Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Scientists discover dual-function messenger RNA
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-scientist ... r-rna.html
by Arizona State University

For the very first time, a study led by Julian Chen and his group in Arizona State University's School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Institute's Center for the Mechanism of Evolution, has discovered an unprecedented pathway producing telomerase RNA from a protein-coding messenger RNA (mRNA).

The central dogma of molecular biology specifies the order in which genetic information is transferred from DNA to make proteins. Messenger RNA molecules carry the genetic information from the DNA in the nucleus of the cell to the cytoplasm where the proteins are made. Messenger RNA acts as the messenger to build proteins.

"Actually, there are many RNAs (ribonucleic acids) that are not used to make proteins," explained Chen. "About 70 percent of the human genome is used to make noncoding RNAs that don't code for protein sequences but have other uses."

Telomerase RNA is one of the noncoding RNAs that assembles along with telomerase proteins to form the enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is crucial for cellular immortality in cancer and stem cells. In this study, Chen's group shows that a fungal telomerase RNA is processed from a protein-coding mRNA, instead of being synthesized independently.

"Our finding from this paper is paradigm-shifting. Most RNA molecules are synthesized independently and here we uncovered a dual function mRNA that can be used to produce a protein or to make a noncoding telomerase RNA, which is really unique," said Chen. "We will need to do a lot more research to understand the underlying mechanism of such an unusual RNA biogenesis pathway."
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Light-based therapy weakens antibiotic-resistant bacteria
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-light-bas ... teria.html
by Nancy Luedke, Texas A&M University
Antibiotics are standard treatments for fighting dangerous bacterial infections. Yet the number of bacteria developing a resistance to antibiotics is increasing. Researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of São Paulo are overcoming this resistance with light.

The researchers tailored antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT)—a chemical reaction triggered by visible light—for use on antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains. Results showed the treatment weakened bacteria to where low doses of current antibiotics could effectively eliminate them.

"Using aPDT in combination with antibiotics creates a synergy of interaction working together for a solution," said Vladislav Yakovlev, University Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M and co-director of the project. "It's a step in the right direction against resistant bacteria."

The research results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Medical optical imaging using the world's first 'ultrasound-induced tissue transparency' technology
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-medical-o ... duced.html
by DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)
A joint research team from DGIST led by Professors Jin Ho Chang and Jae Youn Hwang of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has developed the world's first laser scanning microscopy technology that enables deeper and more detailed observation of biological tissues using gas bubbles that are temporarily produced by ultrasound.

Optical imaging and therapeutic technologies are widely utilized in life science research and clinical practice. However, due to the occurrence of optical scattering in the tissue, the light transmission is low. Consequently, there exists an inherent limitation in the image acquisition and treatment of deep tissue. This significantly hinders the expansion of the application field.

To overcome this, in 2017, Professor Jin Ho Chang's team envisioned that it would be possible to use micrometer-sized gas bubbles that are normally observed when tissues are exposed to high-intensity ultrasound. They developed a technology based on the fact that gas bubbles temporarily created by ultrasonic waves cause optical scattering in the same direction as the propagation of incident light, thus increasing the penetration depth of light.

Furthermore, the joint research team of Professors Jin Ho Chang and Jae Youn Hwang focused on expanding the application of optical imaging technology using ultrasound-induced gas bubbles. A confocal fluorescence microscope is a device that selectively detects fluorescence signals generated at the focal plane of light and provides high-resolution, high-contrast images of microstructures such as cancer cells. It is the most widely used device in life science research owing to its high performance. However, the focus of the light is blurred at depths exceeding 100 µm owing to the scattering of light that occurs inside the tissue, which significantly limits the application and effectiveness of confocal fluorescence microscopy.

To increase the maximum imaging depth of optical imaging modalities, such as confocal fluorescence microscopy, photons constituting the irradiated light must not have a phenomenon in which their propagation direction is distorted by light scattering in tissues. However, the previously developed method based on gas bubbles sparsely created by ultrasound was not a solution.
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Researchers identify potential target for developing broad-spectrum antiviral therapies

by Emily Caldwell, The Ohio State University
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-potential ... apies.html
Researchers have identified a promising strategy for development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies that centers around promoting a strong immune response capable of stopping a number of viruses in their infectious tracks.

Experiments in cell cultures and mice showed that blocking the function of a specific enzyme present in all cells triggers a powerful innate immune response, the body's first line of defense against any foreign invader. When challenged by several types of viruses in the study, this response dramatically lowered replication of viral particles and protected mouse lungs from damage.

There are still several avenues to explore, but the scientists say the finding could help change the approach to developing antiviral medications.

"Typically, in antiviral development, the saying is, 'one bug, one drug,'" said Jianrong Li, co-senior author of the study and a professor of virology in The Ohio State University Department of Veterinary Biosciences and Infectious Diseases Institute.

"A drug that can stimulate the immune system to have broad antiviral activities would be very attractive—one drug against multiple bugs would be an ideal situation."

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This discovery was enabled in part by a technique the researchers used to map the precise location of an RNA modification they were studying, and to see which enzyme made the modification. The mapping led them to determine that this enzyme's work happens not in viruses, but in mammal hosts that viruses want to infect.
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Scientists discover possible target for treating and preventing osteoarthritis

by University of Florida
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-10- ... ritis.html
In a study published Thursday in the journal PLOS One, biochemist Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., and colleague Mi Ra Chang, Ph.D., describe a specific protein that manages activities within chondrocytes, a critical cell type that maintains healthy cartilage in joints.

As people age and stress their joints, their chondrocytes begin to fail. The UF Scripps team found that activating a specific protein in these cells called RORβ (beta) could restore multiple factors needed for smooth joints to healthier levels, helping to control inflammation. Activating RORβ could thus present a useful new strategy to prevent or delay development of the degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis, said Griffin, a professor of molecular medicine and scientific director of UF Scripps Biomedical Research.

"People need an osteoarthritis medication that addresses the root cause of cartilage damage and depletion as there currently are no disease-modifying drugs for what is the No. 1 cause of disability in the United States," Griffin said. "While our work is in the early stages, our study suggests that the nuclear receptor RORβ could present a novel therapeutic target to protect cartilage damage and perhaps turn on cartilage regeneration."
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Study takes major step in pursuit of HIV cure

by Aarhus University
For around 40 years, scientists all over the world have been unsuccessfully trying to find a cure for HIV, but now a team of researchers from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital have apparently found an important element in the equation.

So says Dr. Ole Schmeltz Søgaard, Professor of Translational Viral Research at Aarhus University, who is the senior author of an innovative study that has just been published in the journal Nature Medicine.

"This study is one of the first to be carried out on human beings in which we have demonstrated a way to strengthen the body's own ability to fight HIV—even when today's standard treatment is paused. We thus regard the study as an important step in the direction of a cure," he says.

The study was conducted in close collaboration with researchers from the UK, U.S., Spain and Canada.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-10- ... t-hiv.html
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

New strategy enables targeted treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-strategy- ... ritis.html
by Zhang Nannan, Chinese Academy of Sciences

The high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) microenvironment and its persistent inflammatory nature can promote damage to joints, bones, and the synovium. Strategies that integrate effective RA microenvironment regulation with imaging-based monitoring could lead to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of RA.

A joint research team from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Texas at Austin has proposed a new strategy that can achieve targeted treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers integrated small interfering RNAs (siRNAsT/I) and Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) to silence the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α/IL-6 and scavenge the ROS associated with the RA microenvironment.

The study was published in PNAS on Oct. 18.

To enhance the in vitro and in vivo biological stability, biocompatibility, and targeting capability of the siRNAsT/I and PBNPs, the researchers prepared macrophage membrane vesicles (MMVs) to construct biomimetic nanoparticles, M@P-siRNAsT/I.
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Antibiotic resistance testing no longer impeded by time
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-antibioti ... peded.html
by Nara Institute of Science and Technology

Significant time is needed to determine the drug susceptibility profile of a bacterial infection. Now, researchers from Nara Institute of Science and Technology and collaborating partners have published reports on a technology that will dramatically speed up this otherwise slow process and possibly help save lives.

The CDC states that antibiotic-resistant infections are responsible for killing over a million people worldwide every year. Central to managing resistant infections is quickly identifying an appropriate treatment to which the infective bacteria are susceptible. "Oftentimes susceptibility results are needed much faster than conventional tests can deliver them," says Yaxiaer Yalikun, senior author. "To address this, we developed a technology that can meet this need."

The group's work is based on impedance cytometry which measures the dielectric properties of individual cells with high throughput—more than a thousand cells per minute. Because the electrical readout of a bacterium corresponds to its physical response to an antibiotic, one has a straightforward means of determining whether the antibiotic works against the bacteria.

Conventional impedance cytometry involves analyzing the test (antibiotic treated) and reference (untreated) particles in one sample followed by calibrating the impedance of the two particles—both steps require technical specialists to carry out extensive post-processing, which was a major limitation the group was determined to overcome.

In a study published in ACS Sensors, the group develops a novel impedance cytometry method that simultaneously analyzes the test and reference particles in separate channels, creating easily analyzable separate datasets. This cytometry had nanoscale sensitivity, allowing for detection of even minute physical changes in bacterial cells.
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Fully mature hair follicles grown in cultures
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-fully-mat ... grown.html
by Yokohama National University

A team of researchers from Japan studying the processes of hair follicle growth and hair pigmentation has successfully generated hair follicles in cultures. Their in vitro hair follicle model adds to the understanding of hair follicle development which could contribute to development of useful applications in treating hair loss disorders, animal testing, and drug screenings.

Their findings were published in Science Advances on October 21.

As an embryo develops, interactions occur between the outer layer of skin called the epidermal layer and the connective tissue called mesenchyme. These interactions work kind of like a messenger system to trigger hair follicle morphogenesis. Morphogenesis is the process in an organism where cells are organized into tissues and organs.

During the last several decades, scientists have explored the crucial mechanisms related to hair follicle development using animal models. Because fully understanding these mechanisms for hair follicle development remains challenging, hair follicle morphogenesis has not been successfully reproduced in a laboratory culture dish.
weatheriscool
Posts: 12950
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Biology & Medicine News and Discussions

Post by weatheriscool »

Researchers find that different stem cells are responsible for the repair of different kinds of bone injuries
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-10- ... -bone.html
by UT Southwestern Medical Center
New research from Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) found that different skeletal stem cell (SSC) populations contribute to repair of different kinds of bone injuries.

In the study, published in Cell Stem Cell, researchers identified distinct cell markers that allowed them to track SSCs in the bone marrow inside of bones versus SSCs in the periosteum on the outer surface of bones. They found that while bone marrow SSCs are responsible for the ongoing production of bone cells in normal bones and the repair of certain bone injuries, periosteal SSCs are primarily responsible for fracture repair.

SSCs must generate new bone cells throughout life to maintain and repair the skeleton. The skeleton is unusual in that it has multiple kinds of stem cells that reside in different regions of bone, including within the bone marrow and in the periosteum. After bone injuries, like fractures, SSCs in the bone marrow and periosteum begin to proliferate but make very different contributions to bone repair.

Researchers in the Morrison lab found that bone marrow SSCs repair smaller, stabilized bone injuries and are responsible for new bone growth under normal conditions during adulthood. In contrast, periosteal SSCs are primarily responsible for the repair of larger, unstabilized injuries like fractures. Surprisingly, researchers also found that periosteal SSCs regenerate not only bone but also cells within the bone marrow at the fracture site, giving rise to new bone marrow SSCs.
Post Reply