Researchers at Norwich BioScience Institutes use atomic force microscopy to analyze mucins and their interactions with beneficial and disease-causing bacteria. The study aims to understand the role of mucus in maintaining a healthy gut and develop new insights into gut diseases.
Beneforté broccoli consistently produces 2-3 times the amount of glucoraphanin as other varieties without affecting yield or nutrient levels. Genetic analysis identified a single gene responsible for increased glucoraphanin production, which channels more sulphur from the soil into this compound.
Researchers found that a strain of probiotic bacteria can alter its coat to outcompete harmful bacteria. This ability may prevent the growth of Clostridium perfringens in poultry, reducing the risk of necrotic enteritis and food poisoning.
Students aged 15-17 from Norfolk will participate in a project to study resistance to Take-all, a major wheat disease. They will collect data on plant lines collected from across Europe and the Near East, which will be used to develop new wheat varieties with greater resistance.
Carnivorous plants have evolved cup-shaped leaves to catch prey, allowing them to thrive in nutrient-poor environments. The study aims to uncover the rules of growth and evolution behind these complex forms, combining observations, 3D imaging, and genetic analysis.
The Dynamic Gastric Model simulates human stomach processes accurately, enabling drug and food testing. A new £900k project will refine the model to predict nutrient and drug availability in humans.
The EU directive on GMOs must be amended to allow the production of plant-made pharmaceuticals, which could lead to cheaper vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and organic plastics. The new regulations should provide tight oversight to encourage investment while maintaining trust.
Campylobacter balances two systems to prioritize finding food, suggesting the 'need to feed' is its primary concern. This understanding may help prevent future disease by targeting the bacteria's navigation systems.
A compound from the South African toothbrush tree has been shown to effectively treat tuberculosis by binding to a novel site on DNA gyrase, an enzyme essential for bacterial growth. This discovery offers hope for developing new antibiotics to combat drug-resistant strains of TB.
A study found that age drives molecular changes in genes, but diet can modulate these effects. Selenium and vitamin D reduced accumulation of epigenetic changes, while high blood folate and obesity increased them.
Researchers have identified an enzyme used in nature to produce powerful chemicals from catnip, which could be used to create a more affordable and effective cancer treatment. The discovery also has potential applications in agriculture, as the enzyme's product can disrupt aphid breeding cycles or repel them from crops.
Researchers discovered that E. coli strains can form biofilms more readily on plant surfaces, using plant-derived sugars for survival. The findings provide insights into the evolution of E. coli populations and offer targets for preventing dangerous strains from contaminating vegetables.
Cold atmospheric gas plasma technology has shown promise in inactivating Salmonella on fresh produce, but exposure length varies greatly depending on the type of produce. Researchers discovered that food surfaces' microscopic structures can block plasma from reaching bacteria, affecting treatment efficacy.
Researchers will investigate how sulforaphane in broccoli affects prostate tissue gene expression and metabolism in men at risk of developing prostate cancer. The study aims to provide evidence that diets rich in cruciferous vegetables or sulforaphane can reduce the likelihood of metastatic cancer.
A new technique links agronomic traits in crops with active genomic regions, identifying expressed genes. This allows plant breeders to develop markers based on these genes, accelerating breeding through marker-assisted selection.
New research reveals the molecular basis of a bacterial effector protein called Cif, which manipulates host cell processes for infection and colonisation. The study identifies the structure of Cif bound to its target NEDD8, providing insights into pathogenesis and potential new tools for probing cellular functions.
A recent study by Norwich BioScience Institutes reveals that the complex worldwide food-transport network generates 'hotspots' vulnerable to making outbreak tracing difficult. Countries with high import and export volumes are identified as key nodes in the network.
The John Innes Centre receives Grand Challenges Explorations grant for a groundbreaking research project aimed at developing new ways of protecting crops from insects and associated diseases. The project, led by Dr Saskia Hogenhout, involves generating whitefly-resistant plants using RNAi molecules.
Researchers have found a genetic mutation in Scandinavian barley varieties that disrupts the circadian clock, allowing them to flower earlier than southern counterparts. This adaptation enables crops to thrive in regions with short growing seasons, providing new tools for breeding and developing more resilient crops.
A study published in Science reveals that a gene silencing protein plays a crucial role in completing the transcription process, which is essential for successful gene expression. The research found that the protein helps to terminate transcription, forming the correct gene product.
Research by Norwich BioScience Institutes and John Innes Centre identifies PIF4 as a control gene that activates flowering pathway in response to temperature. This discovery sheds light on why plants are flowering earlier due to climate change, with potential implications for developing temperature-resilient crops.
Scientists have discovered how to control the Ruby gene, which is associated with improved cardiovascular health and reduced obesity. This breakthrough could lead to genetically engineered blood oranges that can thrive in warmer climates without cold dependency.
Scientists developed a computer model to accurately emulate leaf growth from a bud, discovering simple rules controlling leaf shape. The model, created using molecular signals and an inbuilt orientation system, can now help identify genes controlling leaf shape and understanding plant development.
Bacteria can multiply rapidly, but a lag phase precedes exponential growth. Researchers have developed a system to study this period, revealing genes and nutrient uptake mechanisms that help bacteria thrive in new environments.
A new method called MutMap enables plant scientists and breeders to develop new crop varieties in a year rather than five to ten years.
Legume plants allow nitrogen-fixing bacteria to breach their cell walls, enabling the bacteria to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form. The discovery sheds light on how plants promote nitrogen fixation, a crucial process for agriculture and food production.
The release of genetic data on medicinal plants could lead to discovering new drug candidates and increasing the efficacy of existing ones. Researchers have developed a collection of data that will aid in understanding how plants produce medicinally useful compounds.
The genome of Medicago, a legume model, reveals insights into the evolution of nitrogen-fixing symbioses that can be partly attributed to a 58 million-year-old genetic event. The study found additional genes specialized for root nodulation and interaction with symbiotic bacteria.
Scientists identified a molecule that manipulates plant development to favor insect hosts, increasing leafhopper reproduction and pathogen transmission. This phenomenon demonstrates the extended phenotype, where an organism's impact on its environment extends beyond biological processes.
Scientists at Norwich BioScience Institutes discovered that plant pores, essential for life and carbon cycles, are evenly spaced due to a specific protein called SPEECHLESS. This protein's activity helps create an even spatial pattern during plant growth, allowing plants to breathe efficiently in different environments.
Researchers have identified a system for targeted amplification of gene clusters in bacteria, which can significantly increase the production of antibiotics. This discovery has the potential to revolutionize the commercial production of antibiotics and may also uncover new, undiscovered antibiotics.
Researchers have discovered two gene clusters in plants producing valuable compounds, providing insights into their evolution and function. The clusters, found in dynamic regions of the genome, are maintained as a whole due to evolutionary pressure, enabling coordinated gene expression.
Scientists have successfully tuned bacteriophage endolysins to increase their effectiveness against C. difficile, a common cause of hospital-acquired infections. The study proposes using truncated versions of these natural antimicrobials as a new weapon in the battle against superbugs.
Scientists applied theoretical morphology techniques to study terpenes in plants, discovering a disparity between predicted and actual abundances. They found that nature favors rarer, harder-to-synthesize forms of these chemicals, which could lead to new effective drugs.
A Vietnamese PhD student, Tung Le, has made a breakthrough in understanding how an antibiotic-producing organism controls resistance to its own antibiotic. His research shows that the SimR protein regulates antibiotic export by binding to DNA or the antibiotic itself.
Researchers have developed a method to dissect the genomes of polyploid crops like oilseed rape and bread wheat, allowing for predictive breeding. By integrating sequence data from different sources, they created genetic linkage maps that can identify useful genes and accelerate breeding in new traits.
Researchers have identified a single nucleotide change that underlies variation in fruit morphology across different plant species, including Brassica and rice. This discovery suggests that evolutionary development may offer insights into plant breeding.
Researchers have sequenced the genome of Lactobacillus reuteri, a gut bacterium that has evolved unique adaptations to specific hosts. The study provides new insights into how bacteria establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with their hosts.
Scientists have discovered a new species of yeast, Saturnispora quitensis, in the Maquipucuna cloud forest in Ecuador. The yeast produces characteristic Saturn-shaped spores and has potential for fermentation of plant material to produce bio-energy.
Scientists have sequenced the genome of a novel form of Clostridium botulinum, which produces an unusual neurotoxin that poses a similar threat to other strains. The complete genome sequence has been deposited in EMBL/Genbank, providing valuable insights into the organism's structure and potential implications for food safety.
Researchers identified genes used by some bacterial strains to breach plant defences, revealing the essential role of isothiocyanates in protecting cruciferous plants from infection. This discovery has significant implications for improving crop plants' resistance to disease and increasing food security.
Scientists have sequenced the genomes of parasitic water fungus and water molds that cause late blight in potatoes, tomatoes, and downy mildew in cruciferous vegetables. The analysis reveals that some sections of the genome are slow to evolve, allowing for resistance genes to be targeted.
Researchers use snapdragon flower as model to study genetic and chemical cues that shape biological structures, revealing key role of genes in controlling cell growth and orientation. The study also suggests evolutionary tinkering played a role in shaping complex forms.
Growing plants with red flowers or striped blooms can significantly increase the number of visits from bumblebees, according to a study by Norwich BioScience Institutes. The research found that stripes following the veins of flowers provide a visual guide for pollinators, directing them to nectar and pollen.
Researchers at Norwich BioScience Institutes have identified a mechanism to slow down fat digestion by introducing surfactants, which break down protein layers and enhance enzyme activity. This discovery may lead to the development of foods with slower fat digestion rates, inducing satiety.
Researchers have identified the genes necessary for producing a highly potent and clinically unexploited antibiotic, microbisporicin. The study enables the engineering of bacteria to produce similar but better molecules, improving pharmacological properties.
Scientists at Sainsbury Laboratory have discovered a new way to produce crops with broad-spectrum disease resistance using pattern recognition receptors. This breakthrough could lead to enhanced resistance in various crops, reducing yield losses and pesticide use.
Scientists have successfully grown and loaded empty nano containers with useful chemicals from a plant virus, opening up new areas of research in targeted drug delivery. The technology has potential applications in cancer treatment, delivering drugs directly to diseased cells while sparing healthy ones.
Scientists are working with breeders and the food industry to create high-quality pea varieties that can reduce nitrogen fertilizer use, thereby cutting carbon emissions. The goal is to increase the uptake of legume farming and improve profit margins for farmers.
The complete genome sequence of Brachypodium distachyon has been analyzed, providing insights into how grass genomes evolve and expand. The compact genome is being used to navigate the larger and more complex genomes of wheat and barley.