Results: NIGMS Research Around the Nation

A new study led by NIGMS-supported researchers has revealed that the Rho protein maintains boundaries between genes in the bacterium.

NIGMS-supported scientist, Jeffery Dangl, works to uncover how plants recognize and resist pathogens.

NIGMS-supported researchers have developed what they believe is the first new mechanism in nearly 20 years for inhibiting HIV protease, a key viral enzyme.

NIGMS-supported neuroscientist, Mohanish Deshmukh, is striving to understand how mammalian cells—both normal and cancerous—activate the programmed cell death pathway and die by apoptosis.

NIGMS-supported scientists have uncovered a new class of small RNAs that modify gene activity and suppress transposable elements. They have also revealed a new source of small RNAs: pseudogenes.

In a new NIGMS-supported study, researchers report on how a key motor protein orchestrates chromosome movements at a critical stage of cell division.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered a key stop sign for transcription based on nucleosome organization.

An NIGMS-funded study has discovered that human cytomegalovirus can mimic a common regulatory protein to hijack normal cell division machinery.

Using C. elegans worms, NIGMS-funded researchers discovered that two specialized neurons sense temperature stress and organize an integrated response for the entire animal.

An NIGMS-funded study used single-molecule fluorescent imaging to trace the role of reverse transcriptase in real time.

With support from NIGMS, scientists have launched a comprehensive online information hub about the E. coli bacterium, one of the most valuable model organisms for biomedical research.

The new comprehensive resource, EcoliHub, provides a single point of entry to information on the K-12 strain of the bacterium. 

Using fruit flies, NIGMS-funded researchers studied molecules that have a role in maintaining energy balance in humans as well.

While mice and humans are closely related at the genetic level, mice can live without certain genes that are essential to humans, according to a new NIGMS-supported study.

By blocking a brain enzyme in mice, NIGMS-funded researchers reduced the animals' appetite and their weight.

NIGMS-funded researchers discovered that centrosomes contain RNA that suggests these organelles were incorporated into cells by symbiosis.

An NIGMS-funded study explored how two critical embryonic cell proteins help maintain stem cells in their flexible state.

Joan Steitz of Yale University and Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco, are the first women to win the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, America’s largest prize in medicine.

NIGMS-funded chemists have created glow-in-the-dark zebrafish whose cell-surface carbohydrates are tagged with dyes, a technique that can be used to track development.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered new molecular targets for an enzyme that modifies chromatin.

Studying yeast cells, NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered that mitochondria trigger nuclear DNA to replicate, instigating cell division.

Researchers supported in part by NIGMS sequenced collagen protein to analyze the ancestry of Tyrannosaurus rex, finding the dinosaurs to be closer to birds than reptiles.

NIGMS-funded researchers have determined the atomic structures of DNA-repair proteins that repair damage caused by certain cancer treatments.

Scientist clarified the possible biological link between a contaminant recently found in some lots of heparin and allergy-like reactions including deaths. Some of the same scientists also determined the chemical structure of the contaminant, which will aid in detecting it.

An NIGMS-funded study probes how interfering RNA molecules allow DNA expression patterns to be inherited.

An NIGMS-funded study found that up to one-third of genes' expression varies depending on where and how Berbers in Morocco live.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered a step whereby cells find flawed mRNAs to prevent the production of damaged proteins.

In work that could lead to new antibiotics, NIGMS-funded researchers have demonstrated the key role of a protein involved in bacterial cell division.

NIGMS-funded researchers have developed a technique that reveals a sharper image of chromatin, the bundles of genetic material and protein that make up chromosomes.

U.S. and Japanese scientists partner to study genetic factors that influence the safety and effectiveness of medicines. 

A study funded in part by NIGMS reveals that a kinase protein can direct cells into cell death, for example after a heart attack or stroke.

An NIGMS-funded study has discovered how a protein called leiomodin directs the assembly of actin to allow the pumping of the heart.

NIGMS-funded researchers have calculated the impact of school closures on the spread of a future flu pandemic.

At least a third of the genome is affected by "fingerprints" that are conserved even though they don't code for protein, reports an NIGMS-funded study.

NIGMS-funded researchers have solved the crystal structure of a a self-splicing region of RNA, providing a glimpse of an ancient mechanism.

By conducting a genetic analysis in a broad range of animals, NIGMS-funded researchers suggest that mammals may need little selenium.

NIGMS-funded researchers induced cells to replenish a protein without which there is damage to growing nerve cells and the muscles they control.

The Protein Structure Initiative has launched an online resource that will enable scientists from across biomedical disciplines to easily access a wealth of information about proteins.

An NIGMS-funded study has clarified the molecular steps that allow a plant to stretch out of the shade toward the sun.

An NIGMS-funded study has identified a molecular switch that causes drug-resistance in fungi, which can plague people with compromised immunity.

NIGMS-funded researchers have developed a technique for finding markers for disease without any advance knowledge of the molecules.

Small, non-coding RNAs appear to be a master regulator without which many types of cells become cancerous, reports an NIGMS-funded study.

An NIGMS-funded researcher suggests that cellulose, made by plants, algae and certain bacteria, could be a durable marker for life on other planets.

An NIGMS-funded study reports a way to quickly determine the structure of natural peptides, which have shown promise as all kinds of drugs.

By studying microbes from the guts of carpenter ants, NIGMS-funded researchers discovered two proteins that help form bacteria's outer shells.

An NIGMS-funded study of reproduction in a harmless type of algae revealed a mechanism similar to that used by the malaria parasite.

NIGMS-funded researchers have identified a kind of bacterial signalling system that allows the formation of biofilms, which allow bacteria to evade antibiotics and the immune systems of their hosts.

An NIGMS-funded study produced the first detailed analysis of one of the few genes found only in hominoids.

Using a systems biology approach, a team of NIGMS-supported researchers has revealed that the master gene that controls the biological clock in Arabidopsis is sensitive to nutrient status.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered a transposon that has settled into a gene linked to Cockayne syndrome, which causes premature aging.

An NIGMS-funded study shows how bleomycin, an established chemotherapy agent, binds to DNA, a finding that may help in the development of future cancer drugs.

A team of NIGMS-supported scientists has identified an X chromosome gene involved in meiosis that when disrupted renders male mice sterile and female mice less fecund.

NIGMS-supported researchers have discovered that a metabolic process known as the Warburg effect is essential for tumors’ rapid growth, and involves an enzyme called pyruvate kinase M2.

A team of NIGMS-supported scientists has deciphered the structure of a large protein complex responsible for adding sugar molecules to newly formed proteins.

NIGMS-supported molecular biologists have found one piece of the complex puzzle of autophagy, the process of “self-eating” performed by all eukaryotic cells to keep themselves healthy.

Antiviral medications and social-distancing measures may be sufficient to mitigate a flu pandemic outbreak until a vaccine becomes available, according to a new NIGMS-supported study.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered that C. elegans can cap their chromosomes with two different types of telomeres, a finding with implications for aging and cancer.

An NIGMS-funded study explores the biochemical vicious circle in which high blood sugar levels disable the body's response to rising levels of insulin.

NIGMS-funded scientists have identified which variations of a specific gene determine a patient’s initial response to treatment with the blood-thinning (anticoagulant) drug warfarin.

An NIGMS-funded study reports that the swapping of genetic material between closely related flu strains--not just ones infecting different species--can trigger epidemics.

NIGMS-funded scientists have discovered the rare and rather surprising mechanism behind the bright blue glow of a fluorescent antibody, which could be applied to the development of biosensors.

Researchers in the NIGMS-funded Pharmacogenetics Research Network have found that differences in gene expression levels between population groups can affect how they respond to drugs or fight off specific infections.

NIGMS-funded researchers have elucidated the mechanism of a plant gene that controls the amount of ozone that enters a plant's leaves.

NIGMS-funded researchers have identified the role of two proteins that allow bacteria to resist some antibiotics.

Using a detailed computational approach, NIGMS-funded researchers have modeled why the clotting protein fibrinogen is so elastic.

A heat shock protein could act as a key pivot on which evolution acts, report NIGMS-funded researchers.

An NIGMS-funded study found an unexpected wrinkle in how yeast cells, through their genes, adjust their metabolism in response to changing food sources.

NIGMS-funded researchers have helped produce the largest and most detailed worldwide survey of human genetic variation, uncovering clues to human origins.

Scientists supported by NIGMS have developed a new method to observe how oxidative stress affects the major building blocks of a cell, the proteins.

An NIGMS-funded study examining genetic variation found unexpected differences between European-Americans and African-Americans.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered a genetic pathway that influences cells' response to oxidative stress, a process that contributes to a host of diseases.

Two mutations in a surface molecule of the 1918 pandemic flu strain dramatically changed the affinity of the virus to human receptors, reports an NIGMS-funded study.

An international team of researchers supported by NIH has blocked staph infections in mice using a drug previously tested in clinical trials as a cholesterol-lowering agent. The novel approach could offer a new direction for therapies against a bacterium that’s becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

NIGMS-funded scientists now have a clearer understanding of how a key protein (p300/CBP) controls gene activity and how mutations in the protein may cause disease. The work could provide new avenues to design drugs aimed at cancer, diabetes, HIV, and heart disease.

NIGMS-supported scientists have used a device called an optical trap to observe in real time the folding of a riboswitch, a type of RNA molecule.

A toxin from the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus shuts down a type of ion channel key to mounting an immune response, according to a new NIGMS-supported study. 

Using gene chip technology, a team of NIGMS-supported scientists has distinguished pneumonia associated with ventilator use from other serious illnesses.

A team of NIGMS-supported scientists has revealed that a protein called Arr4 can sustain the activity of G-protein signaling pathways, which are targeted by a number of commonly used medicines.

An NIGMS-supported team of scientists has analyzed a complex biological system by treating it as a “black box,” an approach commonly used in engineering disciplines.

NIGMS-supported scientists have determined the structure of a key part of HIP1, a protein that is implicated in Huntington's disease.

NIGMS-supported researchers have analyzed the proteins targeted by nearly a thousand FDA-approved drugs and identified characteristics shared among successful drug targets.

A new study supported by NIGMS has uncovered remarkably high levels of individual variation in recombination, the process by which parents pass on a mosaic-like mixture of their genes.

A study supported by NIGMS proposes that bubbles may control the opening and closing of ion channels, conduits that controls a wide range of biological functions.

A team of researchers supported by NIGMS has solved the three-dimensional structure of an influenza protein called M2. The findings offer new ways to target drug-resistant influenza.

NIGMS-supported researchers have used a new gene networking model they developed to identify genes that regulate life span and affect tumor development in the nematode worm.

A team of NIGMS-supported researchers has conducted a genome-wide study comparing the relative importance of factors that contribute to DNA mutations, which are implicated in cancer and other diseases.

A novel gene called Rumi regulates the Notch protein by adding a glucose molecule to the part of Notch that extends outside the cell, according to a new NIGMS-supported study.

NIGMS has issued Investing in Discovery, a strategic plan that will guide the Institute’s decision-making over the next 5 years.

A team of NIGMS-supported scientists has identified DNA-based indicators for high provitamin A production that breeders can use in maize breeding programs.

Three new members were appointed to the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council. They are Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco, M.D., Ph.D., of Duke University Medical Center, Durham; Howard H. Garrison, Ph.D., of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Bethesda; and Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., of University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City. 

A new NIGMS-supported study challenges molecular biology’s widely-accepted model for nonsense-mediated messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) decay.

NIGMS-supported researchers have revealed the function of a gene previously shown to be part of an 11-gene “signature” that can predict which tumors will be aggressive and likely to spread.

NIGMS-supported researchers have discovered that proteins carrying chemical cargo in nerve cells react differently when exposed to the tau protein, which plays an important role in Alzheimer’s disease.

Mice lacking the CRACM1 calcium channel are resistant to stimuli that typically elicit severe allergic reactions, according to an NIGMS-supported study.

A mathematician and biologist, funded by NIGMS, have created a mathematical model for how cells pack together to create the eyes of Drosophila.

A team of NIGMS-supported researchers has shown that the cellular pathway for emerging from general anesthesia is different from the one that drugs take to put patients to sleep.

Using self-assembled DNA nanostructures, NIGMS-funded researchers are developing new and sensititve ways to detect gene expression.

NIGMS-funded researchers are beginning to understand how stem cells interact with their microenvironment.

NIGMS-funded researchers have evidence that transcription machinery moves to genes instead of genes having to move to specific locations in the nuclei to be expressed.

NIGMS-supported scientists have identified a key factor that determines the ability of influenza viruses to infect cells of the human upper respiratory tract.

NIGMS-funded researchers have solved the structure of an enzyme (PIK3CA) that is mutated in cancers of the colon, brain, stomach, breast, lung, and others.

Using a single-celled ciliate, NIGMS-funded biologists have discovered a mechanism whereby genetic information can be passed on through generations via RNA.

A snapshot of how two proteins interact, determined by NIGMS-funded researchers, helps show how cells control levels of hydrogen peroxide.

NIGMS-funded biologists have discovered a gene in plants that disrupts fertilization only when the gene is mutated in both female and male reproductive cells.

NIGMS-funded researchers have solved the structure of a DNA-protein complex necessary for chromosome separation and involved in the spread of antibiotic resistance.

A stem cell research breakthrough partially supported by NIGMS is tops on two lists of science advances made during 2007.

Failures in a recycling system for Wnt signaling proteins may be responsible for diseases ranging from cancer to birth defects, report NIGMS-funded researchers.

Excessive neuronal signaling can damage proteins in target cells, similar to the effects of exposure to nicotine or a pesticide, report NIGMS-funded researchers.

NIGMS-funded researchers have new findings on how histones, which package DNA and help regulate gene expression, communicate with each other.

Observing live cells, NIGMS-funded researchers have studied how cells assemble contractile rings during cell division.

Using fly salivary glands, NIGMS-funded researchers are studying autophagy, a form of programmed cell death required for healthy development.

Using sophisticated techniques on live cells, NIGMS-funded researchers measured protein interactions in the critical MAP kinase signaling pathway.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered that the modification of a single amino acid triggers the genetic chain of events involved with circadian rhythms.

NIGMS-funded researchers were able to watch an enzyme as it changed shape in the absence of a substrate.

Current computer programs that scan the genome for regulatory DNA can miss more than half of these regions, report NIGMS-funded researchers.

Scanning candidate drugs against the Protein Data Bank can be used to predict side effects, NIGMS-funded researchers say.

NIGMS-funded researchers have discovered a molecular "switch" in epithelial cells that selects from motor proteins called kinesins to traffic materials to the cell surface.

Using mice, NIGMS-funded researchers discovered that a protein (PEPT2) protects brains from lead poisoning and liver diseases with neurological effects.

A newly released software program will let health authorities at the site of an infectious disease outbreak quickly analyze data, speeding the detection of new cases and the implementation of effective interventions. 

NIGMS-funded researchers have identified cellular components that help dispose of defective proteins, potentially revealing targets for future cancer drugs.

Using nanotechnology that measures the softness of cells, NIGMS-funded researchers showed that metastatic cancer cells feel different from normal cells.

NIGMS-funded researchers have obtained a snapshot of a tiny protein gate found in cell membranes as material passes through.

NIGMS-funded researchers have shown that chipmunks and two types of shrews, not just mice, are the main animal reservoirs for lyme disease.

New genetic evidence, uncovered with NIGMS funding, supports the notion that Native Americans descended from a small number of people crossing once from Asia across the Bering Strait.

Researchers funded by the NIGMS Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study report that cholera could be controlled inexpensively by orally vaccinating affected populations.

Working with bacteria, NIGMS-funded researchers discovered a rhythmic day/night cycle in how condensed DNA is.

NIGMS-funded researchers report the genetic reprogramming of human skin cells to create cells indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells, an accomplishment that should speed up stem cell research and remove ethical and legal constraints to their use.

NIGMS-funded biologists have discovered a family of proteins that helps direct the formation of axons and dendrites, allowing communication between neurons.

NIGMS-funded research shows how embryonic cells may regulate levels of retinoic acid, a signal that controls the development of many body parts.