and could only image a limited number of biological targets. The researchers wanted to find another way of making gas-filled structures that could be nanoscale.
The researchers showed that they were able to easily attach biomolecules to the gas vesicle surface to enable targeting.
which vary in genetic sequence, exhibit different properties that can be used to, for example, distinguish them from each other in an ultrasound image.
For example if we want to understand the genetics of how silk is produced we must first understand how silk worms evolved over time
This new knowledge will significantly build the capability of evolutionary research as well as comparative biology since accurate measures of organismal relationships are fundamental to our interpretation of morphology genetics
and physiology to name a few. ust as the diversity of insects has always been a problem for scientists the project s goal of analyzing a large number of insect transcriptomes posed a major challenge
but belongs to a different class of biochemical substances. Copsin is a protein whereas traditional antibiotics are often non-protein organic compounds.
It was the biochemical properties of the substance that led the scientist to do so. opsin is an exceptionally stable proteinsays Essig.
which was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry l
#Laser probe knows if you ate your veggies Yale university rightoriginal Studyposted by Michael Greenwood-Yale on November 6 2014a diet full of fruits
and biological engineering at University of Florida. As reported in the journal Water Research Gao ground wood chips that were heated then in nitrogen gas but not burned.
And when you don t you don t get fibers. nderstanding the fine details of collagen assembly presents the possibility of synthetic collagens for specific functions Hartgerink says. number of biomaterials use natural collagen
and bioengineers still face several major obstacles. A silicon chip for example computes with ones and zeros current is
In contrast biological signals are less clear in addition to ignaland o signalthere is a plethora of intermediate states with little bit of signal.
This is a particular disadvantage for biocomputer components that serve as sensors for specific biomolecules and transmit the relevant signal.
A team led by ETH Zurich Professor Yaakov Benenson has developed several new components for biological circuits.
The researchers recently published their work in the scientific journal Nature Chemical Biology. To understand the underlying technology it is important to know that these biological sensors consist of synthetic genes that are read by enzymes
and converted into RNA and proteins. In the controllable biosensor developed by doctoral candidate Nicolas Lapique the gene responsible for the output signal is not active in its basic state as it is installed in the wrong orientation in the circuit DNA.
and reinstalls it in the correct orientation making it active. he input signals can be transmitted much more accurately than before thanks to the precise control over timing in the circuitsays Benenson professor of synthetic biology who supervised Lapique s work.
In biology there are a variety of different signals a host of different proteins or microrna molecules.
In order to combine biologic components in any desired sequence signal converters must be connected between them. Laura Prochazka also a doctoral candidate student under Benenson has developed a versatile signal converter.
This new biological platform will significantly increase the number of applications for biological circuits. he ability to combine biological components at will in a modular plug-and-play fashion means that we now approach the stage
when the concept of programming as we know it from software engineering can be applied to biological computers.
Bioengineers will literally be able to program in futuresays Benenson. Source: ETH Zurichyou are free to share this article under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noderivs 3. 0 Unported license N
This is the first time researchers have been able to visually observe these electrical signaling proteins turn on without genetic modification.
and membrane biology at University of California Davis. o understand how neural systems or the heart works we need to know which switches are activated.
The researchers who conducted this study come from UC Davis Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole and the Molecular Foundry Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The dream of the researchers is to one day apply the technology to shed light on the spatial structure of biomolecules such as proteins.
This would help biologists tackle issues relating to protein functions more effectively o
#Tiniest particles melt and then turn into Jell-o New york University rightoriginal Studyposted by James Devitt-NYU on October 20 2014the fact that microscopic particles known as polymers
Christoph Benning professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Michigan State university and his colleagues unearthed the protein's potential
and department of plant biology. hey go into quiescence to conserve energy and nutrients. That's when they produce the equivalent of vegetable oil.
Transcription factors known as genetic switches drive gene expression in plants based on external stresses such as light rain soil quality
and the fact that now all of its genome has been sequenced. The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award and the National institutes of health National Institute of General Medical supported the work e
This discovery which is like a eesaw circuitwas led by postdoctoral scholar Weizhe Hong in the laboratory of David J. Anderson biology professor at Caltech and an investigator with the Howard hughes medical institute.
and their associated behaviors the researchers used a technique called optogenetics. In optogenetics neurons are altered genetically
so that they express light-sensitive proteins from microbial organisms. Then by shining a light on these modified neurons via a tiny fiber optic cable inserted into the brain researchers can control the activity of the cells as well as their associated behaviors.
Using this optogenetic approach Anderson s team was able to selectively switch on the neurons associated with social behaviors
For example if a lone mouse began spontaneously self-grooming the researchers could halt this behavior through the optogenetic activation of the social neurons.
and social behaviors nd if you don t understand the circuitry you are never going to understand how the gene mutation affects the behavior. oing forward he says such a complete understanding will be necessary for the development of future therapies.
and tightly binds the nanotubes together says Martã an assistant professor of chemistry and bioengineering and of materials science and nanoengineering.
In earlier research microbiologist Gemma Reguera of Michigan State university identified that Geobacter bacteria s tiny conductive hairlike appendages
and Environmental microbiology Reguera has added an additional layer of armor to her enhanced microbes. The microbes also use the pili to stick to each other
They documented for the first time the presence of genetic material for the bluetongue virus in female midges that were collected during two consecutive winter seasons.
and the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies supported the work. Source: Caltechyou are free to share this article under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noderivs 3. 0 Unported license t
A second component a single short strand of genetic material (DNA) then binds to the Neutravidin creating a small molecular complex. he system is still in its infancy.
and then unload it again in the right place. he use of biological motors for technical applications is not easy.
Molecular engines such as kinesin have to be removed from their biological context and integrated into an artificial entity without any loss of their functionality.
Lead author Patrick T. Sadtler a Ph d. candidate in the University of Pittsburgh department of bioengineering compared the study s findings to cooking. uppose you have flour sugar baking soda eggs salt and milk.
and we wanted to find out what that limit looks like in terms of neuronssays Aaron P. Batista assistant professor of bioengineering at University of Pittsburgh.
Byron M. Yu assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering at Carnegie mellon believes this work demonstrates the utility of BCI for basic scientific studies that will eventually impact people s lives. hese findings could be the basis
Now bioengineers have hacked the DNA of yeast and reprogrammed these simple cells to make opioid-based medicines via a sophisticated extension of the basic brewing process that makes beer.
Led by bioengineering Associate professor Christina Smolke the Stanford team has spent already a decade genetically engineering yeast cells to reproduce the biochemistry of poppies with the ultimate goal of producing opium-based medicines from start to finish in fermentation vats. e are now very close to replicating the entire
while mitigating the potential for diversion to illegal usesays Smolke who outlines her work in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.
In the new report Smolke and her collaborators Kate Thodey a postdoctoral scholar in bioengineering and Stephanie Galanie a doctoral student in chemistry detail how they added five genes from two different organisms to yeast cells.
The thrust of Smolke s work for a decade has been to pack the entire production chain from the fields of poppies through all the subsequent steps of chemical refining into yeast cells using the tools of bioengineering.
What Smolke s team has done now is to carefully reprogram the yeast genome the master instruction set that tells every organism how to live to behave like a poppy
Since she wanted to produce several different opioids her team hacked the yeast genome in slightly different ways to produce each of the slightly different opioid formulations such as oxycodone or hydrocodone.
They must perform another set of bioengineering hacks to connect the two major advances they have made over the past decade.
Once she forges this missing link in the chain of biochemical synthesis she will have produced a bioengineered yeast that can perform all 17 steps from sugar to specific opioid drugs in a single vat. e are already working on thisshe says.
Scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole Massachusetts and the University of Maryland Baltimore County collaborated on the project.
#Rapeseed genes could take the bite out of broccoli Scientists have unraveled the genetic code of the rapeseed plant
Published in the journal Science the findings will help scientists understand how plant genomes evolve in the context of domestication.
Broccoli cauliflower Brussels sprouts Chinese cabbage turnip collared greens mustard canola oil all these are different incarnations of the same plant genus Brassica. hole-genome sequencing efforts like this one allow us to address two fundamental
questionssays Eric Lyons assistant professor in the School of Plant Sciences at University of Arizona. ow does stored the genetic information in the genome help us understand the functions of the organism
and what does the structure of the genome tell us about the evolution of genomes in general?
(or Brassica napus) genome contains a large number of genes more than 100000 due to the fact that it arose from a merger between two parent species Brassica rapa (Chinese cabbage)
and others. he rapeseed genome has a very interesting historysays Haibao Tang a senior scientist of bioinformatics. s a result of the merger event it ended up with four copies of each gene.
The genome defines what Brassicas are.?It also defines what kids hate to eatlyons says. he bitterness in some cultivars such as broccoli
and we find that precisely those genes that code for those compounds were lost from the rapeseed genome. he sequencing effort provides scientists
or tweak the lipid biosynthesis pathway to favorably modify the oil content in rapeseed. Being able to modify the content of bitter-tasting compounds has implications beyond
isolationsays Christian Rabeling assistant professor of biology at the University of Rochester. e now have evidence that speciation can take place within a single colony. n discovering the parasitic Mycocepurus castrator researchers uncovered an example of sympatric speciation
which geographic barriers such as mountains separate members of a group causing them to evolve independently. ince Darwin s Origin of Species evolutionary biologists have debated long
and coauthor of the study that is published in the journal Current Biology ith this study we offer a compelling case for sympatric evolution that will open new conversations in the debate about speciation in these ants social insects and evolutionary biology
That led the researchers to study the genetic relationships of all fungus-growing ants in South america including all five known and six newly-discovered species of the genus Mycocepurus to determine
and nuclear genomes of these parasitic ants and their host in an effort to confirm speciation
and the underlying genetic mechanism. he parasitic ants need to exercise discretion because taking advantage of the host species is considered taboo in ant society.
and progress new treatments to the clinic at a much quicker rate a key goal of co-authors Martin Donnelley and David Parsons of the CF Gene therapy group at the Women s and Children s Hospital and the University
#Laser detects distant bombs with 99%accuracy Texas A&m University rightoriginal Studyposted by Ryan Garcia-Texas A&m on August 13 2014new laser technology makes it possible to identify explosives biological
The lasers travel long distances and identify dangerous materials present within powders that commonly act as carriers for explosive nitrates and lethal biological agents such as anthrax and ricin.
When laser light contacts the molecules present within the powder it experiences a scattering effect that can be analyzed to construct a sort of molecular ingerprintthat reveals its exact chemical makeup says Vladislav Yakovlev professor in the biomedical engineering department at Texas A&m University. s
or released through the skin. ach of these diseases has its own biomarkers that the device would be able to sensesays Sherman Fan professor of biomedical engineering at University of Michigan
The technique allows them to peer through the tissue#in 3d#using standard optical methods such as confocal microscopy. arge volumes of tissue are not optically transparent#you can t see through themsays Viviana Gradinaru (BS 05) an assistant professor of biology
Gradinaru also leads Caltech s Beckman Institute BIONIC center for optogenetics and tissue clearing and plans to offer training sessions to researchers interested in learning how to use PACT
Now detailed reanalysis by an international team of researchers including Robert B. Eckhardt professor of developmental genetics
Biological sciences the study builds the evolutionary framework for future ecological and genetics research of insects Kawahara says. here is a DNA revolution taking place.
This is an important time in the history of science when we can use DNA sequencing on a very large scale. he yearlong study is one of the first to utilize a massive amount of genetic data to answer questions about the history of butterflies and moths.
They also combined 33 new transcriptomes a set of RNA molecules with 13 genomes both
of which hold genetic material for organisms. The researchers identified 2696 genes by breaking down the DNA down and piecing it back together Kawahara says.
#Rice genome could answer the 9 billion-people question Researchers have sequenced the complete genome of African rice a hardy crop that could help feed the world s growing population. ice feeds
and chair of the school of plant sciences with a joint appointment in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology. ice will play a key role in helping to solve what we call the 9 billion-people question. he 9 billion people question refers to predictions that the world
Now with the completely sequenced African rice genome scientists and agriculturalists can search for ways to cross Asian
The African rice genome is especially important because many of the genes code for traits that make African rice resistant to environmental stress such as long periods of drought high salinity in the soils
and flooding. ow that we have a precise knowledge of the genome we can identify these traits more easily
or through genetic modification techniqueswing says. he idea is to create a super-rice that will be higher yielding
what geneticists call physical maps a tool that enables scientists to understand the structure of the genome.
and donated it to the Rice Genome Project making sequencing of that complete genome possible.
Much of the evolutionary analysis of the genome was performed by plant sciences doctoral candidate Muhua Wang and by Carlos Machado of the University of Maryland.
In analyzing the 33000 genes that make up the African rice genome the researchers discovered that during the process of domestication Africans
Additionally the sequenced genome helps resolve questions about whether African rice originally was domesticated in one region or in several locations across Africa.
By comparing the genome with what is known about the genetic structure of wild varieties Wing
From 1998 to 2005 Wing led the US effort to help sequence the genome of Asian rice which is the only other domesticated rice species. Those results were published in the journal Nature in 2005
and analyzing the genomes of the wild relatives of African and Asian rice. y understanding the entire genus at a genome level we have a whole new pool of genetic variation that can be used to combat pests
and plant pathogenswing says. One example would be adding disease resistance genes from all of the wild rice varieties to a species of cultivated rice creating a new super-crop that is resistant to diseases and pests.
which makes it easier to detect even smaller changes for tiny traces of explosives in the air. he sensor could have applications beyond chemical and explosive detection such as use in biomolecular research.
It perhaps the most important biochemical process On earth and scientists don yet fully understand how it works.
The study findings identify specific molecular vibrations that help enable charge separationhe process of kicking electrons free from atoms in the initial steps of photosynthesis. oth biological and artificial photosynthetic systems take absorbed light
In the case of natural photosynthesis, that charge separation leads to biochemical energy, explains Jennifer Ogilvie,
an associate professor of physics and biophysics at the University of Michigan and lead author of a paper published in Nature Chemistry. n artificial systems,
The Division of Chemical sciences Geosciences and Biosciences of the Office of Basic energy Sciences of the US Department of energy supported the work.
and the water into the fuel-making process, says Gemma Reguera, Michigan State university microbiologist and one of the study coauthors. ith a saturated glycerol market,
says Kwabena Boahen, associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford university. Boahen and his team have developed a circuit board consisting of 16 custom-designed eurocorechips.
professor of electrical and computer engineering and a professor of bioengineering. ethane is emitted by natural sources, such as wetlands,
The design was inspired by natural biological motors that have evolved to perform specific tasks critical to the function of cells says Jong Hyun Choi a Purdue University assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Whereas biological motors are made of protein researchers are trying to create synthetic motors based on DNA the genetic materials in cells that consist of a sequence of four chemical bases:
Cellulose biomaterials might be used to create biodegradable plastic bags textiles and wound dressings; flexible batteries made from electrically conductive paper;
Cellulose could come from a variety of biological sources including trees plants algae ocean-dwelling organisms called tunicates
and biomolecular engineering to come up with a viscous blend of strontium ferrite. It s not the first time a consumer electronic device was printed in Lipson s lab. Back in 2009 Malone
and bioengineering to characterize the product It turns out different types of coal produce different types of dots.
researcher's microscope slides or microarrays where the liquids are placed. Also as can be seen from oil spills in the Gulf of mexico oil can stick
There s no reason we can t grow extraordinarily large single crystals in the future using modifications of our techniquesays Mirkin who also is a professor of medicine chemical and biological engineering biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering and director of the university s International Institute for Nanotechnology.
A paper by the research team led by Penn State s Sarah M. Assmann professor of biology
but now we have data on almost all the RNA molecules in a cell more than 10000 different RNASASSMANN says. e are the first to determine on a genome-wide basis the structures of the RNA molecules in a plant
and thereby influence gene expression the more we may be breed able to or develop with biotechnological methods crops that are more resistant to those stresses.
because it is the first plant species to have its full genome sequenced and has the greatest number of genetic tools available.
It is a critical component in the pathway of gene expression which controls an organism s function.
And we can try to understand how these RNA structural changes relate to certain biological functions.?
or a few RNAS you can t get a pattern. ow that we have genome-wide information for a particular organism we can start to abstract patterns of how RNA structure influences gene expression and ultimately plant function.
Are there universal rules that will be true for all organisms for how RNA structure influences gene expression?
evilacqua adds ecause RNA is so central in its role in gene regulation the tools we ve developed can be transferred to scientists who are working with essentially any biological system. he Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) Penn State Eberly
Jude Keyse a postgraduate student at the University of Queensland School of Biological sciences says the find was surprising.
and quickly link up again mimicking the process that allows biological molecules such as DNA to assemble rearrange and break down.
Doug Rowland project scientist in the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging in the department of biomedical engineering contributed X-ray computed tomography scanning of the rock.
Santa barbara as well as in the department of chemistry and biochemistry of the findings. The results of this research performed jointly with materials professor Steven Denbaars
The finding while it could lead to more agile robots serves primarily to shed light on a question that has baffled biologists:
while the other region pushes the water backwardsays Eric Fortune a professor of biological sciences at the New jersey Institute of technology who was a co-author of the paper. his arrangement is rather counter-intuitive like two propellers fighting against each other. f the fish wants to move forward
This biomimetic robot was developed in the lab of Malcolm Maciver associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Northwestern University and a co-author. e are far from duplicating the agility of animals with our most advanced robotsmaciver says. ne exciting implication of this work is that we might be held back in making more agile machines by our assumption that it s wasteful
or useless to have forces in directions other than the one we are trying to move in.
and bees says senior author Cowan who directs the Locomotion in Mechanical and Biological Systems Lab at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of engineering. s an engineer
and bioengineering at Stanford university contribute to the work which was supported by grants from the US Department of energy.
and professor of chemistry and chemical biology. s an additive it greatly improves the cycling stability of the battery. n another approach to improving lithium-sulfur battery durability the researchers also report a new way
The sensors make use of microfluidic technologyâ##developed by Abraham Stroock associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineeringâ##that places a tiny cavity inside the chip.
The challenge for Angel Mart assistant professor of chemistry and bioengineering at Rice university and his team of student researchers was to get their large metallic particles through the much smaller pores of a zeolite cage.
and on the interaction between genotypes and the environment as they have tried to breed wheat that is resistant to PHS but with little success so far.
But now findings published in the journal PLOS ONE suggest that the solution may lie not with genetics alone but rather with a combination of genetic and epigenetic factors.
he complex Rddm machinery is composed of several proteins that guide the genome in response to growth developmental and stress signals.
when a biologist or chemist makes a certain type of molecular network the engineering process is complex cumbersome and hard to repurpose for building other systems.
Scientists now are finding ways to design synthetic systems that behave like biological ones with the hope that synthetic molecules could support the body s natural functions.
The National Science Foundation the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the National Centers for Systems Biology supported the research.
scanning medical therapy and imaging and research in biology and materials science. ecause it employs commercial lasers
is genetic engineering the best option? Cornell University rightoriginal Studyposted by Blaine Friedlander-Cornell on September 30 2013with estimates that 15 to 40 percent of the world s species will be lost over the next 40 years due to warming
or species with adaptive alleles or gene variants using genetic engineeringwrite Josh Donlan Cornell visiting fellow in ecology and evolutionary biology and his colleagues.
Before genetic engineering can be entertained seriously as a tool for preserving biodiversity conservationists need to agree on the types of scenario for which facilitated adaptation managed relocation
Finding that binding target has been a major challenge for structural biologists. That s because there are only tiny amounts of the protein involved in cell growth
Hong has used long solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study structural biology including the mechanism used by the flu virus to infect host cells.
and we are quite happy that the DNP NMR technology is so useful for understanding this plant biochemistry questionsays Hong also a faculty scientist with the US Department of energy s Ames Laboratory.
Knowing where expansin binds to cell walls ight help biochemists design more potent expansins to loosen the cell wall
and thus better harvest bioenergy. ong and Daniel Cosgrove professor and chair in biology at Penn State are the lead authors.
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