Wes C.

Progression: juskysnewbooks: Apologize faster. Hug harder. High five more. Be...

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:34:29 -0700

Progression: juskysnewbooks: Apologize faster. Hug harder. High five more. Be...:...

"Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise."

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:33:57 -0700

“Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.” - Frank Ocean (via expiry)

Not gonna lie, I really love this precious boyfriend of mine :)

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:32:11 -0700

Not gonna lie, I really love this precious boyfriend of mine :)

staceythinx: Selections from The International Year of...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:45:04 -0700

staceythinx:

Selections from The International Year of Astronomy poster series by Simon C. Page

neurosciencestuff: Study Shows How the Nanog Protein Promotes...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:42:15 -0700

neurosciencestuff:

Study Shows How the Nanog Protein Promotes Growth of Head and Neck Cancer

A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James) has identified a biochemical pathway in cancer stem cells that is essential for promoting head and neck cancer.

The study shows that a protein called Nanog, which is normally active in embryonic stem cells, promotes the growth of cancer stem cells in head and neck cancer. The findings provide information essential for designing novel targeted drugs that might improve the treatment of head and neck cancer.

Normally, Nanog helps healthy embryonic stem cells maintain their undifferentiated, uncommitted (i.e., pluripotent) state. But recent evidence suggests that Nanog promotes tumor growth by stimulating the proliferation of cancer stem cells.

“This study defines a signaling axis that is essential for head and neck cancer progression, and our findings show that this axis may be disrupted at three key steps,” says principal investigator Quintin Pan, PhD, associate professor of otolaryngology at the OSUCCC – James. “Targeted drugs that are designed to inhibit any or all of these three steps might greatly improve the treatment of head and neck cancer.”

The findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Oncogene.

Specifically, the study shows that an enzyme called “protein kinase C-epsilon” (PKCepsilon) adds energy-packing phosphate groups to the Nanog molecule. This phosphorylation of Nanog stabilizes and activates the molecule.

It also triggers a series of events: Two Nanog molecules bind together, and these are joined by a third “co-activating” molecule called p300. This molecular complex then binds to the promoter region of a gene called Bmi1, an event that increases the expression of the gene. This, in turn, stimulates proliferation of cancer stem cells.

“Our work shows that the PKCepsilon/Nanog/Bmi1 signaling axis is essential to promote head and neck cancer,” Pan says. “And it provides initial evidence that the development of inhibitors that block critical points in this axis might yield a potent collection of targeted anti-cancer therapeutics that could be valuable for the treatment of head and neck cancer.”

(Image: Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body)

neurosciencestuff: Key Protein is Linked to Circadian Clocks,...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:37:43 -0700

neurosciencestuff:

Key Protein is Linked to Circadian Clocks, Helps Regulate Metabolism

Inside each of us is our own internal timing device. It drives everything from sleep cycles to metabolism, but the inner-workings of this so-called “circadian clock” are complex, and the molecular processes behind it have long eluded scientists. But now, researchers at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how one important protein falls under direct instructions from the body’s circadian clock. Furthermore, they uncover how this protein regulates fundamental circadian processes—and how disrupting its normal function can throw this critical system out of sync.

In the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, Gladstone Investigator Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, and her team reveal in animal models how the production of the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) protein oscillates in time with the body’s natural circadian clock—and how these rhythmic oscillations help regulate vital metabolic functions. This discovery underscores the widespread importance of p75NTR by offering insight into how the circadian clock helps maintain the body’s overall metabolic health.

Virtually every organism on the planet—from bacteria to humans—has a circadian clock, a biological timing mechanism that oscillates with a period of about 24 hours and is coordinated with the cycle of day and night. And while it runs independent of external cues, it is influenced by the rhythms of light, temperature and food availability. Intriguingly, recent studies have also found a link between circadian clocks and metabolism.

“Important metabolic functions are also heavily influenced by circadian clocks, which is why activities such as chronic night-shift work—which can cause a misalignment of this clock—increase one’s risk for metabolic and autoimmune diseases such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis,” said Dr. Akassoglou. Dr. Akassoglou is also a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) with which Gladstone is affiliated. “In this study, we pinpointed p75NTR as an important molecular ‘link’ between circadian clocks and metabolic health.”

Originally, p75NTR was only thought to be active in the nervous system. Later studies found it to be active in many cell types throughout the body, suggesting that it impacts a variety of biological functions. Last year, Gladstone researchers discovered that p75NTR was present in the liver and in fat cells, and that it regulates glucose levels in the blood—an important metabolic process. Since these findings uncovered a link between p75NTR and metabolism, the research team tested—first in a petri dish and then in animal models—whether there was also a link between p75NTR and the circadian clock.

The team focused on two genes called Clock and Bmal1. These so-called “circadian regulator genes,” and others like them, are found throughout the body. Their activity controls the body’s circadian clock. The researchers wanted to see if there was a connection between these circadian genes and p75NTR.

“Our initial experiments revealed such a connection,” recalls Gladstone Postdoctoral Fellow Bernat Baeza-Raja, PhD, the paper’s lead author. “In individual cells, we saw that p75NTR production was controlled by Clock and Bmal1, which bind directly to the gene that codes for the p75NTR and start production of the protein.”

But perhaps even more important than how p75NTR was produced was when. The team found that p75NTR production, like the circadian clock genes themselves, oscillated in a 24-hour cycle—in sync with the cells’ natural circadian rhythm. Experiments in mouse models further supported these findings.

And when the team genetically modified a group of mice so that it lacked the circadian Clock gene, everything else fell out of sync. The circadian oscillation of p75NTR production was disrupted, and p75NTR levels dropped.

However, what was most fascinating, say the researchers, was how a drop in p75NTR levels then affected a variety of circadian clock systems. Specifically, the regular oscillations of other circadian genes in the brain and the liver became disrupted, as well as genes known to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism.

“The finding that a loss of p75NTR affected circadian and metabolic systems is strong evidence that this protein is intricately tied to both,” said Life Sciences Institute Director Alan Saltiel, PhD, who is also a professor at the University of Michigan and was not involved in the study. “It will be fascinating to see what additional insight Dr. Akassoglou and her team will uncover as they continue to examine the role of p75NTR in circadian clocks and metabolic function.”

“While these findings reveal p75NTR to be an important link between circadian clocks and metabolism, the system is complex, and there are likely other factors at play,” said Dr. Akassoglou. “We are currently working to identify the relationship between the circadian clock, metabolism and the immune system, so that one day we could develop therapies to treat diseases influenced by circadian clock disruption—including not only obesity and diabetes, but also potentially multiple sclerosis and even Alzheimer’s disease.”

(Image: Brain Treatment Center)

simplyessentials: 450 square feet, WOW! - specht harpman

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:19:37 -0700

simplyessentials:

450 square feet, WOW! - specht harpman

Naya Rivera at the 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:52:50 -0700

Naya Rivera at the 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards

nichvlas: It’s not about the kissing, holding hands, the dates, the sex, and showing off. It’s...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:52:38 -0700

nichvlas: It’s not about the kissing, holding hands, the dates, the sex, and showing off. It’s...

Imagine this. You and your boyfriend’s parents are actually HS friends and have partied...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:15:25 -0700

Imagine this. You and your boyfriend’s parents are actually HS friends and have partied...

I’ll just answer by grouping challenges together by relativity, but still in batches of...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:03:25 -0700

I’ll just answer by grouping challenges together by relativity, but still in batches of...

So I’m going to start the 30 day senior challenge now, and attempt to complete it in 3 days....

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:15:19 -0700

So I’m going to start the 30 day senior challenge now, and attempt to complete it in 3 days....

Last legitimate day of school

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:42:50 -0700

And a short day tomorrow. Then I am done! Sadly today includes a test in AP Physics C involving...

bambilous: misfit-misfortune: whtevr-cunt: omg nope nope...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:49:02 -0700

bambilous:

misfit-misfortune:

whtevr-cunt:

omg

nope nope nope done omg crying

i think my heart just stopped beating

1-20!

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 21:27:55 -0700

HI FUTURE COLLEGE FRIEND <3 1. Think of the last person who said I love you, do you think they...

Some real creepy questions, get your fix. Do it.

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:49:45 -0700

1. Think of the last person who said I love you, do you think they meant it? 2. Would you date an...

k-lionheart: thespockyhorrorpictureshow: Okay this is now my...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:21:40 -0700

k-lionheart:

thespockyhorrorpictureshow:

Okay this is now my FAVORITE GIF EVER.

SPREAD THIS LIKE FIRE

paolopuopoloph: Suburban Love ——- Editorial Shooting Model:...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 14:38:14 -0700

paolopuopoloph:

Suburban Love

——-

Editorial Shooting

Model: Rossella & Giuseppe

Photo

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 14:37:51 -0700

staceythinx: Vincent Fournier’s follow-up to his wonderful Man...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:55:15 -0700

staceythinx:

Vincent Fournier’s follow-up to his wonderful Man Machine and Space Projects is every bit as intriguing as his previous work.

About the project:

At the beginning of XXI century the genetic modification has taken two new paths. On the one hand, synthetic biology, which combines genetic engineering and, secondly, the reprogramming of stem cells leads to the production of new cells, new fabrics and new bodies.

Living species from synthetic biology, integrating new DNA fragments and artificial elements (eg metal or electronics), have new properties to better adapt to new environments (and accompanying events as drought stress, disease, predators) due to climate change.

Living organisms whose cells have been genetically manipulated strains show new opportunities or performance properties: better acuity or vision, increased breathing capacity, longer life expectancy … Also, these neo-beings have characteristics to better adapt to different environments, new scalable.

Post Natural History archives report on these two lines of research pioneered by the very creation of these bodies, synthetics, improved or increased.