Tuesday, December 29, 2009

“Citrus Surprise: Vitamin C Boosts the Reprogramming of Adult Cells ... - Science Daily” plus 4 more

“Citrus Surprise: Vitamin C Boosts the Reprogramming of Adult Cells ... - Science Daily” plus 4 more

Citrus Surprise: Vitamin C Boosts the Reprogramming of Adult Cells ... - Science Daily

Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:32 PM PST

ScienceDaily (Dec. 29, 2009) — Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing the aging process. Now, a study published online on December 24th by Cell Press in the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers an unexpected new role for this natural compound: facilitating the generation of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells.

Over the past few years, we have learned that adult cells can be reprogrammed into cells with characteristics similar to embryonic stem cells by turning on a select set of genes. Although the reprogrammed cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), have tremendous potential for regenerative medicine, the conversion is extremely inefficient.

"The low efficiency of the reprogramming process has hampered progress with this technology and is indicative of how little we understand it. Further, this process is most challenging in human cells, raising a significant barrier for producing iPSCs and serious concerns about the quality of the cells that are generated," explains senior study author Dr. Duanqing Pei from the South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Pei and colleagues measured the production of reactive oxygen species or ROS during reprogramming and discovered a potential link between high ROS and low reprogramming efficiency. They became particularly interested in antioxidants, hypothesizing that they might suppress ROS and cell senescence, which seems to be a major roadblock for the generation of iPSCs.

The researchers found that adding vitamin C, an essential nutrient that is abundant in citrus fruits, enhanced iPSC generation from both mouse and human cells. Vitamin C accelerated gene expression changes and promoted a more efficient transition to the fully reprogrammed state. Somewhat to their surprise, they found that other antioxidants do not have the same effect, but vitamin C does seem to act at least in part through slowing cell senescence.

"Our results highlight a simple way to improve iPSC generation and provide additional insight into the mechanistic basis of reprogramming," concludes Dr. Pei. "It is also of interest that a vitamin with long-suspected anti-aging effects has such a potent influence on reprogramming, which can be considered a reversal of the aging process at the cellular level. It is likely that our work may stimulate further research in this area as well."

Story Source:

Adapted from materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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Genes that drive aggressive brain cancers identified - Newstrack India

Posted: 24 Dec 2009 01:46 AM PST

London, Dec 24 (ANI): Scientists have identified two genes that, when simultaneously activated, spur the most aggressive forms of human brain cancer.

 

The discovery, by a team of Columbia scientists led by Antonio Iavarone, associate professor of neurology in the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Andrea Califano, director of the Columbia Initiative in Systems Biology, may lead to completely novel strategies to diagnose and treat these incurable tumours.

 

 

The researchers studied a type of human malignancy, called glioblastoma multiforme, which is among the most lethal because it rapidly invades the normal brain producing inoperable brain tumours.

 

Before this study, cancer researchers had little idea why glioblastoma is so aggressive.

 

"We now know that two genes - C/EPB and Stat3 - are the disease's master 'control knobs'. When simultaneously activated, they work together to turn on hundreds of other genes that transform brain cells into highly aggressive, migratory cells," said Iavarone.

 

The two genes are active in about 60 percent of all glioblastoma patients and help identify poor-prognosis patients.

 

All patients in the study whose tumours showed activation of both factors died within 140 weeks after diagnosis, while one half of the patients without these factors were still alive.

 

Califano said: "The finding means that suppressing both genes simultaneously, using a combination of drugs, may be a powerful therapeutic approach for these patients, for whom no satisfactory treatment exists."

 

This approach, called combination therapy, is supported by this study since silencing both genes in human glioblastoma cells completely blocked their ability to form tumours when injected in a mouse.

 

The findings will be published in an advanced online edition of Nature on Dec. 23, 2009. (ANI)

 

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MSU to spend $43.2M on Plant Science Expansion - Lansing State Journal

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 12:57 AM PST

In a time of campus-wide budget cuts, Michigan State University is moving ahead with construction of the first major new building on its campus in nearly a decade.

The Plant Science Expansion will be a four-story glass and brick structure at the southwest corner of Bogue Street and Wilson Road. The price tag is estimated at $43.2 million.

Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2010 and finish by late 2011.

"Why invest here when you're cutting everything else?" said David DeWitt, associate dean for budgets and research in the College of Natural Science. "I think the idea that the university has come to grips with is, when you have budget cuts, you can't just cut everything and go on business as usual."

The university isn't just cutting, he said, but realigning and making strategic investments in its strongest programs.

"One of the things we're good at and one of the things we're going to be good at in the future is plant science research. So we're investing in that," he said. "You have to invest in your future."

Plant science is a research area that extends across departments and disciplines, and, over the past few years, a lucrative one for the university.

Crowded area

There's MSU's $50 million share of the Department of Energy-funded Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), the $2.8 million stimulus grant for research on medicinal plants, $1 million from the Department of Agriculture for work on developing perennial wheat and other, mostly smaller awards.

"We've been very successful, and, when you're very successful, you need more space," DeWitt said. "The GLBRC required us to hire 100 new people. That's a big investment, so we're kind of crowded."

At 90,000 square feet, much of it devoted to open-layout lab space and plant growth chambers, the Plant Science Expansion will alleviate that crowding.

It also will provide spaces better fitted to contemporary research.

Plant biology professor Robin Buell's current lab was "designed for people to do physiology or biochemistry, where people stand and work at a bench."

Which isn't what Buell and her team do. Their work is computational, mapping plant genomes.

"Almost everyone who works for me just sits at a computer all day," she said. "There's just not very good work space for that."

Multi-disciplinary

The new building will physically join the Plant Biology and Plant and Soil Sciences buildings.

By doing so, university officials hope it will also foster greater interaction among researchers and greater levels of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

"The life sciences are becoming more and more multi-disciplinary," said Christoph Benning, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology whose work focuses, in part, on the use of algae for biofuels.

"We are looking not just at single genes and single processes, but the whole plant, the whole organism at the systems level. That requires teams of people. So we want to foster an environment that facilitates that."

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110 graduate at LSUA winter commencement - Alexandria Daily Town Talk

Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:32 PM PST

(2 of 2)

Plaucheville -- Danielle Gremillion, business administration.

Pollock -- Eric Clark, English.

Ville Platte -- Christy Anderson, psychology; and Carlene Ardoin, business administration.

Winnfield -- Joseph White, psychology.

Woodworth -- Alecia Lewis, English.

Students earning associate degrees were:

Alexandria -- Geraldlyn Cook, nursing; Bridget Daigrepont, nursing; Shondreika Davis, nursing; Latona Hill, pharmacy technology; Joshua Martin, nursing; Laura Robichaux, nursing; Kathleen Watson, nursing; and Kayla Watson, nursing.

Ball -- Janet Belgard, nursing; and Jace Tullos, criminal justice.

Bentley -- Dana Fletcher, nursing; and Doris Phillips, care and development of children.

Boyce -- Chance Parker, nursing; and James Parpart, allied health.

Bunkie -- Rosemarie Bordelon, nursing.

Colfax -- Julia McLaughlin, criminal justice.

Forest Hill -- Jamie Davis, nursing.

Glenmora -- Mekensie Maxwell, criminal justice.

Jonesville -- Johanna Boyd, nursing.

Lecompte -- Chasity Amy, nursing.

Mamou -- Nicholas Saucier, nursing.

Mansura -- Beau Mayeux, nursing.

Marksville -- Phyllis Alexander, nursing; and Sara Webb, nursing.

Oakdale -- Victoria Willis, nursing.

Otis -- Alicia Fredieu, nursing.

Pineville -- Karen Ballard, nursing; Jessica Deville, nursing; Stacie Helms, biology; Rebecca Humphries, nursing; Christy Ligon, nursing; Charles Mikesell, nursing; Holly Miller, early childhood education; Brittani Nichols, nursing; Ann Pacillo, nursing; and Laurie Pittman, nursing.

Pollock -- Sharon Henard, mathematics.

Tioga -- Kimberly Lachney, nursing.

Ville Platte -- Elizabeth Fontenot, nursing; Lacey Fontenot, nursing; Mandy Fontenot, nursing; Skyla Joubert, nursing; and Sarah Matte, nursing.

Woodworth -- Ryan Higginbotham, nursing; and Haily Lazarone, nursing.

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High Complexity Found in Simplest Bacteria - Softpedia

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 02:09 AM PST

In a series of three scientific papers that were all published in the top journal Science, experts reveal the fact that a huge degree of complexity appears to exist even in the most basic life forms. In their studies of the simplest bacteria, experts learned that a high level of complexity and organization formed the basis that allowed these microorganisms to live. This is puzzling, as researchers expected to find simpler and simpler hierarchies and organizations as they analyzed smaller and smaller creatures. This appears now not to be the case, as PhysOrg reports.

The new investigation also brought to light a very interesting fact about the microbiological world. In an interesting turn of events, it would now appear that prokaryotes are actually more similar to eukaryotes than anyone first believed. This is weird because the former class of organisms features no cell nucleus, whereas the other does. Experts seem to have had the basic understanding of life at the micro level all wrong, which is very bad. Without knowing how these organisms work, it is very difficult, for example, to develop new drugs and treatments against bacteria and microbes.

The new investigation was conducted in system biology, which is a relatively new branch in the field. It seeks to study the various levels at which a cell functions at the same time. Until now, the main approach has been to study all these levels separately. While the second approach is not wrong per se, it can be fraught with the risk of overlooking something. The research was conducted on the small bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is responsible for causing atypical pneumonia in humans. It was found that, inside the microorganism, many enzymes and proteins seemed to serve dual functions, which was considered to be a hallmark of more complex organisms. This bacterium is a prokaryote.

In addition, when analyzing its transcriptome – the amount and types of RNA that contribute to copying the genetic information stored in DNA – M. pneumoniae proved to be a lot more similar to eukaryotes in makeup than anyone thought to be the case. Regardless, the organism is strong enough to survive on its own, and its genetic material is able to adapt to huge changes in its surrounding environment, so as to ensure survivability. This means that the bacteria can switch between food sources and can also adapt to many stress factors, the researchers behind the new paper, who are based at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), conclude.

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