PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

USC Stem Cell scientists lay a TRAP for disease

USC Stem Cell scientists lay a TRAP for disease
2014-07-11
(Press-News.org) USC Stem Cell scientists have set a "mouse TRAP" to capture the early signs of kidney failure, as described by a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Their new transgenic mouse line uses a technique called TRAP to extract cellular and genetic information from a variety of solid organs.

Invented by scientists at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in 2008, TRAP involves attaching a fluorescent tag to the protein-making machinery, or ribosomes, of the cell type of interest. Scientists can then collect the tagged ribosomes and determine which active genes are ordering proteins to be made by these ribosomes. (TRAP stands for "translating ribosome affinity purification.")

Following up on this breakthrough, the USC team — led by Jing Liu, senior research associate in the laboratory of Andy McMahon — has made the technique simpler and more accessible by engineering a TRAP mouse. When bred with any one of thousands of existing strains of transgenic mice, the TRAP mouse produces progeny with tagged ribosomes in specific organs or cell types.

To demonstrate how useful this can be, Liu and her colleagues used TRAP mice to tag four different types of kidney cells and identify early signals of acute kidney injury.

As a consequence of surgery, infections or drug toxicity, five to seven percent of all hospitalized patients experience acute kidney injury, which can lead to chronic kidney disease or death.

Currently, doctors can only detect acute kidney injury a full day after it occurs. The TRAP mouse enables earlier detection, which will greatly improve patients' health.

"The technology is simple, and the kidney field is very excited about our results," said Liu. "I anticipate that the TRAP mouse will advance our cellular and molecular understanding of a wide variety of diseases and injuries in many different organ systems."

INFORMATION: Along with Liu and McMahon, co-authors include A. Michaela Krautzberger, Shannan H. Sui, Oliver M. Hofmann, Ying Chen, Manfred Baetscher, Ivica Grgic, Sanjeev Kumar, Benjamin Humphreys and Winston A. Hide.

The research was supported by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (53-5178-7980) as well as by Grgic's fellowship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GR 3301/4-1).

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
USC Stem Cell scientists lay a TRAP for disease

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Major study documents nutritional and food safety benefits of organic farming

Major study documents nutritional and food safety benefits of organic farming
2014-07-11
PULLMAN, Wash.—The largest study of its kind has found that organic foods and crops have a suite of advantages over their conventional counterparts, including more antioxidants and fewer, less frequent pesticide residues. The study looked at an unprecedented 343 peer-reviewed publications comparing the nutritional quality and safety of organic and conventional plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, and grains. The study team applied sophisticated meta-analysis techniques to quantify differences between organic and non-organic foods. "Science marches on," said ...

NMR under pressure: Reproducing deep-Earth chemistry

NMR under pressure: Reproducing deep-Earth chemistry
2014-07-11
VIDEO: Chemists want to understand chemical reactions that happen in solutions under high pressure in the Earth's crust. A new device invented at UC Davis allows chemists to make nuclear magnetic... Click here for more information. A new pressure cell invented by UC Davis researchers makes it possible to simulate chemical reactions deep in the Earth's crust. The cell allows researchers to perform nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements on as little as 10 microliters ...

Miriam Hospital study examines smoking prevalence

2014-07-11
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have found that people with mobility impairments under age 65 have significantly higher rates of smoking than those without mobility impairments. Additionally, smokers with mobility impairments were less likely to attempt quitting than those without mobility impairments, and evidence-based, quit-smoking treatments may not be sufficient for this population. The study and its findings are published online in advance of print in the American Journal of Public Health. Lead researcher Belinda Borrelli, Ph.D., of The ...

Obese US firefighters report receiving no weight advice from their health provider

2014-07-11
HOUSTON – (July 10, 2014) – Obese and overweight firefighters are not receiving weight management advice from their health care providers, according to new research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). National guidelines state that health care professionals (HCPs) should advise patients on the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. Firefighters have high rates of obesity, and cardiovascular events are the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in firefighters. This study assessed the association of age and body mass index (BMI) ...

Many fires in New South Wales, Australia

Many fires in New South Wales, Australia
2014-07-11
There were many fires burning in eastern New South Wales, Australia when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead on July 11. At 03:35 UTC on July 11 (12:35 p.m. local time/11:35 p.m. EDT on July 10), when Aqua passed over eastern New South Wales (NSW), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard captured a natural-color visible image of the region and spotted smoke (light brown) from various fires. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. The New South Wales, Australia Government website "NSW Rural Fire Service" ...

Mills Canyon fire, Washington

Mills Canyon fire, Washington
2014-07-11
The Mills Canyon fire started near the City of Entiat on Tuesday, July 8, 2014. Despite the efforts of local resources, the fire quickly grew to over 1,000 acres by evening. Three outbuildings were damaged. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. The fire team is working with existing local resources in developing fire control strategies and tactics. Other cooperators include the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Washington State Department of Natural Resources, (WA DNR), Bureau of Land Management, Chelan County Emergency ...

New simple setup for X-ray phase contrast

2014-07-11
This news release is available in German. X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a method that uses the refraction of X-rays through a specimen instead of attenuation resulting from absorption. The images produced with this method are often of much higher quality than those based on absorption. The scientists in the team of Prof. Franz Pfeiffer are particularly interested in developing new approaches for biomedical X-ray imaging and therapy – including X-ray phase-contrast imaging. One main goal is to make this method available for clinical applications such as diagnosis of ...

NASA's TRMM satellite maps Tropical Storm Neoguri's soggy path through Japan

NASAs TRMM satellite maps Tropical Storm Neoguris soggy path through Japan
2014-07-11
Southern Japan received a soaking from Tropical Storm Neoguri on July 9 and 10 and data from the TRMM satellite was used to create a map that shows how much rain fell in Kyushu. Kyushu is the southwestern most and third largest island of Japan. The island is mountainous and is home to Mount Aso. Heavy rainfall from Neoguri fell on land that was already soaked in the past week from a slow moving frontal system. Typhoon Neoguri made landfall on Kyushu early Thursday, July 10, local time after affecting the Okinawa island chain. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ...

Virtual finger enables scientists to navigate and analyze complex 3D images

2014-07-11
SEATTLE, WASH. — July 11, 2014 — Researchers have pioneered a revolutionary new way to digitally navigate three-dimensional images. The new technology, called Virtual Finger, allows scientists to move through digital images of small structures like neurons and synapses using the flat surface of their computer screens. Virtual Finger's unique technology makes 3D imaging studies orders of magnitude more efficient, saving time, money and resources at an unprecedented level across many areas of experimental biology. The software and its applications are profiled in this week's ...

In lab studies, hydroxyethyl starch has direct harmful effects on kidney cells

2014-07-11
July 11, 2014 – The increased risk of kidney injury related to the use of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in resuscitation fluids reflects the mass of HES molecules, according to a report in Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS). The "total mass of HES molecules" explains the harmful effect of HES on cultured human renal proximal tubule cells (PTCs), concludes the laboratory study by Dr Christian Wunder and colleagues of University Hospital Würzburg, Austria. Other factors—such as differences in the origin or molecular ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

The playbook for perfect polaritons

‘Disease in a dish’ study of progressive MS finds critical role for unusual type of brain cell

Solar-powered method lights the way to a ‘de-fossilized’ chemical industry

Screen time linked to lower academic achievement among Ontario elementary students

One-year outcomes after traumatic brain injury and early extracranial surgery in the TRACK-TBI Study

Enduring outcomes of COVID-19 work absences on the US labor market

Affirmative action repeal and racial and ethnic diversity in us medical school admissions

Cancer progression illuminated by new multi-omics tool

Screen time and standardized academic achievement tests in elementary school

GLP-1RA order fills and out-of-pocket costs by race, ethnicity, and indication

Study finds HEPA purifiers alone may not be enough to reduce viral exposure in schools

UVA Health developing way to ID people at risk of dangerous lung scarring even before symptoms appear

How can we know when curing cancer causes myocarditis?

Male infertility in Indian men linked to lifestyle choices and hormonal imbalances

An acoustofluidic device for sample preparation and detection of small extracellular vesicles

The advent of nanotechnology has ushered in a transformative era for oncology, offering unprecedented capabilities for targeted drug delivery and controlled release. This paradigm shift enhances thera

A prototype LED as thin as wallpaper — that glows like the sun

Transnational electoral participation of undocumented Mexican immigrants in the US

A new method to build more energy-efficient memory devices for a sustainable data future

Freely levitating rotor spins out ultraprecise sensors for classical and quantum physics

‘Chinese lantern’ structure shifts into more than a dozen shapes for various applications

Towards light-controlled electronic components

[Press-News.org] USC Stem Cell scientists lay a TRAP for disease