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Microbiology Today February 2003 issue
February 18, 2003DNA50 and microbes
This special issue commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick. Microbes have always played an important role in DNA research and this issue, which features topics in modern molecular microbiology and microbial genomics, shows the enormous amount of progress made in the last 50 years.
Microbiology and me in 1952 (page 4)
In 1952 new lab techniques were being developed that allowed scientists to find out more about bacterial and fungal metabolism. Big questions of the day were: what were viruses and how did they originate? What controlled the replication and heredity of bacteria? Popular science writer and distinguished microbiologist John Postgate looks back at microbiology 50 years ago. He also tells the tale of Jim Watson's presentation to an SGM meeting that year.
Exploiting genomes: bases to megabases in 50 years (page 6)
Microbiology has been transformed by molecular biology in ways that could not have been imagined 50 years ago. DNA sequencing technology allows the entire genetic repertoire of microbes to be examined and exploited. Genomics has also enabled the development of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Bioinformatics helps scientists to interpret the data. Petra Oyston and Dave Kelly describe the topics to be covered in the main symposium at the SGM's meeting in Manchester in September.
Bacteria and DNA repair - 50 years together (page 8)
All cells rely on DNA to transmit genetic information and it is vital to maintain the integrity of this information, yet DNA is constantly subject to damaging events. DNA repair is one of the key processes essential to the function of every living cell. Nearly all key breakthroughs in our understanding of this process have come through work with bacterial cells, as Peter Strike of Napier University describes.
Base pairing in RNA virus replication and host plant defence (page 12)
Ribonucleotides in RNA can base-pair to form double-stranded structures just as deoxyribonucleotides can in DNA. In virology, RNA-based replication has not been superseded and many viruses have RNA genomes. Mike Mayo of the Scottish Crop Research Institute describes how recent research has shown that host defence against plant virus infection can be 'switched on' by replication of the viral RNA.
Gene therapy in the treatment of disease (page 14)
Single gene defects in humans account for over 4000 inherited disorders. Such disorders can lead to severe and often fatal disease early in life or late onset debilitating disease in adults. Following the identification and linkage of a specific gene to a particular disorder it should be possible to correct a gene defect by supplying a fully functional copy of the gene to a particular cell. Delivery of nucleic acid to cells is not straightforward, but of the various methods in use, viruses currently have the edge over other systems. Stacey Efstathiou of Cambridge University focuses on viral vectors in his exploration of our current state of knowledge of gene therapy.
Come the revolution (page 16)
Microbial research has been revolutionized by the recent rapid progress in sequencing microbial genomes. Stephen Bentley of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute explains how this revolution came about and describes the huge potential for the exploitation of whole genome data.
Artemis: the goddess of the hunt (page 19)
There are more than 350 bacterial genome sequencing projects currently in progress. A wealth of data is being generated and tools are needed to analyse it. At the Pathogen Sequencing Unit of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, computer programs have been developed in-house which enable microbiologists to make sense of the huge volume of information now available. Nick Thomson describes Artemis, which is a genome viewer program, and ACT, which is a comparative genomic tool. He also covers the content of the popular one-day course in the use of these programs which he and his colleagues have been running for SGM members.
The influenza pandemic window - heroes and heroines of 1918-1919 (page 25)
More than 50 million people died across the globe in the 'flu pandemic that occurred at the end of the First World War. Whilst every town and village in the UK has a memorial to the troops who died fighting, the influenza casualties have gone unrecorded. To remedy this, eminent influenza virologist Professor John Oxford and his group commissioned a window from international glass artist Johannes Schreiter. The window in the Medical School Library, Whitechapel, is not only a tribute to the victims of the virus, but also to the heroes and heroines who looked after the sick and dying. It is also important to remember that the influenza virus remains one of the greatest killer diseases of mankind.
The significance of European Bat Lyssavirus infection in Great Britain (page 52)
A bat conservationist in Scotland died recently from a form of rabies after being bitten by an infected animal. This caused much media attention and Mary Warrell of the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford considers how much of a risk bat lyssavirus does pose to human health in the UK.
Dr Montville's double helix seaman scarf (page 41)
A knitting pattern for molecular biologists who wish to create their own souvenir of the DNA anniversary.
Society for General Microbiology
Microbiology has been transformed by molecular biology in ways that could not have been imagined 50 years ago. DNA sequencing technology allows the entire genetic repertoire of microbes to be examined and exploited. Genomics has also enabled the development of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Bioinformatics helps scientists to interpret the data. Petra Oyston and Dave Kelly describe the topics to be covered in the main symposium at the SGM's meeting in Manchester in September.
Bacteria and DNA repair - 50 years together (page 8)
All cells rely on DNA to transmit genetic information and it is vital to maintain the integrity of this information, yet DNA is constantly subject to damaging events. DNA repair is one of the key processes essential to the function of every living cell. Nearly all key breakthroughs in our understanding of this process have come through work with bacterial cells, as Peter Strike of Napier University describes.
Base pairing in RNA virus replication and host plant defence (page 12)
Ribonucleotides in RNA can base-pair to form double-stranded structures just as deoxyribonucleotides can in DNA. In virology, RNA-based replication has not been superseded and many viruses have RNA genomes. Mike Mayo of the Scottish Crop Research Institute describes how recent research has shown that host defence against plant virus infection can be 'switched on' by replication of the viral RNA.
Gene therapy in the treatment of disease (page 14)
Single gene defects in humans account for over 4000 inherited disorders. Such disorders can lead to severe and often fatal disease early in life or late onset debilitating disease in adults. Following the identification and linkage of a specific gene to a particular disorder it should be possible to correct a gene defect by supplying a fully functional copy of the gene to a particular cell. Delivery of nucleic acid to cells is not straightforward, but of the various methods in use, viruses currently have the edge over other systems. Stacey Efstathiou of Cambridge University focuses on viral vectors in his exploration of our current state of knowledge of gene therapy.
Come the revolution (page 16)
Microbial research has been revolutionized by the recent rapid progress in sequencing microbial genomes. Stephen Bentley of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute explains how this revolution came about and describes the huge potential for the exploitation of whole genome data.
Artemis: the goddess of the hunt (page 19)
There are more than 350 bacterial genome sequencing projects currently in progress. A wealth of data is being generated and tools are needed to analyse it. At the Pathogen Sequencing Unit of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, computer programs have been developed in-house which enable microbiologists to make sense of the huge volume of information now available. Nick Thomson describes Artemis, which is a genome viewer program, and ACT, which is a comparative genomic tool. He also covers the content of the popular one-day course in the use of these programs which he and his colleagues have been running for SGM members.
The influenza pandemic window - heroes and heroines of 1918-1919 (page 25)
More than 50 million people died across the globe in the 'flu pandemic that occurred at the end of the First World War. Whilst every town and village in the UK has a memorial to the troops who died fighting, the influenza casualties have gone unrecorded. To remedy this, eminent influenza virologist Professor John Oxford and his group commissioned a window from international glass artist Johannes Schreiter. The window in the Medical School Library, Whitechapel, is not only a tribute to the victims of the virus, but also to the heroes and heroines who looked after the sick and dying. It is also important to remember that the influenza virus remains one of the greatest killer diseases of mankind.
The significance of European Bat Lyssavirus infection in Great Britain (page 52)
A bat conservationist in Scotland died recently from a form of rabies after being bitten by an infected animal. This caused much media attention and Mary Warrell of the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford considers how much of a risk bat lyssavirus does pose to human health in the UK.
Dr Montville's double helix seaman scarf (page 41)
A knitting pattern for molecular biologists who wish to create their own souvenir of the DNA anniversary.
Society for General Microbiology
DNA Current Events and DNA News RSSDeciphering the regulatory code
Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived.
Male sabertoothed cats were pussycats compared to macho lions
Despite their fearsome fangs, male sabertoothed cats may have been less aggressive than many of their feline cousins, says a new study of male-female size differences in extinct big cats.
Autism Consortium symposium draws record number of researchers, advocates, parents for autism update
The Autism Consortium, an innovative collaboration of researchers, clinicians, funders and families dedicated to catalyzing research and enhancing clinical care for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), held its fourth annual symposium on October 28th, 2009, at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Researchers identify drug candidate for treating spinal muscular atrophy
A chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants.
Conserving historic apple trees
The apple trees of yesteryear are slowly disappearing. Many apple varieties common in the United States a century ago can no longer be found in today's orchards and nurseries.
Tiny injector to speed development of new, safer, cheaper drugs
It's no bigger than a stamp packet but it has the potential to allow rapid development of a new generation of drugs and genetic engineering organisms, and to better control in-vitro fertilization.
Taking aim at mysterious DNA structures in the battle against cancer
Designers of anti-cancer drugs are aiming their arrows at mysterious chunks of the genetic material DNA that may play a key role in preventing the growth and spread of cancer cells, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
Tags reveal white sharks have neighborhoods in the north Pacific, say Stanford researchers
The white shark may be the ultimate loner of the ocean, cruising thousands of miles in a solitary trek, but a team of researchers has discovered that the sharks have maintained such a consistent pattern of migration that over tens of thousands of years the white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean have separated themselves into a population genetically distinct from sharks elsewhere in the world.
Clinical tests begin on medication to correct Fragile X defect
NIH-supported scientists at Seaside Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass., are beginning a clinical trial of a potential medication designed to correct a central neurochemical defect underlying Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability.
A Potential Anti-cancer Agent
Pateamine A (PatA), a natural product first isolated from marine sponges, has attracted considerable attention as a potential anti-cancer agent, and now a new activity has been found for it, which may reveal yet another anti-cancer mechanism.
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Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Dna Superstructure UV Cream SPF 25, 1.7-Ounce Box by Olay Introducing Olay Regenerist DNA Superstructure UV Cream. Helps block direct DNA damaging rays to help protect skin and maintain collagen's structural integrity. Hydrates to help rebuild cellular surface structure & restore firmness. This new anti-aging formula hydrates to help rebuild cellular surface structure and restore firmness, regenerating a more youthful appearance. SPF 25 helps block direct DNA damaging rays to help protect skin and maintain collagen's structural integrity. Powerful anti-oxidants help protect the skin's surface from free radical damage. Premium skin feel, suitable for daily use. Create the perfect skin care solution for you with the Regenerist line of advanced anti-aging products. Broad Spectrum SPF 25 UVA/UVB Sunscreen |
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