Science and Androgyny

Ace de la Serna

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:28:54 +0800

Ace de la Serna

Graduation Moments with Mama

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:47:26 +0800

Graduation Moments with Mama

:)

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:26:00 +0800

A fleeting encounter of two translucent goby fish won the top...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:20:42 +0800

A fleeting encounter of two translucent goby fish won the top prize at the 2011 Annual Underwater Photography Contest, hosted by the University of Miami.

Photo credit: Tobias Friedrich

human ovarian cancer cells stained for DNA (red) and...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:40:43 +0800

human ovarian cancer cells stained for DNA (red) and microtubules (green)

Brain Development Is Guided by Junk DNA that Isn’t Really...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:20:22 +0800

Brain Development Is Guided by Junk DNA that Isn’t Really Junk

Specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases, UC San Francisco scientists have found.

Their discovery in mice is likely to further fuel a recent scramble by researchers to identify roles for long-neglected bits of DNA within the genomes of mice and humans alike.

While researchers have been busy exploring the roles of proteins encoded by the genes identified in various genome projects, most DNA is not in genes. This so-called junk DNA has largely been pushed aside and neglected in the wake of genomic gene discoveries, the UCSF scientists said.

In their own research, the UCSF team studies molecules called long noncoding RNA (lncRNA, often pronounced as “link” RNA), which are made from DNA templates in the same way as RNA from genes.

“The function of these mysterious RNA molecules in the brain is only beginning to be discovered,” said Daniel Lim, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurological surgery, a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, and the senior author of the study, published online April 11 in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Alexander Ramos, a student enrolled in the MD/PhD program at UCSF and first author of the study, conducted extensive computational analysis to establish guilt by association, linking lncRNAs within cells to the activation of genes.

Ramos looked specifically at patterns associated with particular developmental pathways or with the progression of certain diseases. He found an association between a set of 88 long noncoding RNAs and Huntington’s disease, a deadly neurodegenerative disorder. He also found weaker associations between specific groups of long noncoding RNAs and Alzheimer’s disease, convulsive seizures, major depressive disorder and various cancers.

“Alex was the team member who developed this new research direction, did most of the experiments, and connected results to the lab’s ongoing work,” Lim said. The study was mostly funded through Lim’s grant – a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award, a competitive award for innovative projects that have the potential for unusually high impact.

LncRNA versus Messenger RNA

Unlike messenger RNA, which is transcribed from the DNA in genes and guides the production of proteins, lncRNA molecules do not carry the blueprints for proteins. Because of this fact, they were long thought to not influence a cell’s fate or actions.

Nonetheless, lncRNAs also are transcribed from DNA in the same way as messenger RNA, and they, too, consist of unique sequences of nucleic acid building blocks.

Evidence indicates that lncRNAs can tether structural proteins to the DNA-containing chromosomes, and in so doing indirectly affect gene activation and cellular physiology without altering the genetic code. In other words, within the cell, lncRNA molecules act “epigenetically” — beyond genes — not through changes in DNA.

The brain cells that the scientists focused on the most give rise to various cell types of the central nervous system. They are found in a region of the brain called the subventricular zone, which directly overlies the striatum. This is the part of the brain where neurons are destroyed in Huntington’s disease, a condition triggered by a single genetic defect.

Ramos combined several advanced techniques for sequencing and analyzing DNA and RNA to identify where certain chemical changes happen to the chromosomes, and to identify lncRNAs on specific cell types found within the central nervous system. The research revealed roughly 2,000 such molecules that had not previously been described, out of about 9,000 thought to exist in mammals ranging from mice to humans.

In fact, the researchers generated far too much data to explore on their own. The UCSF scientists created a website through which their data can be used by others who want to study the role of lncRNAs in development and disease.

“There’s enough here for several labs to work on,” said Ramos, who has training grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the NIH.

“It should be of interest to scientists who study long noncoding RNA, the generation of new nerve cells in the adult brain, neural stem cells and brain development, and embryonic stem cells,” he said.

Cinderella’s Slipper Galaxy? Visible as a small, sparkling hook...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 07:40:22 +0800

Cinderella’s Slipper Galaxy?

Visible as a small, sparkling hook in the dark sky, this beautiful object is known as J082354.96+280621.6, or J082354.96 for short. It is a starburst galaxy, so named because of the incredibly (and unusually) high rate of star formation occurring within it.

(more info at link)

Top: The larva of the purple sea urchin drifts in the ocean...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:20:22 +0800

Top: The larva of the purple sea urchin drifts in the ocean for a month before settling on a rock.

Bottom: Then the larvae change shape and grow spines as they prepare to settle down on a rocky shore.

(Jason Hodin/Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station photos) (via Surf’s up: Turbulence tells sea urchins to settle down :: UC Davis News & Information)

neuromorphogenesis: Bursts of Brain Activity May Protect...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 07:40:20 +0800

neuromorphogenesis:

Bursts of Brain Activity May Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Evidence indicates that the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins, which form the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, is critical for the development of Alzheimer’s disease, which impacts 5.4 million Americans. And not just the quantity, but also the quality of amyloid-beta peptides is crucial for Alzheimer’s initiation. The disease is triggered by an imbalance in two different amyloid species — in Alzheimer’s patients, there is a reduction in a relative level of healthy amyloid-beta 40 compared to 42.

Now Dr. Inna Slutsky of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicineand the Sagol School of Neuroscience, with postdoctoral fellow Dr. Iftach Dolev and PhD student Hilla Fogel, have uncovered two main features of the brain circuits that impact this crucial balance. The researchers have found that patterns of electrical pulses (called “spikes”) in the form of high-frequency bursts and the filtering properties of synapses are crucial to the regulation of the amyloid-beta 40/42 ratio. Synapses that transfer information in spike bursts improve the amyloid-beta 40/42 ratio.

This represents a major advance in understanding that brain circuits regulate composition of amyloid-beta proteins, showing that the disease is not just driven by genetic mutations, but by physiological mechanisms as well. Their findings were recently reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Tipping the balance

High-frequency bursts in the brain are critical for brain plasticity, information processing, and memory encoding. To check the connection between spike patterns and the regulation of amyloid-beta 40/42 ratio, Dr. Dolev applied electrical pulses to the hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory.

When increasing the rate of single pulses at low frequencies in rat hippocampal slices, levels of both amyloid-beta 42 and 40 grew, but the 40/42 ratio remained the same. However, when the same number of pulses was distributed in high-frequency bursts, researchers discovered an increased amyloid-beta 40 production. In addition, the researchers found that only synapses optimized to transfer encoded by bursts contributed towards tipping the balance in favor of amyloid-beta 40. Further investigations conducted by Fogel revealed that the connection between spiking patterns and the type of amyloid-beta produced could revolve around a protein called presenilin. “We hypothesize that changes in the temporal patterns of spikes in the hippocampus may trigger structural changes in the presenilin, leading to early memory impairments in people with sporadic Alzheimer’s,” explains Dr. Slutsky.

Behind the bursts

According to Dr. Slutsky, different kinds of environmental changes and experiences — including sensory and emotional experience — can modify the properties of synapses and change the spiking patterns in the brain. Previous research has suggested that a stimulant-rich environment could be a contributing factor in preventing the development of Alzheimer’s disease, much as crossword and similar puzzles appear to stimulate the brain and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. In the recent study, the researchers discovered that changes in sensory experiences also regulate synaptic properties — leading to an increase in amyloid-beta 40.

In the next stage, Dr. Slutsky and her team are aiming to manipulate activity patterns in the specific hippocampal pathways of Alzheimer’s models to test if it can prevent the initiation of cognitive impairment. The ability to monitor dynamics of synaptic activity in humans would be a step forward early diagnosis of sporadic Alzheimer’s.

Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a stem cell...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:14:03 +0800

Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a stem cell undergoing apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Apoptosis occurs when a cell becomes old or damaged. Blebs (vesicles) called apoptotic bodies form on its surface, which prevent toxic or immunogenic substances from leaking when it is phagocytosed (engulfed and digested) by specialist cells. Magnification: x4000 when printed 10 centimetres wide.

Credit: STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Does fish DNA support evolution of limbs? Researchers...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:06:41 +0800

Does fish DNA support evolution of limbs?

Researchers discovered an enhancer, a ‘dark matter’ of the genome that somehow turns genes on and off.

“Such arguments have been used to try to justify slavery, child...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:23:00 +0800

“Such arguments have been used to try to justify slavery, child marriage, rape in marriage and female genital mutilation. I respect culture, tradition and religion – but they can never justify the denial of basic rights.” - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon

UN News - Religion and culture cannot justify discrimination against gays and lesbians, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon warns

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:18:54 +0800

UN News - Religion and culture cannot justify discrimination against gays and lesbians, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon warns:

Pledging that “we must right these wrongs,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today denounced discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and declared that religion, culture and tradition can never be a justification for denying them their basic rights.

Following a rant that included calling trans athlete Fallon Fox “a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak,” heavyweight fighter Matt Mitrione was quickly suspended by the UFC.

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:12:04 +0800

Ace de la Serna for Marriage Equality

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 06:03:51 +0800

Ace de la Serna for Marriage Equality

Something to go with the line “Your genes have combined...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:41:00 +0800

Something to go with the line “Your genes have combined beautifully”:

Pylopagurus discoidalis, family Paguridae, This species has...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 03:31:12 +0800

Pylopagurus discoidalis, family Paguridae, This species has never before been photographed alive. Seen here occupying tusk shells, and riding a sea cucumber.

Learn more about the study of these creatures: NMNH

[Photo courtesy of Barry Brown]

You had me at “riding a sea cucumber.”

Maja Klevanski begins with ribbon diagrams of proteins as...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 03:29:23 +0800

Maja Klevanski begins with ribbon diagrams of proteins as determined by techniques like x-ray crystallography, with their helices, sheets and noodly loops suspended there like frozen spaghetti. Using digital imaging software, she rotates them until a familiar form is suggested. Is it a butterfly? A goat? Or a mother bear with its baby?

Using a combination of pure whimsy and nods to the protein’s actual function, she adds lines and shading until the protein takes on a new life. Wonderful stuff.

Robert Krulwich has more musings on the history of drawing proteins at NPR.

Scanning electron micrograph of HIV particles infecting a human...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 03:27:21 +0800

Scanning electron micrograph of HIV particles infecting a human T cell. Credit: NIAID, NIH

via American Society for Microbiology

These time lapse animations use phase contrast microscopy to...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 12:36:22 +0800

These time lapse animations use phase contrast microscopy to show neural stem cells in a nutrient medium for 4 hours. They reveal the dynamic growth and recycling of dendrites and synapses as neurons establish relationships with each other. The social behavior of these cells creates the incredible properties of the mind and brain.

Credit: University of Victoria Medical Sciences