News by Subject Biology

Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) give rise to blood and immune cells of the body, and are therefore essential for our survival. The group of Manuela Baccarini at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories, a joint venture of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, has now shown how intracellular signalling can safeguard this delicate balance between activation and dormancy. Their results are published in the prominent journal Cell Stem Cell.

University of Cordoba researchers manage to reduce oxidative stress brought about by this well-known pesticide in mice via a selenium-enriched diet.

Some cancers express unusually high levels of a neural calcium channel known as the 'wasabi receptor,' which plays a role in detecting pain, cold and other sensations. New research finds cancer cells co-opt this neural channel to increase their tolerance against toxic oxidative stress. Blocking the activity of this channel in mice curbs tumor growth and makes cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have discovered that tumor cells reprogram metabolic pathways to gain control over a type of immune cell that allows cancer growth.

Previous studies have found an association between two commonly used agrochemicals (paraquat and maneb) and Parkinson's disease. Now U of G professor Scott Ryan has determined that low-level exposure to the pesticides disrupts cells in a way that mimics the effects of mutations known to cause Parkinson's disease. Adding the effects of the chemicals to a predisposition for Parkinson's disease drastically increases the risk of disease onset.