(Press-News.org) New Rochelle, NY, September 10, 2010—The glycome, encompassing all of the complex sugars produced by an organism, is comprised of multiple families of molecules whose function in the human body is often determined by the structure, composition, and placement of the attached sugars, as explored in a comprehensive look at the field of glycomics in a group of key articles in OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The relevant articles are available free online at www.liebertpub.com/omi
Guest Editors Jeremy E. Turnbull, from the University of Liverpool, U.K., and Ram Sasisekharan, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), have compiled a series of informative articles that present the most recent scientific advances in this rapidly evolving field of study. In the editorial entitled, "Glycomics: Technologies Taming a Frontier Omics Field," they describe how the challenges associated with studying the complex field of glycomics have given rise to a set of robust and high-throughput research tools capable of probing this diverse family of compounds and producing a wealth of information about how they function and help to regulate biological systems.
This Special Issue takes a comprehensive approach to glycomics, incorporating a broad range of glycan-conjugated compounds, such as glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans. In particular, for example, are articles that focus on the sialome, a subclass of the glycome comprised of sialic acid-based core structures present on the surface of cells. Miriam Cohen and Ajit Varki, from University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla, coauthored "The Sialome—Far More than the Sum of its Parts." They describe the sialome as being analogous to the canopy of a forest, covering the cell surface with an array of complex structures that differ in the nine-carbon sugars that comprise their backbone, how they are attached and arranged on the cell membrane, and their overall structure. In the article, "Proteoglycomics: Recent Progress and Future Challenges," Mellisa Ly, Tatiana Laremore, and Robert Linhardt, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY), describe the unique challenges involved in characterizing the composition, structure, and structure-function relationships of proteoglycans, which are comprised of core proteins modified through the attachment of varied sugar structures.
"Although glycomics may still be a frontier omics field, we believe that it has a bright future in the postgenome era," says Jeremy Turnbull. "Glycosylation of biomolecules alters their biological function and, in some cases, the glycans themselves have intrinsic and independent functions. This affords diverse opportunities for subtle regulation of biological processes at a higher level of complexity than DNA or proteins."
INFORMATION:
OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly online, which covers genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. The journal explores advances in the era of post-genomic biology and medicine and focuses on the integration of OMICS, data analyses and modeling, and applications of high-throughput approaches to study biological problems. The journal will be published monthly beginning in 2011. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/omi
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com), is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Computational Biology, Assay and Drug Development Technologies, and Zebrafish. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215
Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101
www.liebertpub.com
END
LAWRENCE — A drug developed at the University of Kansas has the potential to stop a debilitating condition of diabetes that often leads to pain in the extremities and even amputations, KU researchers have found.
The researchers recently published an article showing that KU-32 can stop and even reverse diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or DPN, in mice. The condition leads to death of nerves in the extremities of individuals with diabetes.
"People with DPN can be very sensitive to light touch, which can cause significant pain," said Rick Dobrowsky, professor of pharmacology ...
As the General Assembly of the UN resolved on July 28 of this year, clean drinking water and basic sanitary provision are human rights. Unfortunately, there are more than one billion people all over the world who do not have access to drinking water, while as many as 2.6 billion people live without any sanitary systems at all – that is well over one-third of the world's population.
Not only that, water is a pre-eminent economic factor because agriculture and industry consume more than four-fifths of this precious commodity these days. A study by the UN indicates that ...
LAWRENCE — Federal programs to assist the unemployed are failing job seekers with disabilities, according to an investigation by Jean Hall and Kathy Parker of the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas.
The KU study, published recently in the Career Development Quarterly, shows two major federal programs — the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, which requires recipients to find employment within two years, and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which set up "One-Stop" centers to cluster services for the unemployed — have inadequacies ...
Designed to be the most spectacular concert hall in Germany, the construction of the Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg is a controversial project, but it is already creating a sensation in the architectural world. Nobody has ever tried to build windows this high, each one five meters tall, of unique dimensions, and glazed with multifunctional insulating glass. The demands on the architectural glass used in modern structures like this are increasing all the time. Quite apart from their large surface area, they also have to offer outstanding optical characteristics and at ...
VIDEO:
MSCs taken from wisdom teeth and reprogrammed into stem cells can become numerous other cell types, like these beating cardiomyocytes.
Click here for more information.
For most people, wisdom teeth are not much more than an annoyance that eventually needs to be removed. However, a new study appearing in the September 17 Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that wisdom teeth contain a valuable reservoir of tissue for the creation of stem cells; thus, everyone might ...
TORONTO, ON – Each year, thousands of acres of crops are planted throughout Africa, Asia and Australia only to be laid to waste by a parasitic plant called Striga, also known as witchweed. It is one of the largest challenges to food security in Africa, and a team of scientists led by researchers from the University of Toronto have discovered chemicals and genes that may break Striga's stranglehold.
When crops grow, their roots release a plant hormone called strigolactone. If the soil contains Striga seed, it will use the released strigolactone as a cue to germinate and ...
Cambridge, Mass. - September 9, 2010 - In a paper published as the cover story of the September 9, 2010 Nature, researchers from Harvard University and MIT have demonstrated that graphene, a surprisingly robust planar sheet of carbon just one-atom thick, can act as an artificial membrane separating two liquid reservoirs.
By drilling a tiny pore just a few-nanometers in diameter, called a nanopore, in the graphene membrane, they were able to measure exchange of ions through the pore and demonstrated that a long DNA molecule can be pulled through the graphene nanopore just ...
FAIRIES WITH CHILDREN OPENS TO FIGHT FOR GAY EQUALITY
(Drag Musical Spoof focuses on the Suburban Conservative
as the key to changing hearts and minds of all Americans)
The new musical spoof "Fairies With Children, The Yes On Hate Episode" will open October 22nd at the Meta Theatre 7801 Melrose Avenue for a six week run, Friday and Saturday only at 8pm. The show exposes the anti gay agenda prevalent in the suburbs of California. The gender bending parody is being produced by WideStance Productions (The Golden Gays). A percentage of the proceeds from the show will ...
Newly launched SocialVest is an innovative cause-based shopping platform that empowers people to contribute to social good by earning money for their favorite non-profit organizations through everyday shopping. With over 500 top retailers participating in this cause-conscious loyalty program, SocialVest users are able to make purchase decisions that allow them to raise & give money to any of the million plus registered non-profit organizations of their choice.
SocialVest offers participating retailers an authentic engagement tool with one-to-one consumer connections ...
Australian Spa Treatment supplier, Victoria's Essentials is pleased to launch a collection of deluxe pedicure bowls. Each Bowl is hand crafted from lightweight durable resin. Available in a choice of designer colours, these bowls will add style and elegance to any Pedicure Treatment. Complementing this line are Manicure Bowls, Treatment Dishes for presenting salts, scrubs and lotions, and a matching Footrest customised to fit over the Pedicure Bowl.
The Foot Rests were designed to add an ergonomic platform which allows the client to rest their feet comfortably on an ...
