| Journal of Biology - Latest Articles |
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The latest research articles published by Journal of Biology
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Endothelial adherens junctions and the actin cytoskeleton: an 'infinity net'?
04/07/2010 08:00 PM
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A recent paper in BMC Biology reports that actin stress fibers in adjacent cultured endothelial cells are linked through adherens junctions. This organization might provide a super-cellular network that could enable coordinated signaling and structural responses in endothelia.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/11
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Robust and specific inhibition of microRNAs in Caenorhabditis elegans
03/31/2010 08:00 PM
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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of numerous target genes. Yet, while hundreds of miRNAs have been identified, little is known about their functions. In a recent report published in Silence, Zheng and colleagues demonstrate a technique for robust and specific knockdown of miRNA expression in Caenorhabditis elegans using modified antisense oligonucleotides, which could be utilized as a powerful tool for the study of regulation and function of miRNAs in vivo.See research article http://www.silencejournal.com/content/1/1/9
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Genome of a songbird unveiled
03/31/2010 08:00 PM
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An international collaborative effort has recently uncovered the genome of the zebra finch, a songbird model that has provided unique insights into an array of biological phenomena.See research articles http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/9/131, http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/11/220/, http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/11/46/ and http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/28/
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The mathematics of sexual attraction
03/28/2010 08:00 PM
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Pollen tubes follow attractants secreted by the ovules. In a recent paper in BMC Plant Biology, Stewman and colleagues have quantified the parameters of this attraction and used them to calibrate a mathematical model that reproduces the process and enables predictions on the nature of the female attractant and the mechanisms of the male response.See research article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2229/10/32
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Evolution underground: shedding light on the diversification of subterranean insects
03/10/2010 07:00 PM
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A recent study in BMC Evolutionary Biology has reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of a large Mediterranean cave-dwelling beetle clade, revealing an ancient origin and strong geographic structuring. It seems likely that diversification of this clade in the Oligocene was seeded by an ancestor already adapted to subterranean life.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/29
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Scale-eating cichlids: from hand(ed) to mouth
02/23/2010 07:00 PM
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Two recent studies in BMC Biology and Evolution raise important questions about a textbook case of frequency-dependent selection in scale-eating cichlid fishes. They also suggest a fascinating new line of research testing the effects of handed behavior on morphological asymmetry.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/8.
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Top dogs: wolf domestication and wealth
02/23/2010 07:00 PM
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A phylogeographic analysis of gene sequences important in determining body size in dogs, recently published in BMC Biology, traces the appearance of small body size to the Neolithic Middle East. This finding strengthens the association of this event with the development of sedentary societies, and perhaps even has implications for the inception of human social inequality.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/16/
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No better time to FRET: shedding light on host pathogen interactions
02/17/2010 07:00 PM
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Understanding the spatio-temporal subversion of host cell signaling by bacterial virulence factors is key to combating infectious diseases. Following a recent study by Buntru and co-workers published in BMC Biology, we review how fluorescence (Forster) resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been applied to studying host-pathogen interactions and consider the prospects for its future application.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/81.
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Making progress in genetic kin recognition among vertebrates
02/16/2010 07:00 PM
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A recent study in BMC Evolutionary Biology has shown that genetically similar individual ring-tailed lemurs are also more similar in their scent composition, suggesting a possible mechanism of kin recognition. Theoretical and experimental studies reveal challenges ahead in achieving a true systems-level understanding of this process and its outcomes.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/9/281.
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Acoel and platyhelminth models for stem-cell research
02/15/2010 07:00 PM
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Acoel and platyhelminth worms are particularly attractive invertebrate models for stem-cell research because their bodies are continually renewed from large pools of somatic stem cells. Several recent studies, including one in BMC Developmental Biology, are beginning to reveal the cellular dynamics and molecular basis of stem-cell function in these animals.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-213X/9/69.
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