Briefs

Proteins that stimulate and repress appetite appear to be cut from the same cloth.

These papers were selected from multiple disciplines from the Faculty of 1000, a Web-based literature awareness tool http://www.facultyof1000.com.N. Touret et al., "Quantitative and dynamic assessment of the contribution of the ER to phagosome formation," Cell, 123:157–170, Oct. 7, 2005.Aligning an impressive array of methods, this study provides strong evidence against the recently proposed model of a significant contribution of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes during early phagosome

Worms learn: If something makes you sick, don't eat it again.

Using a novel bioinformatics approach, researchers identified a gene fusion that seems to occur in a majority of prostate cancers.

Scientists have identified a candidate taste receptor for lipids.

Neuronal cells clogged with a mutant protein associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) die within hours after clumps first form, researchers report.1 The finding directly links aggregation of malformed proteins with cell death characteristic of the disease, the authors claim.By watching individual cells over the course of 48 hours, Richard Morimoto at Northwestern University and colleagues demonstrated that most cultured neurons die between 6 and 24 hours after mutant superoxide dismut

These papers were selected from multiple disciplines from the Faculty of 1000, a Web-based literature awareness tool http://www.facultyof1000.com.A. O'Doherty et al., "An aneuploid mouse strain carrying human chromosome 21 with Down syndrome phenotypes," Science, 309:2033–7, Sept. 23, 2005.This is the first study to show that a human chromosome can be introduced into a mouse's germline and transmitted to successive generations. The authors introduced a copy of human chromosome 21. The mice

Take the bully out of the schoolyard and another quickly takes his place.

Dope may help the growth of new brain cells.

Wild bats, rather than civet cats, may have been the source of the coronavirus behind the deadly SARS outbreak in 2003.

Jamming the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor allows severed neurons to regenerate.1 "It's a surprising finding," says Martin Schwab of the University of Zurich, as activation of the EGF receptor is normally associated with proliferation and growth of cells.Previous research that sought to explain why mammalian axons fail to regenerate in the wounded brain or spinal cord found several inhibitory cues that prevent healing. The culprits include proteins associated with myelin and proteoglycan

For mice, getting teary-eyed conveys more than just sentiment.

These papers were selected from multiple disciplines from the Faculty of 1000, a Web-based literature awareness tool http://www.facultyof1000.com.A.J. Dupuy et al., "Mammalian mutagenesis using a highly mobile somatic Sleeping Beauty transposon system," Nature, 436:221–6, July 14, 2005.This paper describes a modification of the Sleeping Beauty fish transposon which allows it to be used for efficient mutagenesis screens in mice. The authors provide proof-of-principle for the usefulness of t

The human brain is still evolving.

Nature has once again beaten nanotechnology to the punch.

The debate continues as to whether telomerase's only function is to promote telomere extension.

Human embryonic stem cells appear to accrue genomic changes that could make them unusable therapeutically when cultured at length.

California researchers have found a previously unrecognized role for microRNAs: aiding and abeting hepatitis C virus in the liver.

These papers were selected from multiple disciplines from the Faculty of 1000, a Web-based literature awareness tool http://www.facultyof1000.com.J. Lu et al., "MicroRNA expression profiles classify human cancers," Nature, 435:834–8, June 9, 2005.This article makes the surprising discovery that microRNA-expression profiles can be better predictors of cancer outcome than mRNA profiles. This conclusion is based on the use of a novel, bead-based flow-cytometry approach to examine the expressi

Insect immunity may display hitherto unsuspected molecular complexity.