Daily non-political popular news in brief.

Translating form into function

In the last 40 years, scientists have perfected ways to determine the knot-like structure of enzymes, but they've been stumped trying to translate the structure into an understanding of function -- what the enzyme actually does in the body. This puzzle has hurt drug discovery, since many of the most successful drugs work by blocking enzyme action. Now, in an expedited article in Nature, researchers show that a solution to the puzzle is finally in sight.

Read more »

Keywords: translating, form, function

« Previous | Next »

Similar news on "Translating form into function":

1. Key Function Of Nervous System Enzyme Found; Impact On Drug Development Against Alzheimer's
   09-29-2006 · ScienceDaily
   Ever since scientists first elucidated the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathology and loss of nerve cells in Alzheimer's disease, drug companies have been working to develop drugs which will inhibit the outbreak of this severe form of dementia. Now researchers in Munich and Berlin (Germany) have discovered that an enyzme which has a central causal role in Alzheimer's disease happens also to have a key function in the normal development of the nervous system. This enzyme, beta-secretase or BACE1, ensures that nerve fibers (axons) are adequately isolated with sheaths of myelin, enabling rapid conduction of electrical impulses, as well as preventing short-circuits, akin to plastic insulation on electrical wires.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
2. Targeting tau: Inflammation study suggests new approach for fighting Alzheimer's
   02-01-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that impaired function and loss of synapses in the hippocampus of a mouse form of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is related to the activation of immune cells called microglia, which cause inflammation. These events precede the formation of tangles -- twisted fibers of tau protein that build up inside nerve cells -- a hallmark of advanced AD.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
3. Neurons that detect motion rapidly switch between modes of data collection
   02-28-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Form does follow function, as far as visual cortex neurons tasked with perceiving action are concerned. Far from being the static nerve cells researchers believed them to be, capable of performing only a single function, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found these neurons rapidly shift back and forth between two ways of collecting information about moving objects.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
4. Specific brain protein required for nerve cell connections to form and function
   09-05-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein called neurexin is required for nerve cell connections to form and function correctly.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
5. Helping Build Designs That Are 'Cool'
   10-05-2006 · ScienceDaily
   Cool design creates hot profits, and although really great design is an art rather than a craft, the E-VaN project has developed some best-practice design tools to help companies maximise their potential. E-VaN aims to usher in a new wave of design that allies form with function.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
6. Gladstone scientists identify critical gene factor in heart development
   03-29-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease announced they have identified a critical genetic factor in the control of many aspects of heart form and function.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
7. Fragile X syndrome -- A stimulating environment restores neuronal function in mice
   05-23-2007 · EurekAlert!
   A new study of the malfunctioning neuronal machinery of Fragile X syndrome reveals that it can be restored by a stimulating environment. The study found that mice genetically altered to have the same defect as humans with the disorder benefited from an environment with constantly changing toys and access to "play cages." Fragile X syndrome is the most common form of inherited mental retardation, occurring in 1 in 3600 males and 1 in 4000 to 6000 females.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
8. Math Trek: Form Plus Function
   11-18-2006 · Science News Online
   Numbers, lines, squares, and shadows intermingle in an intriguing set of artworks rooted in mathematical concepts.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
9. MicroRNAs can be tumor suppressors
   04-25-2007 · EurekAlert!
   University of Virginia researchers have discovered that microRNAs, a form of genetic material, can function as tumor suppressors in laboratory studies.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
10. Life-giving rocks from a depth of 250 km
    09-26-2007 · EurekAlert!
    If our planet did not have the ability to store oxygen in the deep reaches of its mantle there would probably be no life on its surface. This is the conclusion reached by scientists at the University of Bonn who have subjected the mineral majorite to close laboratory examination. Majorite performs an important function as an oxygen reservoir. Near the Earth's surface the mineral breaks down, releasing oxygen, which then binds with hydrogen from the Earth's interior to form water.
    Similar news · Read more »