Latest FACT Stories

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GeneTex, a leading manufacturer of antibodies and antibody-related reagents, is set to launch a new antibody against phosphorylated Histone H3. Histone proteins package and organize the DNA of eukaryotic cells into structural units referred to as nucleosomes, and the modification of histone tails plays a critical role in the modulation of gene transcription. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121210/LA26278) (Logo:...

Researchers show how repressor proteins ensure accurate gene expression by thwarting histone exchange Two opposing teams battle it out to regulate gene expression on the DNA playing field. One, the activators, keeps DNA open to enzymes that transcribe DNA into RNA. Their repressor opponents antagonize that effort by twisting DNA into an inaccessible coil around histone proteins, an amalgam called chromatin, effectively blocking access to DNA by enzymes that elongate an RNA strand. Both...

Thomas Jefferson University team shifts a longstanding paradigm for epigenetic markers It's widely accepted that molecular mechanisms mediating epigenetics include DNA methylation and histone modifications, but a team from Thomas Jefferson University has evidence to the contrary regarding the role of histone modifications. A study of Drosophila embryos from Jefferson's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology published ahead of print in Cell August 23 found that parental...

Stowers team reconciles puzzling findings relating to centromere structure Scientists at the Stowers Institute of Medical Research have developed an innovative method to count the number of fluorescent molecules in a cluster and then applied the novel approach to settle a debate rampant among cell biologists—namely, how DNA twists into a unique chromosomal structure called the centromere. Knowing this helps explain how cells navigate the hazards of division and avoid the disastrous...

Funds to help family farmers improve farm animal welfare CHICAGO, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This June, Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) awarded over $13,000 in microgrants to farmers across the country to help them transition to pasture-based systems, improve the marketing of their humane products, and enrich the conditions in which their farm animals are raised. Nine recipients received grants that ranged from $1,200 to $1,500 through FACT's Healthy & Humane Farm...

A team of Stowers scientists defines biochemical crosstalk between DNA interacting proteins and their modifications When stretched out, the genome of a single human cell can reach six feet. To package it all into a tiny nucleus, the DNA strand is tightly wrapped around a core of histone proteins in repeating units—each unit known as a nucleosome. To allow access for the gene expression machinery the nucleosomes must open up and regroup when the process is complete. In the May 1, 2012,...

LONDON, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The ability to diagnose disease early has long been a goal in the medical arena. VolitionRX (VNRX.OB), a life sciences company, is pioneering scientific research into simple, cost-effective tools capable of diagnosing the early presence of disease via a blood test. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120327/NY77344 ) VolitionRX is developing its Nucleosomics(TM) technology to measure and identify the signatures of nucleosomes (a...

New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Cell & Bioscience is the first to show that left-handed Z-DNA, normally only found at sites where DNA is being copied, can also form on nucleosomes. The structure of DNA which provides the blueprint for life has famously been described as a double helix. To save space inside the nucleus, DNA is tightly wound around proteins to form nucleosomes which are then further wound and compacted into chromatin, which is further...

For students to accept the theory of evolution, an intuitive “gut feeling” may be just as important as understanding the facts, according to a new study. In an analysis of the beliefs of biology teachers, researchers found that a quick intuitive notion of how right an idea feels was a powerful driver of whether or not students accepted evolution—often trumping factors such as knowledge level or religion. “The whole idea behind acceptance of evolution has been the assumption that...

A well-known protein complex responsible for controlling how DNA is expressed plays a previously unsuspected role in preventing pancreatic cancer, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Technological advances in the way researchers can compare normal and tumor DNA showed that the gene for at least one subunit of the multi-subunit SWI/SNF protein complex was either deleted, mutated or rearranged in about a third of the 70 human pancreatic cancers that the...