Latest Cell communication Stories
Potential mechanism for dazzling blue flashes of light in oceans identified It has long been known that distinctive blue flashes--a type of bioluminescence--that are visible at night in some marine environments are caused by tiny, unicellular plankton known as dinoflagellates. However, a new study has, for the first time, detailed the potential mechanism for this bioluminesence. The study, which was partially funded by the National Science Foundation, is reported by Susan Smith of Emory...
Just as cell phones and computers transmit data through electronic networks, the cells of your body send and receive chemical messages through molecular pathways. The term “cell signaling” was coined more than 30 years ago to describe this process. Now, for the first time, scientists have quantified the data capacity of a biochemical signaling pathway and found a surprise – it’s way lower than even an old-fashioned, dial-up modem. “This key biochemical pathway is...
Revealing how cells communicate, Tel Aviv University research could lead to new cancer drugs and more Cell communication is essential for the development of any organism. Scientists know that cells have the power to "talk" to one another, sending signals through their membranes in order to "discuss" what kind of cell they will ultimately become — whether a neuron or a hair, bone, or muscle. And because cells continuously multiply, it's easy to imagine a cacophony of communication....
By altering the genetic makeup of normally "unexcitable" cells, Duke University bioengineers have turned them into cells capable of generating and passing electrical current.This proof-of-concept advance could have broad implications in treating diseases of the nervous system or the heart, since these tissues rely on cells with the ability to communicate with adjacent cells in order to function properly. This communication is achieved through the passage of electrical impulses,...
BK channels (large-conductance, Ca2+-dependent K+ channels) are essential for the regulation of important biological processes such as smooth muscle tone and neuronal excitability. New research shows that BK channel activation involves structural rearrangements formerly not understood. The study appears in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of General Physiology.Previous research pointed to a possible unified theory of activation gating in K+ channels, with the "activation gate"...
The latest Perspectives in General Physiology series examines the ion selectivity of cation-selective channels and transporters. The series appears in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of General Physiology (www.jgp.org).According to Perspectives Editor Olaf Andersen in his introduction, a key tool in most recent studies on ion selectivity has been the so-called "toy models," which emphasize the fluid-like features of the selectivity filter and allow for the isolation of key...
Those who believe in UFOs (unidentified flying objects) and extraterrestrial life frequently tell us, "We are not alone." We are not, but we do not have to look into space to find company. Our most frequent companions are the billions of bacteria that inhabit us "“ in our gut and genital tract, on our skins, our mucous membranes and elsewhere.Just as we are social creatures, bacteria needs that sense of community to take action. Scientists call this "quorum sensing." Dr....
They say it's the little things that count, and that certainly holds true for the channels in transmembrane proteins, which are small enough to allow ions or molecules of a certain size to pass through, while keeping out larger objects. Artificial fluidic nanochannels that mimic the capabilities of transmembrane proteins are highly prized for a number of advanced technologies. However, it has been difficult to make individual artificial channels of this size "“ until now.Researchers with...
MIDLAND, Texas, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Dawson Geophysical Company (Nasdaq: DWSN) (the "Company"), today announced that it has placed an order with OYO Geospace for 10,000 single-channel OYO GSR units. The units will be delivered beginning in December with delivery to be complete by the end of January 2011. The 10,000 GSR channels are expected to be deployed on an approximately 600 square mile 3-D survey in the Haynesville Shale area of East Texas beginning in late December 2010. The...
TEL AVIV, Israel, August 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study conducted in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Tel Aviv University (TAU) elucidates the way in which toxic, yet essential, copper ions enter human cells. As a chemotherapy drug presumably enters the cells in a similar manner, the results of this study pave the way for the development of improved chemotherapeutic drugs. The groundbreaking work was published in the leading American scientific journal PNAS...
