The California stem cell agency today confirmed that that Alan Lewis, formerly of head of Novocell and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, will be joining its small band in in San Francisco. Lewis was named interim vice president for research and development. He will be working two to three days a week and focus on [...]
Mo. Senate panel pares back incentive package JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Senate committee pared back an incentive package Wednesday to focus solely on Missouri’s automotive industry, shedding other proposed tax breaks at the request of Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration. The committee’s action set the framework for a scheduled Senate debate Thursday on the engine [...]
more images more images more images more images Microsoft halts global rollout of Kin phone SEATTLE — For Microsoft, there will be no next of Kin. The company said Wednesday it will halt the planned rollout of Kin One and Kin Two phones beyond the U.S., less than two months after Verizon Wireless started selling [...]
Correction: Smart Spending-Appliance Rebates SAN FRANCISCO — In a Dec. 30, 2009, story about federally funded rebates on energy-efficient appliances, The Associated Press, relying on information from Joe McGuire, president of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, incorrectly reported that buyers of new refrigerators could save $250 a year on their electricity bills over what [...]
more images more images Recalls: computers, scuba gear, tuna, bathrobes The following recalls have been announced: About 233,000 notebook computers, manufactured in China and the United States by Sony Electronics Inc. of San Diego, Calif., because they can overheat and pose a risk of burns. The company has received 30 reports or overheated computers, but [...]
(PhysOrg.com) — Wounded soldiers may one day be treated with stem cells from their own fat using a method under development at UC Davis.
more images more images Google adds a personal touch to its news section SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc. is giving its users the chance to tailor the news to fit their interests. As part of a new look unveiled Wednesday, the English-language version of Google’s online news section is offering tools that will enable readers [...]
To get an idea of how some U.S. textile mills can compete with developing-world rivals who pay far lower wages, roll a bowling ball down one of the production lines at Parkdale Mills’ Walnut Cove yarn plant.
Right atrial isomerism (RAI) is a heterotaxy syndrome with disturbances in the left–right axis development, resulting in complex heart malformations and abnormal lateralization of other thoracic and abdominal organs. Although autosomal-recessive inheritance of heterotaxy syndrome is seen in multiple families, underlying gene defects have remained unknown. Here we identify the molecular genetic basis of a [...]
Aging is believed to be among the most important contributors to atherosclerosis, through mechanisms that remain largely obscure. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) rise with aging and have been correlated with the incidence of myocardial infarction. We therefore sought to determine whether genetic variation in the TNF receptor-1 gene (TNFR1) contributes to aging-related [...]
The spectrum of mutations (missense, non-sense and splice-site) associated with hereditary spastic paraplegia 4 (HSP-SPG4) (SPG4:OMIM#182601) has suggested that this autosomal dominant disease results from loss of function. Because the protein encoded by SPG4, termed spastin, is a microtubule-severing enzyme, a loss-of-function scenario for the disease suggests that corticospinal axons degenerate due to inadequate microtubule [...]
Down syndrome (DS) is caused by the presence of an extra copy of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21) and is the most common genetic cause for developmental cognitive disability. The regions on Hsa21 are syntenically conserved with three regions located on mouse chromosome 10 (Mmu10), Mmu16 and Mmu17. In this report, we describe a new mouse [...]
The oral-facial-digital type I syndrome (OFDI; MIM 311200) is a rare syndromic form of inherited renal cystic disease. It is transmitted as an X-linked dominant, male lethal disorder and is caused by mutations in the OFD1 gene. Previous studies demonstrated that OFDI belongs to the growing number of disorders ascribed to dysfunction of primary cilia. [...]
The tyrosine kinase receptor RET51 is expressed in distinct families of neurons where it promotes different functions. FKBP52 is an immunophilin with neuroprotective effects on different kinds of neurons. In this paper, we demonstrate that RET51 activation by both glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and NGF triggers the formation of RET51/FKBP52 complex. The substitution [...]
We previously showed that mutations in LIS1 and DCX account for ~85% of patients with the classic form of lissencephaly (LIS). Some rare forms of LIS are associated with a disproportionately small cerebellum, referred to as lissencephaly with cerebellar hypoplasia (LCH). Tubulin alpha1A (TUBA1A), encoding a critical structural subunit of microtubules, has recently been implicated [...]
Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is the most common form of autosomal recessive ataxia caused by a deficit in the mitochondrial protein frataxin. Although demyelination is a common symptom in FRDA patients, no multicellular model has yet been developed to study the involvement of glial cells in FRDA. Using the recently established RNAi lines for targeted suppression [...]
