Daily non-political popular news in brief.

Plant-derived molecules, genetic manipulation point to future chemoprevention methods

11-13-2006 · EurekAlert!

Scientists are using genetic studies and natural chemicals, such as plant-derived triterpenoids, to further our knowledge on how genetic and early molecular interactions can lead to cancer, and how those early interactions can be manipulated to stave off a variety of cancers. The latest studies with new and promising chemopreventive agents were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting today.

Keywords: plant-derived, molecules, genetic, manipulation, point, future, chemoprevention, methods, plant, derived, molecule, method

« Previous | Next »

Similar news on "Plant-derived molecules, genetic manipulation point to future chemoprevention methods":

Researchers demonstrate novel method for studying the DNA binding of small molecules
06-04-2007 · EurekAlert!
Northeastern University professor Mark C. Williams and colleague Ioana Vladescu have discovered a novel method for studying the DNA binding of small molecules with unprecedented accuracy. Their paper, titled "Quantifying force-dependent and zero-force DNA intercalation by single-molecule stretching," has been published in the May 2007 issue of the prestigious Nature Methods.
Similar news · Read more »
Chemoprevention, naturally: Findings on plant-derived cancer medicines
12-06-2007 · EurekAlert!
The next cancer-fighting therapeutic could be growing in your garden, according to research presented today, at the American Association for Cancer Research's Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, being held from Dec. 5 to 8 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Similar news · Read more »
Indian medicinal plant Acanthus ilicifolius may combat liver cancer
01-16-2008 · EurekAlert!
Cancer chemoprevention is an active measure to limit/retard the progression and pathogenesis of malignancy. Herbal preparations constitute an important component of indigenous/traditional medicines. A study led by Prof. Malay Chatterjee from Jadavpur University, India reported the potential chemopreventive efficacy of an Indian medicinal plant Acanthus ilicifolius in preventing liver DNA damage and in remodeling hepatocellular malignant lesions in an animal model, which may have an ultimate benefit to human beings in near future.
Similar news · Read more »
Advance in understanding of blood pressure gene could lead to new treatments
02-04-2007 · EurekAlert!
Research by scientists at UCL (University College London) has clearly demonstrated for the first time the structure and function of a gene crucial to the regulation of blood pressure. The discovery could be important in the search for new treatments for illnesses such as heart disease, the UK's biggest killer. In a paper published online today in Nature Medicine, the team, led by Professor Patrick Vallance and Dr James Leiper, UCL Department of Medicine, reveal the role of the human gene dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), showing that loss of DDAH activity disrupts nitric oxide (NO) production. NO is critical in the regulation of blood pressure, nervous system functions and the immune system. The role of DDAH is to break down modified amino acids (Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and monomethyl arginine (L-NMMA)) that are produced by the body and have been shown to inhibit NO synthase. These molecules accumulate in various disease states including diabetes, renal failure and pulmonary and systemic hypertension, and their concentration in plasma (the fluid component of blood) is strongly predicative of cardiovascular disease and death. In a healthy human body, the majority of ADMA is eliminated through active metabolism by DDAH. Scientists have hypothesised that if DDAH function is impaired, NO production is reduced, and that this could be an important feature of increased cardiovascular risk. To examine this pathway in more detail, the researchers deleted the DDAH gene in mice. These mice went on to develop hypertension, or high blood pressure. They also designed specific inhibitors (small molecules) which bind to the active site of human DDAH. These small molecule inhibitors also induced hypertension in mice, confirming the importance of DDAH in the regulation of blood pressure. Dr Leiper, UCL Medicine, said: “These genetic and chemical approaches to disrupt DDAH showed remarkably consistent results, and provide compelling evidence that loss of DDAH function increases the concentration of ADMA and thereby disrupts vascular NO signalling. “There has been considerable scientific interest in this pathway and the role of ADMA as a novel risk factor, but so far there's been little evidence to support the idea that it's a cause of disease, rather than just a marker. Genes and their pathways are crucial to our understanding of cardiovascular disease and a better understanding of DDAH-1 could lead to important new treatments. “It could help us to establish if genetic variation predisposes certain people to these diseases, or whether environmental factors exert some of their effects through modulation of DDAH activity. “Our research also shows that this pathway could be harnessed therapeutically to limit production of NO in certain situations where too much nitric oxide is a bad thing; for example, hypotension and septic shock. These are some of the biggest problems in intensive care medicine and there is a huge unmet need for drug treatments.” The study, which was carried out at UCL's Rayne Institute, was funded by grants from the British Heart Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "The unexpected finding in the 1980s that a simple gas, nitric oxide (NO), is made by cells in the blood vessel wall and is a powerful control of blood vessel relaxation led to the award of the Nobel Prize in 1998 to its discoverers. "More recently, there has been increasing evidence that impairment of NO production is likely to be an important factor in the development of heart and circulatory disease, but the mechanisms responsible are not fully understood. "This study suggests for the first time that the loss of the activity of the enzyme DDAH-1 leads to reduced NO production and may cause heart and circulatory disease. These findings are likely to be important in the search for new ways to optimise the health of our blood vessels." ### Notes for Editors 1. For more information, please contact Ruth Metcalfe in the UCL Media Relations Office on tel: +44 (0)20 7679 9739, mobile: +44 (0)7990 675 947, out of hours: +44 (0)7917 271 364, e-mail: r.metcalfe@ucl.ac.uk2. 'Disruption of methylarginine metabolism impairs vascular homeostasis' is published in the February issue of the journal Nature Medicine. Advance online publication is embargoed to 18.00 GMT (13.00 US Eastern) Sunday 4 February 2007. Journalists can obtain copies of the paper by contacting the UCL Media Relations Office.3. The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. About UCL Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. In the government's most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 59 UCL departments achieved top ratings of 5* and 5, indicating research quality of international excellence. UCL is the fourth-ranked UK university in the 2006 league table of the top 500 world universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Mahatma Gandhi (Laws 1889, Indian political and spiritual leader); Jonathan Dimbleby (Philosophy 1969, writer and television presenter); Junichiro Koizumi (Economics 1969, Prime Minister of Japan); Lord Woolf (Laws 1954, Lord Chief Justice of England & Wales); Alexander Graham Bell (Phonetics 1860s, inventor of the telephone), and members of the band Coldplay.
Similar news · Read more »
New Success in Engineering Plant Oils
03-05-2007 · Brookhaven National Laboratory
Using genetic manipulation to modify the activity of a plant enzyme, researchers at Brookhaven have converted an unsaturated oil in the seeds of a temperate plant to the more saturated kind usually found in tropical plants. The research will be published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of March 5, 2007.
Similar news · Read more »
NRC team uses new Quantum Technology to control molecules
10-12-2006 · EurekAlert!
Researchers at the National Research Council Canada have developed a new Quantum Technology, described in the October 13 Web release of Science, which uses laser pulses to control quantum processes. Quantum technologies manipulate molecular scale behaviour for novel applications. The new method uses the electric field of the laser, rather than the usual absorption of light, to control molecules. This strong electric field puts forces on a reacting molecule, steering it towards a specific outcome.
Similar news · Read more »
Scientists develop method to find genetic basis for plant variation
12-21-2006 · EurekAlert!
A new research approach that allowed scientists to rapidly identify the gene responsible for high sodium levels in certain naturally occurring plant populations could have applications for the study of a wide variety of other important plant properties.
Similar news · Read more »
Nanoparticle Assembly Enters the Fast Lane
10-11-2006 · Brookhaven National Laboratory
The speed of nanoparticle assembly can be accelerated with the assistance of the molecule that carries life's genetic instructions, DNA. Nanoparticles, particles with dimensions on the order of billionths of a meter, could potentially be used for more efficient energy generation and data storage, as well as improved methods for diagnosing and treating disease.
Similar news · Read more »
Human embryonic stem cells derived from preimplantation genetically diagnosed embryos
11-14-2007 · EurekAlert!
A human stem cell line derived from embryos that were identified by preimplantation genetic diagnosis to carry the mutation for fragile X syndrome has provided an unprecedented view of early events associated with this disease. In addition to giving scientists fresh insight into fragile X, results from this unique model system have emphasized the value of this new source of embryonic stem cells and may have a significant impact on the way that genetic diseases are studied in the future.
Similar news · Read more »
New Brandeis research sheds light on memory by erasing it
05-08-2007 · EurekAlert!
For years, scientists have studied the molecular basis of memory storage, trying to find the molecules that store memory, just as DNA stores genetic memory. In an important study published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, Brandeis University researchers report for the first time that memory storage can be induced and then biochemically erased in slices of rat hippocampus by manipulating a so-called "memory molecule," a protein kinase known as CaMKII.
Similar news · Read more »