PLoS Biology : Publishing science, accelerating research A Peer-Reviewed, Open Access Journal Current Issue PLOS Biology is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal featuring research articles of exceptional significance in all areas of biological science, from molecules to ecosystems. The Control of the Cell Cycle What happens when a cell dies inside the body and how does the body know when to make new cells? The cell cycle is the series of events that take place as new cells grow and divide. In average this process takes about 24 hours for cells in mammals. This game is rather easy to complete if you are familiar with the different phases in the cell cycle. If you're not, pay extra attention to the image of the cell cycle in the introduction. As "Cell Division Supervisor" inside the cell nucleus, your job is to control cell division to make sure each stage of the cell cycle occurs in the correct order. Play the Control of the Cell Cycle Game Known problems: The text in the information doesn't render nicely. Help Do you need help with how to play the game? About the game The game is about the different phases in ordinary cell division, mitosis. The Nobel Prize The 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for discoveries concerning the control of the cell cycle.
Microscope Imaging Station. Stem Cells: Cells with Potential. What are stem cells? Your body contains over 200 types of cells, each with a specific job: blood cells carry oxygen; muscle cells contract so that you can move; nerve cells transmit chemical signals. The job of a stem cell is to make new cells. It does this by undergoing an amazing process—differentiating, or changing into another type of cell. Each time a stem cell divides, one of the new cells might remain a stem cell while the other turns into a heart, blood, brain, or other type of cell. Stem cells are the source, or “stem,” for all of the specialized cells that form our organs and tissues. Next: Why invest so much in studying stem cells? Scientists observe single gene activity in living cells in detail for first time Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time observed the activity of a single gene in living cells. In an unprecedented study, published in the April 22 online edition of Science, Einstein scientists were able to follow, in real time, the process of gene transcription, which occurs when a gene converts its DNA information into molecules of messenger RNA (mRNA) that go on to make the protein coded by the gene. Robert Singer, Ph.D., co-director of the Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center at Einstein and professor and co-chair of anatomy and structural biology, is senior author of the paper. The study's lead author is Daniel Larson, Ph.D., previously a member of Dr. Using florescent proteins, the researchers were able to follow mRNA activity by inserting DNA sequences into a gene in live yeast cells. This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Cell Models For life all cells have basic needs. Cells have diverged in their structure and function to accommodate these survival requirements. Here are some KEY TERMS to help you think, explore and search for similarities and significant differences that have become the characteristics of eukaryote (animal, plant) and prokaryotic (bacteria) cells. Examples might be searching: eukaryote prokaryote reproduction or animal plant cell energy. Reproduction / cell division Energy trapping, storage and consumption Form / shape / structure Cell specialization Compartmentalization of cell functions Communication within and beyond the cell Cell / organism survival Play CellCraft Check your security settings Connection issues are typically caused by security settings on your network or computer. Check that your firewall or router has port 5222 open and allowing traffic. If you are on a school or office network, you may need to contact your network administrator to make the necessary changes. Is your version of Flash current? Ad blockers and browser plug ins Ad blocker programs like AdBlock Plus, proxy software and a variety of other browser add-ons can prevent users from connecting to chat. Try again in a few minutes Sometimes the internet is just not happy. Did you lose an achievement? loading
DAVID: Gene Functional Classification What does this tool do? Quickly translate given gene IDs to corresponding gene names in a batch way Provide links for each genes to DAVID Gene Report for in-depth information Search functionally related genes within user's input gene list or genome Key Concepts of "Search Related Genes" Any given gene is associating with a set of annotation terms. If genes share similar set of those terms (annotation profile), they are most likely involved in similar biological mechanisms. Find Related Genes Tool is very different and complementary to the common gene clustering methods, such as homologous genes based on sequence similarity; protein families based on one common biological activity.
How Water Shapes DNA Water molecules surround the genetic material DNA in a very specific way. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have discovered that, on the one hand, the texture of this hydration shell depends on the water content and, on the other hand, actually influences the structure of the genetic substance itself. These findings are not only important in understanding the biological function of DNA; they could also be used for the construction of new DNA-based materials. The DNA's double helix never occurs in isolation; instead, its entire surface is always covered by water molecules which attach themselves with the help of hydrogen bonds. "We've been able to verify that some of the water is bound stronger whereas other molecules are less so," notes Dr. Analyses of the genetic material were conducted at the HZDR by the doctoral candidate Hassan Khesbak. Oscillations of the water bonds in the hydration shell of the double helix can be excited by infrared light.