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Health: Illuminating a parasite invasion

Illuminating a parasite invasion

Mosquitoes carry and transmit the apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium, causing malaria in humans. Apicomplexan parasites use a complex made of the AMA1 and RON2 proteins (inset) to invade host cells undetected. Source: Tonkin et al., 2011

The human body is a perfect home for many parasites that seek out the nutrient-rich shelter of a host, with the invader playing a game of hide and seek with the host's immune system until they can find the cells that are just right for the parasite to occupy, eventually causing sickness. Some of the nastiest parasites with respect to human health are known as apicomplexans. Of these, the most notorious are the malaria-causing Plasmodium and Toxoplasma gondii, which is responsible for toxoplasmosis. University of Victoria professor Martin Boulanger has been using the Canadian Light Source to unlock the detailed mechanisms of how Toxoplasma parasites gain access to the hospitable environment within a host's cells. The findings of their collaborative work with the Lebrun lab in France and published in Science, could lead to new treatments for toxoplasmosis, malaria and numerous other diseases caused by apicomplexans.

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Health: Shedding light on breast cancer's family roots

Shedding light on breast cancer's family roots

It is estimated that over 23,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in Canada in 2011. A minority, but growing, number of cases will be classified as early onset breast cancer - an aggressive form of the disease that strikes women in their late twenties or early thirties. University of Alberta researcher Mark Glover and his research group are using the Canadian Light Source to unravel how changes in a gene called BRCA1 lead to breast cancer. The research could lead to better genetic tests to diagnose the condition and even treat the disease and other forms of cancer.

Reference: N. Coquelle, R. Green and J.N.M. Glover. Impact of BRCA1 BRCT Domain Missense Substitutions on Phosphopeptide Recognition. Biochemistry, 2011, 50. DOI: 10.1021/bi2003795

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Materials: Spotting graphene's speed bumps

X-ray microscopic image of graphene taken at the CLS

X-ray microscopic image of graphene taken at the CLS. The red regions depict folds in graphene, whereas the green regions are relatively flat domains. The "hills and valleys" can act as speed bumps preventing the flow of charge through graphene. An all green topography would be preferred for high-performance electronics.

No two-dimensional material has piqued as much scientific interest as graphene, the subject of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Hailed as a miracle material, graphene is a molecular sheet composed of a single layer of carbon atoms. It is noted for its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and its seemingly endless applications from ultrafast electronics to flexible solar panels. Subtle imperfections, however, can drastically mute graphene's prized properties. Dr. Sarbajit Banerjee and his research team at the University at Buffalo are using the Canadian Light Source to hone in on graphene's topography, producing for the first time images of the folds and ripples in the electron cloud that surround the nanomaterial and affect its conductivity.

Reference: Schultz, B.J. et al., Imaging local electronic corrugations and doped regions in graphene. 2011. Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1376

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Environment: Keeping Tabs on Selenium

The spectra for the different speciation of selenium as determined using X-ray

The spectra for the different speciation of selenium as determined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Source: Phibbs et al. 2011.

 

The question of whether or not a chemical in the environment is harmful is often hard to answer, particularly if the effects of that chemical vary depending on its chemical form - its speciation or oxidation state. Such is the case with selenium, an element that occurs naturally in varying concentrations, but has recently been observed to be on the increase in effluents from mining and milling operations. While not a serious concern for humans, fish and birds are known to be more sensitive to elevated concentrations of selenium. Researchers have teamed up with industry in an effort to look at how selenium accumulates in aquatic food chains downstream from mining operations, including analyses of selenium chemistry using the Canadian Light Source.

Reference: Phibbs, J. et al., Selenium Uptake and Speciation in Wild and Caged Fish Downstream of a Metal Mining and Milling Discharge. 2011. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, DOI:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2011.02.020
Martin, A.J. et al., 2011. Biogeochemical Mechanisms of Selenium Exchange between Water and Sediments in Two Contrasting Lentic Environments. Environmental Science & Technology 45 (7), pp.2605-2612 DOI: 10.1021/es103604p

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Health: Lighting up a protein called Spy

Lighting up a protein called Spy

Molecular model of the Spy protein. Spy's cradle shape may be the key to its ability to help fold and protect other proteins. (Courtesy of S. Quan, University of Michigan/HHMI).

James Bond frequently has to undertake spectacular feats to protect Queen and country against utter destruction under insurmountable odds. But what happens when the homeland is a bacterial cell, and the danger comes from the insurmountable odds of making large amounts of a complex molecule? You call in a sleeper agent - a protein called Spy.

Reference: Quan et al. 2011. Genetic selection designed to stabilize proteins uncovers a chaperone called Spy. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2016.

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Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:56