15 June 2013 Stressed for Success There’s a lot to learn from watching how life adapts. Myofibroblasts are stretchy cells that help to repair our organs – contracting to bring the edges of a wound together and then self-destructing like tiny dissolvable stiches. These rat myofibroblasts have been grown on differently-sized artificial ‘islands’, putting strain on their criss-crossing stress fibres (highlighted here with multi-coloured fluorescent dyes). Forced to stretch out, the cells adapt and remodel – the cell on the large island (right) has developed more stress fibres than the ‘relaxed’ cell on the smaller island (left, 200 million times smaller than The Isle of Man). Watching how myofibroblasts respond to stress tells us a great deal about how they cope inside our bodies, and what happens when they’re pushed too far – malfunctioning myofibroblasts left behind after a wound has healed can build up into scar tissue, sometimes leading to severe conditions like pulmonary fibrosis. Written by John Ankers — Boris Hinz University of Toronto, Canada Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLoS ONE 8(5): e64560
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15 June 2013

Stressed for Success

There’s a lot to learn from watching how life adapts. Myofibroblasts are stretchy cells that help to repair our organs – contracting to bring the edges of a wound together and then self-destructing like tiny dissolvable stiches. These rat myofibroblasts have been grown on differently-sized artificial ‘islands’, putting strain on their criss-crossing stress fibres (highlighted here with multi-coloured fluorescent dyes). Forced to stretch out, the cells adapt and remodel – the cell on the large island (right) has developed more stress fibres than the ‘relaxed’ cell on the smaller island (left, 200 million times smaller than The Isle of Man). Watching how myofibroblasts respond to stress tells us a great deal about how they cope inside our bodies, and what happens when they’re pushed too far – malfunctioning myofibroblasts left behind after a wound has healed can build up into scar tissue, sometimes leading to severe conditions like pulmonary fibrosis.

Written by John Ankers

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

28 May 2013 Blood Brain Biomarkers Pinpointing changes to brain tissue using scanning technologies can help doctors diagnose brain damage and disease. But being able to diagnose disorders such as schizophrenia or Alzheimer’s disease with a finger prick of blood would be simpler and quicker. Scientists looking for blood biomarkers that signal problems in the brain are homing in on several candidates. One of them, S100B (labelled here in red and yellow), is produced inside brain cells called oligodendrocytes (green), which are found in large numbers in the corpus callosum – an area of white matter that resembles a sandwich filling between the two brain lobes. Tiny amounts of the protein are enough to help nerves grow, but too much, and inflammation can develop. New research shows that high S100B levels in blood can indicate brain damage, offering doctors hope of a new diagnostic tool for brain disorders, to ensure patients get treatment as quickly as possible. Written by Caroline Cross — Daniel-Paolo Streitbürger Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLoS ONE 7(8): e43284
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28 May 2013

Blood Brain Biomarkers

Pinpointing changes to brain tissue using scanning technologies can help doctors diagnose brain damage and disease. But being able to diagnose disorders such as schizophrenia or Alzheimer’s disease with a finger prick of blood would be simpler and quicker. Scientists looking for blood biomarkers that signal problems in the brain are homing in on several candidates. One of them, S100B (labelled here in red and yellow), is produced inside brain cells called oligodendrocytes (green), which are found in large numbers in the corpus callosum – an area of white matter that resembles a sandwich filling between the two brain lobes. Tiny amounts of the protein are enough to help nerves grow, but too much, and inflammation can develop. New research shows that high S100B levels in blood can indicate brain damage, offering doctors hope of a new diagnostic tool for brain disorders, to ensure patients get treatment as quickly as possible.

Written by Caroline Cross

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

26 May 2013 Building Bones Far from being the brittle, dry sticks of a skeleton, our bones are living, growing tissue. Unfortunately their capacity to heal is limited, so researchers are working on artificial materials that could help regenerate them. Most of these compounds are very hard and have to be drilled into place or carved to the correct shape, and it’s tough for living bone cells to grow into them. But a new, softer material – made from a mixture of calcium phosphate-based cement and a special type of glass – seems to be much easier to handle and encourages bones to repair themselves. These CT scans show damaged leg bones from rabbits transplanted with the new material (centre and right columns) or calcium cement alone (left). After a few weeks, bone cells have started invading the mixed material, making it look pitted and spongy – exactly what’s needed to make strong new bones. Written by Kat Arney — Wei Lei and Zixiang Wu Fourth Military Medical University, China Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLoS ONE 8(4): e62570
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26 May 2013

Building Bones

Far from being the brittle, dry sticks of a skeleton, our bones are living, growing tissue. Unfortunately their capacity to heal is limited, so researchers are working on artificial materials that could help regenerate them. Most of these compounds are very hard and have to be drilled into place or carved to the correct shape, and it’s tough for living bone cells to grow into them. But a new, softer material – made from a mixture of calcium phosphate-based cement and a special type of glass – seems to be much easier to handle and encourages bones to repair themselves. These CT scans show damaged leg bones from rabbits transplanted with the new material (centre and right columns) or calcium cement alone (left). After a few weeks, bone cells have started invading the mixed material, making it look pitted and spongy – exactly what’s needed to make strong new bones.

Written by Kat Arney

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

24 May 2013 Culturing Connections For decades, scientists around the world have studied cells growing in the lab as an alternative to using animals – a technique known as tissue culture. But some types of cells, such as nerves cells (neurons) deep in the brain, don’t grow happily in the unfamiliar and unrealistic environment of a plastic Petri dish. To get round this problem, researchers are developing complex techniques that ever more closely mimic the conditions of the cells’ original home. This tangle of fibres is a group of nerve cells from the hippocampus – part of the brain involved in memory – growing in the lab. Reassuringly, the cells are making plenty of connections between each other, as they would do in the brain, and can be kept alive for several months. This new approach will allow researchers to study some of the processes involved in memory and diseases such as Alzheimer’s more easily. Written by Kat Arney — Randen Patterson University of California Davis, USA Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLoS ONE 8(4): e58996
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24 May 2013

Culturing Connections

For decades, scientists around the world have studied cells growing in the lab as an alternative to using animals – a technique known as tissue culture. But some types of cells, such as nerves cells (neurons) deep in the brain, don’t grow happily in the unfamiliar and unrealistic environment of a plastic Petri dish. To get round this problem, researchers are developing complex techniques that ever more closely mimic the conditions of the cells’ original home. This tangle of fibres is a group of nerve cells from the hippocampus – part of the brain involved in memory – growing in the lab. Reassuringly, the cells are making plenty of connections between each other, as they would do in the brain, and can be kept alive for several months. This new approach will allow researchers to study some of the processes involved in memory and diseases such as Alzheimer’s more easily.

Written by Kat Arney

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23 May 2013 Mutation Mapping To cure a disease you need to first understand its cause. Cancers come in all shapes and sizes, but genetic mutations – a few small changes in pivotal DNA sequences – play a role in almost every case. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer of the blood that kills thousands of people worldwide each year. In a bid to understand what genes might be sparking the disease, scientists sequenced the genomes of over 200 AML patients, comparing the genetic sequences in their cancerous cells with those in their healthy cells. The result? A list of which genes and pathways contribute to the cancer. In this interactive graphic each dark line represents a single patient, connecting the mutations that appear in their cancer and revealing which mutations are most common. By identifying the genes that commonly cause the cancer, the researchers hope to dig up new ways to fight AML. Written by Anthony Lewis — Click here for the interactive graphic Ben Raphael Brown University, USA Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine
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23 May 2013

Mutation Mapping

To cure a disease you need to first understand its cause. Cancers come in all shapes and sizes, but genetic mutations – a few small changes in pivotal DNA sequences – play a role in almost every case. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer of the blood that kills thousands of people worldwide each year. In a bid to understand what genes might be sparking the disease, scientists sequenced the genomes of over 200 AML patients, comparing the genetic sequences in their cancerous cells with those in their healthy cells. The result? A list of which genes and pathways contribute to the cancer. In this interactive graphic each dark line represents a single patient, connecting the mutations that appear in their cancer and revealing which mutations are most common. By identifying the genes that commonly cause the cancer, the researchers hope to dig up new ways to fight AML.

Written by Anthony Lewis

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

20 May 2013 Sweet Discovery Estimated to affect over 170 million people worldwide, diabetes is a major modern-day health concern. Caused by failure to regulate blood sugar, this disease arises because of defects in the production of insulin, a hormone that acts to decrease the levels of glucose in the blood, or in the way other tissues respond to it. Researchers have recently identified a hormone, named betatrophin, which is secreted by liver and fat tissue, and stimulates duplication of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Raising the levels of betatrophin makes the pancreatic cells replicate faster, and having more of these cells means that more insulin is made. In the mouse pancreas pictured, the pink spots identify a protein characteristic of replication, thus revealing that some of the cells that produce insulin (stained green) are duplicating. Also found in humans, betatrophin could provide potential alternatives to insulin injections in the treatment of diabetes. Written by Emmanuelle Briolat — Douglas Melton Harvard University, USA Copyright Elsevier 2013 Published in Cell 2013
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20 May 2013

Sweet Discovery

Estimated to affect over 170 million people worldwide, diabetes is a major modern-day health concern. Caused by failure to regulate blood sugar, this disease arises because of defects in the production of insulin, a hormone that acts to decrease the levels of glucose in the blood, or in the way other tissues respond to it. Researchers have recently identified a hormone, named betatrophin, which is secreted by liver and fat tissue, and stimulates duplication of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Raising the levels of betatrophin makes the pancreatic cells replicate faster, and having more of these cells means that more insulin is made. In the mouse pancreas pictured, the pink spots identify a protein characteristic of replication, thus revealing that some of the cells that produce insulin (stained green) are duplicating. Also found in humans, betatrophin could provide potential alternatives to insulin injections in the treatment of diabetes.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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Published in Cell 2013

Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

18 May 2013 Predict-a-Bull This bull’s sperm may hold the key to choosing the sex of our future babies. Its head – roughly 10,000 times smaller than a cotton bud – contains an X chromosome, with genes destined to produce female offspring. The sperm’s surface has been mapped out in 3D using atomic force microscopy, which traces minute bends and dips to reveal hidden details. Comparing groups of features like ‘roughness’, ‘roundness’ and ‘circularity’, it’s possible to tell ‘female’ sperm from ‘male’ ones (containing a Y chromosome). This new method might one day improve ‘sex sorting’ in humans, where sperm can be selected to avoid hereditary, sex-specific diseases. Using sex sorting simply to allow a couple to predict or choose their baby’s sex is controversial, yet as potential boys and potential girls become easier to spot under a microscope it raises an interesting question – if you could choose, would you? Written by John Ankers — José Carvalho, University of São Paulo, Brazil Margot Dode, University of Brasília, Brazil Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLoS ONE 8(3): e59387
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18 May 2013

Predict-a-Bull

This bull’s sperm may hold the key to choosing the sex of our future babies. Its head – roughly 10,000 times smaller than a cotton bud – contains an X chromosome, with genes destined to produce female offspring. The sperm’s surface has been mapped out in 3D using atomic force microscopy, which traces minute bends and dips to reveal hidden details. Comparing groups of features like ‘roughness’, ‘roundness’ and ‘circularity’, it’s possible to tell ‘female’ sperm from ‘male’ ones (containing a Y chromosome). This new method might one day improve ‘sex sorting’ in humans, where sperm can be selected to avoid hereditary, sex-specific diseases. Using sex sorting simply to allow a couple to predict or choose their baby’s sex is controversial, yet as potential boys and potential girls become easier to spot under a microscope it raises an interesting question – if you could choose, would you?

Written by John Ankers

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15 May 2013 Brighter Brains The nodding yellow flowers of the humble daffodil are a welcome sight after the dreary days of winter. Dementia sufferers have a very different reason for enjoying this springtime display. Daffodils are a natural source of the drug galanthamine, one of the few treatments proven to improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Galanthamine slows the breakdown of neurotransmitters – chemicals that carry signals between neurons – leading to improved brain function. Unfortunately, galanthamine is expensive. The best natural sources contain just 0.2% galanthamine and it’s difficult to produce synthetically. Daffodils are thought to produce this chemical as a response to environmental stress, so researchers and farmers in Wales are experimenting with growing the bulbs at high altitude. They hope that creating stressful conditions for the plants will lead to higher drug yields and a brighter outlook for patients. Written by Sarah McLusky — Originally published under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0)
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15 May 2013

Brighter Brains

The nodding yellow flowers of the humble daffodil are a welcome sight after the dreary days of winter. Dementia sufferers have a very different reason for enjoying this springtime display. Daffodils are a natural source of the drug galanthamine, one of the few treatments proven to improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Galanthamine slows the breakdown of neurotransmitters – chemicals that carry signals between neurons – leading to improved brain function. Unfortunately, galanthamine is expensive. The best natural sources contain just 0.2% galanthamine and it’s difficult to produce synthetically. Daffodils are thought to produce this chemical as a response to environmental stress, so researchers and farmers in Wales are experimenting with growing the bulbs at high altitude. They hope that creating stressful conditions for the plants will lead to higher drug yields and a brighter outlook for patients.

Written by Sarah McLusky

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

12 May 2013 Missing Parts Our understanding of hereditary diseases has taken huge strides forward since the code of the human genome was cracked at the start of the century. For example, about 20 gene defects have been linked to primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a disorder causing missing or malformed cilia – the microscopic hair-like structures that help keep the inner surfaces of our airways and sinuses free from infection. The latest to be identified is in a gene called LRRC6, which results in cilia lacking dynein, a protein essential to their sweeping motion. In the highly magnified cross-sections of cilia pictured, arrows show the position of dynein structures in a cilium from the airway of a normal person (top left) and normal lung (bottom left). In the airways of a PCD sufferer (top right) and in lung cells given the LRRC6 defect (bottom right), arrows mark their absence. Without dynein ‘broom handles’ cilia can’t sweep. Written by Mick Warwicker — Amjad Horani Washington University School of Medicine, USA Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLoS ONE 8(3): e59436
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12 May 2013

Missing Parts

Our understanding of hereditary diseases has taken huge strides forward since the code of the human genome was cracked at the start of the century. For example, about 20 gene defects have been linked to primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a disorder causing missing or malformed cilia – the microscopic hair-like structures that help keep the inner surfaces of our airways and sinuses free from infection. The latest to be identified is in a gene called LRRC6, which results in cilia lacking dynein, a protein essential to their sweeping motion. In the highly magnified cross-sections of cilia pictured, arrows show the position of dynein structures in a cilium from the airway of a normal person (top left) and normal lung (bottom left). In the airways of a PCD sufferer (top right) and in lung cells given the LRRC6 defect (bottom right), arrows mark their absence. Without dynein ‘broom handles’ cilia can’t sweep.

Written by Mick Warwicker

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10 May 2013 A Fishy Cancer Tale You may not think that tropical zebrafish can tell us a lot about testicular cancer in men, but the little creatures are proving a useful ally in the fight against the disease. This striking rosette is made up of chromosomes – long strings of DNA (stained blue) that twist up into neat packages as a cell divides. A protein called LRRC50, coloured green, coats the chromosomes, while their centres are labelled red. But while these chromosomes are taken from a human cell, LRRC50 is also found in zebrafish. Animals with a faulty version of the protein develop the fishy equivalent of testicular cancer, and LRRC50 faults are also found in some men affected by the disease. Although more than nine out of ten patients now survive testicular cancer the treatments are harsh, so studying LRRC50 in fish will help researchers develop kinder future therapies. Written by Kat Arney — Rachel Giles University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLoS Genetics 9(4): e1003384
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10 May 2013

A Fishy Cancer Tale

You may not think that tropical zebrafish can tell us a lot about testicular cancer in men, but the little creatures are proving a useful ally in the fight against the disease. This striking rosette is made up of chromosomes – long strings of DNA (stained blue) that twist up into neat packages as a cell divides. A protein called LRRC50, coloured green, coats the chromosomes, while their centres are labelled red. But while these chromosomes are taken from a human cell, LRRC50 is also found in zebrafish. Animals with a faulty version of the protein develop the fishy equivalent of testicular cancer, and LRRC50 faults are also found in some men affected by the disease. Although more than nine out of ten patients now survive testicular cancer the treatments are harsh, so studying LRRC50 in fish will help researchers develop kinder future therapies.

Written by Kat Arney

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