26 April 2013 Roll-up, Zip-up The fun in science isn’t just about knowing things. It’s about the pleasure of finding things out. Although doing science can be drudgery sometimes, the pay-off can compare to the thrill of cracking a masterful crime. Few medical mysteries are harder to crack than those caused by the complicity between environmental factors and faulty genes, such as neural tube defects (NTDs) causing spina bifida when the spinal tube fails to roll-up and zip-up seamlessly (as in the amphibian NTs in the lower time-lapse images). Although pregnant women routinely take folic acid supplements to cut the likelihood of NTDs, newborns with the condition persist at 1/1000 in the developed world and several times higher elsewhere, making it one of the commonest birth defects. Genes are at the bottom of this – over 200 of them at the latest count. By a process of elimination, scientist-detectives are now painstakingly homing-in on the culprits. Written by Tristan Farrow — John Wallingford The University of Texas at Austin, USA Reprinted with permission from AAAS. Published in Science 339 (6123)
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26 April 2013

Roll-up, Zip-up

The fun in science isn’t just about knowing things. It’s about the pleasure of finding things out. Although doing science can be drudgery sometimes, the pay-off can compare to the thrill of cracking a masterful crime. Few medical mysteries are harder to crack than those caused by the complicity between environmental factors and faulty genes, such as neural tube defects (NTDs) causing spina bifida when the spinal tube fails to roll-up and zip-up seamlessly (as in the amphibian NTs in the lower time-lapse images). Although pregnant women routinely take folic acid supplements to cut the likelihood of NTDs, newborns with the condition persist at 1/1000 in the developed world and several times higher elsewhere, making it one of the commonest birth defects. Genes are at the bottom of this – over 200 of them at the latest count. By a process of elimination, scientist-detectives are now painstakingly homing-in on the culprits.

Written by Tristan Farrow

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Neglected Siege Tactics Sieges are a tried and tested tactic in war: if you can stop supplies passing through a city’s gates, it won’t be long before it surrenders. This principle also works on a microscopic scale, and could be important in the fight against sleeping sickness. The parasite that causes the disease has only one pathway to absorb and excrete chemicals, located in an area called the flagellar pocket. Using a nanoparticle, which attaches itself to the parasite’s surface, scientists can disrupt this vital gateway and stop the free movement of substances. The pocket (stained brighter green) of parasites exposed to this nanoparticle (third and forth columns) becomes swollen and distended, compared to those covered in a similar, but inert molecule (first and second column). With its supply line cut, the parasite quickly dies, offering hope to 30,000 sufferers across Africa at risk of coma and death from the disease. Written by Jan Piotrowski — Benoît Stijlemans VIB, Belgium Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLOS Pathogens 7(6): e1002072
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Neglected Siege Tactics

Sieges are a tried and tested tactic in war: if you can stop supplies passing through a city’s gates, it won’t be long before it surrenders. This principle also works on a microscopic scale, and could be important in the fight against sleeping sickness. The parasite that causes the disease has only one pathway to absorb and excrete chemicals, located in an area called the flagellar pocket. Using a nanoparticle, which attaches itself to the parasite’s surface, scientists can disrupt this vital gateway and stop the free movement of substances. The pocket (stained brighter green) of parasites exposed to this nanoparticle (third and forth columns) becomes swollen and distended, compared to those covered in a similar, but inert molecule (first and second column). With its supply line cut, the parasite quickly dies, offering hope to 30,000 sufferers across Africa at risk of coma and death from the disease.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

Neglected Hide-and-Seek Sneaking into our bodies is only the first step for parasites. They must then evade the numerous defence mechanisms that seek to destroy them. But if they can find a safe haven to multiply in, before launching a full-scale attack, they can increase their chances of success. And where better to do this than in the very white blood cells that are hunting them? Normally this strategy would end in certain destruction, but parasites containing Chagas disease possess a protein that disrupts white blood cells’ normal defences. This image shows that normal response, as an alarm molecule (stained green and yellow) moves from the main white blood cell body into the control centre called the nucleus (stained red), where it triggers the immune response. It’s the ability to block this process that allows the parasites to establish the disease, which infects about 10 million people throughout Latin America annually. Written by Jan Piotrowski — Patricia Doyle University of California, San Francisco, USA Image originally published under Creative Commons Attribution License Published in PLOS Pathogens 7(9): e1002139
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Neglected Hide-and-Seek

Sneaking into our bodies is only the first step for parasites. They must then evade the numerous defence mechanisms that seek to destroy them. But if they can find a safe haven to multiply in, before launching a full-scale attack, they can increase their chances of success. And where better to do this than in the very white blood cells that are hunting them? Normally this strategy would end in certain destruction, but parasites containing Chagas disease possess a protein that disrupts white blood cells’ normal defences. This image shows that normal response, as an alarm molecule (stained green and yellow) moves from the main white blood cell body into the control centre called the nucleus (stained red), where it triggers the immune response. It’s the ability to block this process that allows the parasites to establish the disease, which infects about 10 million people throughout Latin America annually.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

Neglected Bacteria When it comes to their human impact, mosquitoes punch way above their weight. These tiny parasites spread many human diseases, including dengue fever, which infects up to 100 million people every year. Mosquito-borne diseases are notoriously hard to control, however, a new approach using Wolbachia, a common bacterium that infects the majority of insects, offers hope. Wolbachia is a selfish guest, and doesn’t like sharing. Like squatters laying their claim, the bacteria lock the door to any new tenants looking for a place to stay inside cells. And so mosquitoes already carrying Wolbachia very rarely become infected with devastating dengue virus. Areas, such as these eye cells, riddled with dengue (stained red) are virus-free when Wolbachia (stained bright green on the right) is present. Combined with the fact that Wolbachia cuts a mosquito’s lifespan in half, this enemy of the insect world could turn out to be our best friend. Written by Jan Piotrowski — Scott O’Neill The University of Queensland, Australia Copyright Elsevier 2009 Published in Cell 139(7): 1268-1278
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Neglected Bacteria

When it comes to their human impact, mosquitoes punch way above their weight. These tiny parasites spread many human diseases, including dengue fever, which infects up to 100 million people every year. Mosquito-borne diseases are notoriously hard to control, however, a new approach using Wolbachia, a common bacterium that infects the majority of insects, offers hope. Wolbachia is a selfish guest, and doesn’t like sharing. Like squatters laying their claim, the bacteria lock the door to any new tenants looking for a place to stay inside cells. And so mosquitoes already carrying Wolbachia very rarely become infected with devastating dengue virus. Areas, such as these eye cells, riddled with dengue (stained red) are virus-free when Wolbachia (stained bright green on the right) is present. Combined with the fact that Wolbachia cuts a mosquito’s lifespan in half, this enemy of the insect world could turn out to be our best friend.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

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Published in Cell 139(7): 1268-1278