First analysis of tumor-suppressor interactions with whole genome in normal human cells reveals key differences with cancer cells

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) — Scientists investigating the interactions, or binding patterns, of a major tumor-suppressor protein known as p53 with the entire genome in normal human cells have turned up key differences from those observed in cancer cells. The distinct binding patterns reflect differences in the chromatin (the way DNA is packed with proteins), which may be important for understanding the function of the tumor suppressor protein in cancer cells.The study was conducted by scientists...

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Trail of 'stone breadcrumbs' reveals the identity of one of the first human groups to leave Africa

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) — A series of new archaeological discoveries in the Sultanate of Oman, nestled in the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, reveals the timing and identity of one of the first modern human groups to migrate out of Africa, according to a research article published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.An international team of archaeologists and geologists working in the Dhofar Mountains of southern Oman, led by Dr. Jeffrey Rose of the University of Birmingham,...

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Snakes with big hearts may help yours: Fatty acids involved in python heart growth could benefit diseased human heart

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Identification of three fatty acids involved in the extreme growth of Burmese pythons' hearts following large meals could prove beneficial in treating diseased human hearts, according to research co-authored by a University of Alabama scientist and publishing in the Oct. 28 issue of Science.Growth of the human heart can be beneficial when resulting from exercise -- a type of growth known as physiological cardiac hypertrophy -- but damaging when triggered by disease...

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Python study may have implications for human heart health

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — A surprising new University of Colorado Boulder study shows that huge amounts of fatty acids circulating in the bloodstreams of feeding pythons promote healthy heart growth, results that may have implications for treating human heart disease.CU-Boulder Professor Leslie Leinwand and her research team found the amount of triglycerides -- the main constituent of natural fats and oils -- in the blood of Burmese pythons one day after eating increased by more than fiftyfold....

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More clues to causes of breast cancer: Hyperactivation of Akt and overexpression of IKBKE observed in 50 percent of human cancers

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Publishing in the current issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have discovered additional mechanisms of "Akt" activation and suggest a component of that activation mechanism -- inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit epsilon (IKBKE) -- could be targeted as a therapeutic intervention for treating cancer.Akt, also known as protein kinase B, is one of about 500 protein kinases in the human genome....

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