111 posts · 76,257 views
Blog of Promega Corporation designed to engage scientists in conversations about scientific research and issues that affect scientists.
Promega Corporation
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Kelly Grooms
12 posts
Terri Sundquist
13 posts
Caroline Sober
8 posts
Sara Klink
23 posts
Isobel Maciver
3 posts
Kari Kenefick
10 posts
Michele Arduengo
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- August 27, 2010
- 10:00 AM
- 1,330 views
Stop Targeting Lasers on My Chromosomes!
by Sara Klink in Promega Connections
The phases of the cell cycle, particularly that of mitosis, were taught in college as part of my studies in biology. The cell cycle is a fundamental process for all organisms and constantly happens within our bodies. While cells generally spend most of the time in interphase, many scientists focus on what happens as the [...]... Read more »
Baker, N., Zeitlin, S., Shi, L., Shah, J., & Berns, M. (2010) Chromosome Tips Damaged in Anaphase Inhibit Cytokinesis. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012398
- February 21, 2011
- 01:04 PM
- 1,125 views
Illuminating The Functional Architecture Of The Broken Brain
by Robert Deyes in Promega Connections
The term ‘phrenology’ conjures up images of nineteenth century medics examining bumps on people’s heads as a means of enciphering key aspects of their character (1). The arch-phrenologist was a man by the name of Franz Josef Gall whose suggestion that “mental faculties might be reflected in the shape of the brain, and hence the [...]... Read more »
Ciocchi S, Herry C, Grenier F, Wolff SB, Letzkus JJ, Vlachos I, Ehrlich I, Sprengel R, Deisseroth K, Stadler MB.... (2010) Encoding of conditioned fear in central amygdala inhibitory circuits. Nature, 468(7321), 277-82. PMID: 21068837
Haubensak W, Kunwar PS, Cai H, Ciocchi S, Wall NR, Ponnusamy R, Biag J, Dong HW, Deisseroth K, Callaway EM.... (2010) Genetic dissection of an amygdala microcircuit that gates conditioned fear. Nature, 468(7321), 270-6. PMID: 21068836
- March 26, 2010
- 09:12 AM
- 1,092 views
Gamers Take Heart: Cyberball game Helps Researchers Study Oxytocin Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders
by Kelly Grooms in Promega Connections
I confess I don’t play video games. My friends do, my husband does, but to me they always seemed a colossal waste of time. Time I could spend reading, or writing, or cornering the dust bunnies under the bed and tossing them out to fend for themselves. So when I started reading a paper about [...]... Read more »
Andari E, Duhamel JR, Zalla T, Herbrecht E, Leboyer M, & Sirigu A. (2010) Promoting social behavior with oxytocin in high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(9), 4389-94. PMID: 20160081
- April 13, 2011
- 10:55 AM
- 1,067 views
Enhancing Mood and Performance with Distraction
by Kari Kenefick in Promega Connections
To begin, a reminder that I do not sign your timesheet, nor am I responsible for your pay or promotion. So you may want to discuss these research findings with your supervisor before hitting the play button. That said, have you seen any funny videos lately? Like the “OK, Go” on treadmills video? Or maybe you have [...]... Read more »
Nadler RT, Rabi R, & Minda JP. (2010) Better mood and better performance. Learning rule-described categories is enhanced by positive mood. Psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society / APS, 21(12), 1770-6. PMID: 20974709
- March 8, 2010
- 09:42 AM
- 1,056 views
Finding the Next Generation of Antibiotics
by Sara Klink in Promega Connections
Mention the word penicillin and it conjures up images of mold growing on bacterial culture plates and Dr. Alexander Fleming observing that the mold had killed the surrounding bacteria, ushering in the age of antibiotics. Bacterial infections could easily be treated with penicillin or any one of the bewildering array of new antibiotics continually being [...]... Read more »
Lincke T, Behnken S, Ishida K, Roth M, & Hertweck C. (2010) Closthioamide: An Unprecedented Polythioamide Antibiotic from the Strictly Anaerobic Bacterium Clostridium cellulolyticum. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 49(11), 2011-2013. PMID: 20157900
- March 11, 2011
- 10:13 AM
- 1,055 views
When Being Dense is Good: Mindfulness, Meditation and Increasing Gray Matter
by Kelly Grooms in Promega Connections
When my my Mother’s sister, Pat, was seven years old, she was in a car-bicycle accident that resulted in some very serious brain trauma. She spent better than a year learning to walk and talk again, and although there were some lasting personality changes, she went on to earn a nursing degree and live an [...]... Read more »
Hölzel BK, Carmody J, Vangel M, Congleton C, Yerramsetti SM, Gard T, & Lazar SW. (2011) Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry research, 191(1), 36-43. PMID: 21071182
- March 4, 2011
- 08:58 AM
- 1,047 views
Chocolate: The Newest Health Food?
by Terri Sundquist in Promega Connections
It seems that everyone is watching their cholesterol levels these days. I probably should too, but I’m just not willing to give up some of my favorite high-fat foods. However, after reading a recent paper in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (1), I might not have to feel so guilty about eating one [...]... Read more »
Yasuda, A., Natsume, M., Osakabe, N., Kawahata, K. and Koga, J. (2011) Cacao Polyphenols Influence the Regulation of Apolipoprotein in HepG2 and Caco2 Cells. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1470-1476. info:/10.1021/jf103820b
- March 9, 2011
- 10:46 AM
- 1,030 views
Just a Spoonful of Honey is Medicine Enough
by Sara Klink in Promega Connections
As we face more challenges when treating and healing humans, revisiting therapies that fell out of favor has become more common. For example, people with open wounds that are not healing receive judicious applications of maggots to remove necrotic tissue and promote healing. Leeches are used for patients after surgery to prevent blood clotting in [...]... Read more »
Kwakman, P., te Velde, A., de Boer, L., Vandenbroucke-Grauls, C., & Zaat, S. (2011) Two Major Medicinal Honeys Have Different Mechanisms of Bactericidal Activity. PLoS ONE, 6(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017709
- March 28, 2011
- 10:57 AM
- 1,007 views
DIY: Build a Baby Who Loves Broccoli
by Caroline Sober in Promega Connections
I’m about six months pregnant with my husband’s and my first child, a wee thing of unknown gender and much kicking that we’ve taken to affectionately calling “The Colonel.” Amid all the voracious reading that modern moms like me seem compelled to do, I was intrigued to see the results of a study from the [...]... Read more »
Todrank J, Heth G, & Restrepo D. (2010) Effects of in utero odorant exposure on neuroanatomical development of the olfactory bulb and odour preferences. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society. PMID: 21123261
- March 1, 2010
- 09:26 AM
- 1,006 views
Curious About Herbal Supplements? Do Your Homework First.
by Terri Sundquist in Promega Connections
A recent article by Roger Byard in the Journal of Forensic Science about the potential forensic significance of herbal medicines (1) caught my attention. I was curious about the phrase “potential forensic significance”; what does that mean exactly? It became clearer to me when I read Byard’s recommendation that “the role of herbal medicines in forensic [...]... Read more »
Roger W. Byard. (2010) A review of potential forensic significance of traditional herbal medicines. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 55(1), 89-92. info:/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01252.x
- April 8, 2011
- 12:25 PM
- 1,004 views
Microbiome Studies: We Are More than the Sum of our Parts
by Isobel in Promega Connections
What if you could help protect yourself from certain diseases by populating your gut with “good” bacteria, or selectively getting rid of “bad” ones? Two news articles suggesting this possibility caught my eye this week. The articles both summarized results from the microbiome project–a research effort geared towards developing a deep understanding of how the [...]... Read more »
Wang, Z., Klipfell, E., Bennett, B., Koeth, R., Levison, B., DuGar, B., Feldstein, A., Britt, E., Fu, X., Chung, Y.... (2011) Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease. Nature, 472(7341), 57-63. DOI: 10.1038/nature09922
- March 30, 2011
- 08:35 AM
- 961 views
Don’t Judge a Cheetah by Its Spots: New Insights into the Genetics and Evolutionary History of African and Asiatic Cheetahs
by Kelly Grooms in Promega Connections
The genetics of wild cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) populations has a special significance for me. In fact, it could be said that the population genetics of cheetahs changed my life. I first learned about the low genetic variability in cheetahs in a darkened lecture hall at Iowa State University in 1988. I was so fascinated by [...]... Read more »
Charruau P, Fernandes C, Orozco-Terwengel P, Peters J, Hunter L, Ziaie H, Jourabchian A, Jowkar H, Schaller G, Ostrowski S.... (2011) Phylogeography, genetic structure and population divergence time of cheetahs in Africa and Asia: evidence for long-term geographic isolates. Molecular ecology, 20(4), 706-24. PMID: 21214655
- April 4, 2011
- 09:14 AM
- 950 views
Virophages: The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend
by Terri Sundquist in Promega Connections
Viruses are small DNA- or RNA-based infectious agents that can replicate only inside living cells of a host organism. Most people know what a virus is, and many of us harbor at least one or two of them at some point during the cold and flu season. However, I would guess that many of us [...]... Read more »
Yau S, Lauro FM, Demaere MZ, Brown MV, Thomas T, Raftery MJ, Andrews-Pfannkoch C, Lewis M, Hoffman JM, Gibson JA.... (2011) Virophage control of antarctic algal host-virus dynamics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. PMID: 21444812
- February 23, 2011
- 01:56 PM
- 935 views
Inherited Gifts May Not Include a Long Life
by Kari Kenefick in Promega Connections
Perhaps we are what we eat, but suddenly we can no longer rely on our parents, that is our genetic makeup, to determine how long we live. At least not according to Swedish researchers who published recently in the Journal of Internal Medicine. To be honest, “suddenly” is a bit of a misnomer; the study from which the [...]... Read more »
Wilhelmsen L, Svärdsudd K, Eriksson H, Rosengren A, Hansson PO, Welin C, Odén A, & Welin L. (2010) Factors associated with reaching 90 years of age: a study of men born in 1913 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Journal of internal medicine. PMID: 21175902
- June 2, 2010
- 11:26 AM
- 917 views
One Ebola Virus Vaccine Offers Protection for Three Viral Species
by Sara Klink in Promega Connections
When I was a graduate student studying HIV-1 encapsidation, I encountered an unusually enthusiastic virologist-to-be. As a prospective graduate researcher in my lab, he described his fascination with the Ebola virus, how he wanted to do research on it, how it affected human beings, and how he desired to be part of a team that [...]... Read more »
Hensley LE, Mulangu S, Asiedu C, Johnson J, Honko AN, Stanley D, Fabozzi G, Nichol ST, Ksiazek TG, Rollin PE.... (2010) Demonstration of cross-protective vaccine immunity against an emerging pathogenic Ebolavirus Species. PLoS pathogens, 6(5). PMID: 20502688
- January 19, 2011
- 09:02 AM
- 917 views
Satellites and Sea Turtles: Can We Save the Last Member of the Genus Dermochelys?
by Kelly Grooms in Promega Connections
Let me start out by saying: I love sea turtles. I can’t explain why, but they fascinate me. I have sweatshirts, bags and artwork with sea turtles on them. I even make jewelry with sea turtle themes. Ask anyone who knows me; I have a thing for sea turtles. So when I came across the [...]... Read more »
Witt MJ, Augowet Bonguno E, Broderick AC, Coyne MS, Formia A, Gibudi A, Mounguengui Mounguengui GA, Moussounda C, Nsafou M, Nougessono S.... (2011) Tracking leatherback turtles from the world's largest rookery: assessing threats across the South Atlantic. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society. PMID: 21208949
- February 8, 2010
- 11:58 AM
- 913 views
Wanted: The Tomb of the Father of Modern Astronomy
by Promega Corporation in Promega Connections
What do Swedish war booty, the Frombork Cathedral in Poland, and Napoleon all have in common? Answer: Nicholaus Copernicus. While much is known about the cleric and astronomer, the location of his burial site and the identity of his possible remains were cloaked in mystery. Over the last 200 years, many have searched for Copernicus’s [...]... Read more »
Bogdanowicz W, Allen M, Branicki W, Lembring M, Gajewska M, & Kupiec T. (2009) Genetic identification of putative remains of the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(30), 12279-82. PMID: 19584252
- February 19, 2010
- 10:20 AM
- 909 views
Worms with the Guts to Play Games of Chance: Stochastic Effects and Binary Output in Gene Expression
by Promega Corporation in Promega Connections
How do you explain the phenomenon of incomplete penetrance, which happens when individuals carrying an allele for a given phenotype don’t always express the phenotype? For instance, individuals carrying the same mutation associated with a genetic disease do not always develop that disease.
Sometimes environment influences gene expression and plays a role, or other genetic differences [...]... Read more »
Raj, A., Rifkin, S., Andersen, E., & van Oudenaarden, A. (2010) Variability in gene expression underlies incomplete penetrance. Nature, 463(7283), 913-918. DOI: 10.1038/nature08781
Raj A, van den Bogaard P, Rifkin SA, van Oudenaarden A, & Tyagi S. (2008) Imaging individual mRNA molecules using multiple singly labeled probes. Nature methods, 5(10), 877-9. PMID: 18806792
- February 5, 2010
- 10:36 AM
- 904 views
Yasuní: An Ecological Paradise That Exceeds All Superlatives
by Promega Corporation in Promega Connections
Traveling to the rain forests on the eastern side of Ecuador from the capital Quito is an adventure to be savored. Even on a good day the entire journey takes a few hours to complete. En route one experiences a notable shift in climate from the cool temperatures of the Andean cordillera to the humid and [...]... Read more »
Bass MS, Finer M, Jenkins CN, Kreft H, Cisneros-Heredia DF, McCracken SF, Pitman NC, English PH, Swing K, Villa G.... (2010) Global conservation significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park. PloS one, 5(1). PMID: 20098736
- April 28, 2010
- 09:39 AM
- 904 views
6X His Protein Pulldowns: An Alternative to GST
by gkobs in Promega Connections
Pull-down assays probe interactions between a protein of interest that is expressed as fusion protein (e.g., (e.g., bait) and the potential interacting partners (prey). In a pull-down assay one protein partner is expressed as a fusion protein (e.g., bait protein) in E. coli and then immobilized using an affinity ligand specific for the fusion tag. [...]... Read more »
Tonhosolo R, D'Alexandri FL, de Rosso VV, Gazarini ML, Matsumura MY, Peres VJ, Merino EF, Carlton JM, Wunderlich G, Mercadante AZ.... (2009) Carotenoid biosynthesis in intraerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum. The Journal of biological chemistry, 284(15), 9974-85. PMID: 19203994
Dennis MD, Person MD, & Browning KS. (2009) Phosphorylation of plant translation initiation factors by CK2 enhances the in vitro interaction of multifactor complex components. The Journal of biological chemistry, 284(31), 20615-28. PMID: 19509420
Ahmed NT, Gao C, Lucker BF, Cole DG, & Mitchell DR. (2008) ODA16 aids axonemal outer row dynein assembly through an interaction with the intraflagellar transport machinery. The Journal of cell biology, 183(2), 313-22. PMID: 18852297
Gembka A, Toueille M, Smirnova E, Poltz R, Ferrari E, Villani G, & Hübscher U. (2007) The checkpoint clamp, Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 complex, preferentially stimulates the activity of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 and DNA polymerase beta in long patch base excision repair. Nucleic acids research, 35(8), 2596-608. PMID: 17426133
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