Sticky proteins help plants know when — and where — to grow
When it comes to plant growth and development, one hormone is responsible for it all: auxin. New Washington University in St. Louis research has uncovered a mechanism by which it can affect a plant in a myriad of ways.
Synthetic biology enables protein origami
Fuzhong Zhang, associate professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering, and members of his lab have developed a bottom-up approach to build 2D nanostructures, essentially starting from scratch.
How cells detect, mend DNA damage may improve chemotherapy
Human cells have a way of detecting and mending DNA damage caused by some common chemotherapy drugs, according to a new study from the School of Medicine. The findings could have important implications for treating cancer.
Epigenome orchestrates embryonic development
Studying zebrafish embryos, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that the epigenome plays a significant part in guiding development in the first 24 hours after fertilization. The research may deepen understanding of congenital defects and miscarriage.
Genome sequenced of enterovirus D68 circulating in St. Louis
Researchers led by Gregory A. Storch, MD, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have sequenced the genome of enterovirus D68 sampled from patients treated at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Nationwide, the virus has spread rapidly in recent months and caused severe respiratory illness in young children, with some patients requiring hospitalization.
Chalker awarded research grants
Douglas Chalker, PhD, associate professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, has been awarded $170,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue work on his project, “DNA Elimination Mechanisms in Tetrahymena.”
Fish prone to melanoma get DNA decoded
Scientists have decoded the genome of the platyfish, a cousin of the guppy and a popular choice for home aquariums. Scientists are interested in the fish because they tend to develop melanomas along the tail and fin.
Ancient sea lamprey gets DNA decoded
A large team of scientists has decoded the genome of a sea lamprey – one of the few ancient, jawless species of vertebrates that has survived through the modern era.
Déjà vu all over again? Cultural understanding vs. horrors of eugenics
Scientific efforts to explain feeblemindedness, delinquency and racial inferiorities date to the Spanish Inquisition. And while the horrors of Nazi Germany exposed fatal flaws
in science’s quest to build the master race, the ethical dilemmas posed
by the science of eugenics are far from behind us, warns an anthropologist from Washington University in St. Louis.
A new genetic fingerprint lives in your belly
Our bodies contain far more microbial genes than human
genes. And a new study suggests that just as human DNA varies from
person to person, so too does the massive collection of microbial DNA in
the intestine.
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