2016-05-24 07:14:38
The mother drug
All the information for the cells of an organism to be what they are is found in its DNA, which is identical in all of them. The information to be a pluripotent stem cell is also found in the same DNA that adult cells possess. If we were capable of modifying what information cells “read”, if we were capable of making them “read” one piece of information from their DNA and not another, we could transform any cell in the organism into any other, at will.
At the moment, we are far from achieving this feat, but steps are being taken in this direction. Researchers at the University of Michigan have managed to convert, through treatment with a single drug, embryonic cells called epiblast cells, which are cells that have already begun their journey to become adults, into pluripotent stem cells, that is, primordial stem cells.
More information on Jorge Laborda’s Blog: The mother drug
Sweetness detection to avoid fatness
For several decades now, obesity has become a public health problem. The concentration of glucose in the blood is one of the factors that affects eating behavior. Glucose is capable of being chemically modified, after which it can be attached by covalent bonds to proteins. A very common chemical modification of glucose generates the compound called N-acetylglucosamine, which we will call NAG for short. This chemical derivative of glucose can be part of anatomical structures, such as the skin of shrimps or spider crabs.
Researchers at John Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health in the US have now discovered that NAG is also essential for certain brain cells to detect glucose levels and control eating behavior.
More information on Jorge Laborda’s Blog: Sweetness detection to avoid fatness
Popular works by Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume I. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume II. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume III. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume IV. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume V. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume VI. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume VII. Jorge Laborda
Kilo of Science Volume VIII. Jorge Laborda
Chained circumstances. Ed.Lulu
One moon, one civilization. Why the Moon tells us that we are alone in the Universe
One Moon one civilization why the Moon tells us we are alone in the universe
The intelligence funnel and other essays
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