Damage by pathogens occurs in three ways:
- Exotoxin release: Proteins or other toxic compounds that act at the surface of host cells, usually via a cell surface receptor.
- Endotoxin Release: Endotoxins encourage cytokine release by phagocytes, causing locale or systemic symptoms.
- Direct…
Defensins are antimicrobial peptides that penetrate microbial membranes and disrupt their integrity. They destroy bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses. Alpha-defensins are expressed on neutrophils and Paneth cells, whereas beta-defensins are expressed on epithelial cells of the skin,…
Report Says Stem Cells Safe, Effective to Treat Vision
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced that Phase 1/2 clinical data published in The Lancet as an early online publication demonstrate the safety of ACT’s human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells for the treatment of Stargardt’s macular dystrophy (SMD) and dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). Results were reported for two patients, the first in each of the Phase 1/2 clinical trials. In addition to showing no adverse safety issues, structural evidence confirmed that the hESC-derived cells survived and continued to persist during the study period reported. Both patients had measurable improvements in their vision that persisted for more than four months.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Preliminary-Report-Says-Stem-Cells-Safe-Effective-012412.aspx
Bacterial conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells. Discovered in 1946 byJoshua Lederberg and Edward Tatum,conjugation is a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer as are transformation and transduction although these two other mechanisms do not involve cell-to-cell contact
Transfer of DNA from a donor to a recipient by direct physical contact between the cells. In bacteria there are two mating types a donor (male) and a recipient (female) and the direction of transfer of genetic material is one way; DNA is transferred from a donor to a recipient.
BioNumbers - the database of key numbers in molecular and cell biology
Spermatozoa, Bovine x100
Cancer cells tend to take up more glucose than healthy cells, and researchers are increasingly interested in exploiting this tendency with drugs that target cancer cells’ altered metabolism
Scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have shown that many types of cancer cells flip a switch that diverts glucose away from mitochondria. Their findings suggest that tyrosine kinases, enzymes that drive the growth of several types of cancer, play a greater role in mitochondria than previously recognized.
The results also highlight the enzyme PDHK (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase) as an important point of control for cancer cell metabolism.
“We used FGFR1 as a platform to look at how metabolic enzymes are modified by oncogenic tyrosine kinases,” Chen says. “We discovered that several oncogenic tyrosine kinases activate PDHK, and we found that many of those tyrosine kinases are found within mitochondria.”
Citeology – visualization explores the relationships between research papers through citations. Reminiscent of the gems in Visual Complexity.
Petri Dishes painted with patterns of real bacteria, London Art Fair
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene in E. Coli
Normal Hematopoiesis.
This is a good illustration to start off the new block, especially considering the maturation cycle is going to play a part in this week’s lecture content.
Mid-Sagittal Section of the Cranium.
We all have one
Red Blood Cells (OP)
