Harvard researchers have created the first atomic-resolution image of a donut-shaped enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix for replication. The structure reveals how six individual polypeptide lobes arrange themselves to look like a ring of bread buns, providing new insights into the molecular motor's mechanism.
Heart cells secrete substances to regulate oxygen-rich blood flow, triggering vessel constriction or dilation as needed. Research reveals an optimal oxygen concentration of 6%, with narrow permissible windows above or below this level.
SPARC's Scientific Communities Initiative has awarded grants worth half a million dollars to Columbia University Press's Columbia Earthscape, the California Digital Library's eScholarship, and MIT's CogNet. The grants aim to stimulate and accelerate digital science publishing ventures based in academia.
A new sequencing technique allows scientists to determine the linear order of building blocks in complex sugars, a crucial step in understanding their biological functions. This breakthrough could lead to significant advances in fields such as glycosaminoglycans and tissue development.
A new DNA chip method has been developed to identify and classify tumor types, offering a promising approach for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The technique uses gene expression analysis to distinguish between different types of leukemia, such as AML and ALL, and may also be used to predict clinical outcomes.
A Johns Hopkins-led study of over 600 patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) found that photodynamic therapy reduced vision loss risk by 67%, compared to 39% for those receiving a placebo. The treatment targets abnormal blood vessels and scar tissue, offering hope for slowing disease progression in selected patients.
Researchers found that microbial pathogens induce atheroma plaque formation in mice lacking anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. The study suggests that exposure to air-borne pathogens multiplies plaque formation by a factor of 10 in IL-10-deficient mice, making the plaque more likely to rupture.