultraconserved elements and it had no effect on the mice. Under normal conditions these sequences of DNA don't seem to matter, so why has there been enough evolutionary pressure for them to be so perfectly conserved?

p53 mutations

Curtis — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:03:32 -0600

Here's a new review about the functions of p53 mutations that also discusses the role of genetic background and cell type on the outcome of certain mutations. This review really exposes the complexity of p53 biology. I wonder if this much complexity is unique to p53 or just known about p53 because there have been so many studies?

PNAS: Targeting Homozygous DNA Deletions in Cancer

Geoff — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:03:41 -0600

Interesting article on a novel way of selectively killing cancer cells based on homozygous deletions. There are some interesting ideas in this paper, but what is really unique is that ideas are all that is in the paper. I think the "idea" paper is becoming more and more rare, but even as recently as a few decades ago, these sorts of papers were an important part of moving science forward. I'm glad PNAS will still publish this type of paper.

Super p53/ARF mice have an extended life span

Curtis — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:20:02 -0600

Here's a very nice article about p53 and aging. This group has crossed a mouse with 3 copies of p53 to a mouse with 3 copies of p14ARF. This enhances p53 signaling but maintains normal regulation. These mice have less cancer and an extended life span, possible through reduced ROS. It's a very thorough and extensive piece of work.

No Cancer Benefit From Extra Fruits and Veggies

Geoff — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:12:13 -0600

Finally I can cut back on my 20 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. The one main caveat to this study is that it is based on differences in literature distribution and counseling that was given to the two groups. As brought up in the article, just giving someone literature doesn't mean they are actually following it.

Probing the Glycome with a Lectin Microarray

Geoff — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:00:36 -0600

This PNAS article describes using a lectin microarray to analyze the various changes that occur in the glycosylation status of cells. This powerful new approach opens up the world of glycosylation to global analysis. Such an approach could be a source of new biomarkers and treatment targets in a wide variety of diseases, such as inflammation and cancer.

Cancer funding resource

Curtis — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:34:32 -0600

This blog made me aware of a nice resource for cancer researchers. This NCI site lets you search for funding opportunities but also lets you search for grants that are already funded. For example, find out who has been funded to study breast cancer prevention.

Oldest children have higher IQ

Curtis — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:15:36 -0600

A new study finds that oldest children have higher IQ's than their younger siblings. The article gets into some interesting details of the analysis.

What is your birth order?

I'm the younger of 2, so I don't necessarily agree with this study.

Track Diseases Worldwide

Curtis — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:04:52 -0600

The CDC just released a tool to track diseases throughout the world, and it uses a Google Maps interface. The bbgm blog is where I found out about this site. EpiSPIDER tracks reports of diseases from all over the globe and puts them on a user-friendly interface. It's a nice example of the power of the internet.

Nanoparticles and cancer

Curtis — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:46:07 -0600

The New Scientist has an article about a new technique to use nanoparticles to image tumors and then kill them. The nanoparticles can reflect some IR radiation but absorb the rest as heat. The same particles can be used to visualize and heat-kill the tumors. The particles are localized to tumor due to the leaky vasculature in the tumor. This looks like a great use of nanoparticles.