Press Releases
Researchers observe spontaneous 'ratcheting' of single ribosome molecules (6/5/08) Researchers at the University of Illinois report this week that they are the first to observe the dynamic, ratchet-like movements of single ribosomal molecules in the act of building proteins from genetic blueprints.
Their study, published in the journal Molecular Cell, reveals a key mechanism in the interplay of molecules that allows cells to build the proteins needed to sustain life.
Two University of Illinois researchers named HHMI investigators (5/27/08) Two University of Illinois researchers, Phillip A. Newmark, a professor of cell and developmental biology, and Wilfred A. van der Donk, the William H. and Janet Lycan professor of chemistry, have been named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators.
Newmark and van der Donk are among 56 biomedical scientists chosen from among 1,070 applications submitted in a nationwide competition. The 2008 investigators were selected for their ability to bring “new and innovative ways of thinking about biology to the HHMI community,” said Thomas R. Cech, the president of the institute.
Novel Toxin Receptor Discovered for Ulcer-Causing Stomach Pathogen (5/22/08) Helicobacter pylori is one tough bug. It can survive in the human stomach, a zone with a pH somewhere between that of lemon juice and battery acid. Now researchers have discovered how an H. pylori toxin gets into cells, a feat that helps the bacterium live in one of the most inhospitable environments in the body.
First draft of transgenic papaya genome yields many fruits (4/23/08) A broad collaboration of research institutions in the U.S. and China has produced a first draft of the papaya genome. This draft, which spells out more than 90 percent of the plant’s gene coding sequence, sheds new light on the evolution of flowering plants. And because it involves a genetically modified plant, the newly sequenced papaya genome offers the most detailed picture yet of the genetic changes that make the plant resistant to the papaya ringspot virus.
Insects take a bigger bite out of plants in a higher CO2 atmosphere (3/25/08)
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are rising at an alarming rate, and new research at Illinois indicates that soybean plant defenses go down as CO2 goes up. Elevated CO2 impairs a key component of the plant's defenses against leaf-eating insects, according to the report.
Politics and biology to be subject of two-day conference at Illinois (2/27/08) Biology and politics may seem like strange bedfellows, especially in higher education, but for a growing number of social and natural scientists on college campuses across the country, the intersection of these disciplines offers intriguing potential for scholarly inquiry.
That intersection is the basis for an upcoming conference to be held March 7-8 at the University of Illinois’ Institute for Genomic Biology, 1206 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana.
Honey bee invaders exploit the genetic resources of their predecessors (2/25/08) Like any species that aspires to rule the world, the honey bee, Apis mellifera, invades new territories in repeated assaults. A new study demonstrates that when these honey bees arrive in a place that has already been invaded, the newcomers benefit from the genetic endowment of their predecessors.
The findings appear this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers, University of Illinois entomology professor Charles Whitfield and postdoctoral researcher Amro Zayed, analyzed specific markers of change in the genes of honey bees in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. They also focused on geographic regions – such as Brazil in South America – where multiple honey bee invasions had occurred.
Hot springs microbes hold key to dating sedimentary rocks, researchers say (1/22/08) Scientists studying microbial communities and the growth of sedimentary rock at
Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park have made a surprising
discovery about the geological record of life and the environment.
Their discovery could affect how certain sequences of sedimentary rock are dated, and how scientists might search for evidence of life on other planets.
“We found microbes change the rate at which calcium carbonate precipitates, and that rate controls the chemistry and shape of calcium carbonate crystals,” said Bruce Fouke, a professor of geology and of molecular and cellular biology at the University of Illinois.
Team finds an economical way to boost the vitamin A content of maize (1/17/08) A team of plant geneticists and crop scientists has pioneered an economical approach to the selective breeding of maize that can boost levels of provitamin A, the precursors that are converted to vitamin A upon consumption. This innovation could help to enhance the nutritional status of millions of people in the developing world.
Illinois Professor Named to Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (PDF) Champaign, Ill., January 10, 2008 – Animal geneticist Harris Lewin, the director of the Institute for Genomic Biology and a professor and Gutgsell Endowed Chair in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, has been elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry. He was the only American in a group of seven new foreign members elected during an annual meeting in late December.
The key to unlocking the secret of highly specific DNAzyme catalysis (11/12/07) Using an extremely sensitive measurement technique, researchers at the University of Illinois have found clear evidence that a lead-specific DNAzyme uses the “lock and key” reaction mechanism. In the presence of zinc or magnesium, however, the same DNAzyme uses the “induced fit” reaction mechanism, similar to that used by ribozymes.
“The lock and key mechanism explains why this particular lead-specific DNAzyme makes such a sensitive and selective sensor,” said U. of I.chemistry professor Yi Lu, a corresponding author of a paper accepted for publication in Nature Chemical Biology, and posted on the journal’s Web site.
Researchers successfully simulate photosynthesis and design a better leaf (11/9/07) University of Illinois researchers have built a better plant, one that produces
more leaves and fruit without needing extra fertilizer. The researchers
accomplished the feat using a computer model that mimics the process of
evolution. Theirs is the first model to simulate every step of the
photosynthetic process.
The research findings appear in the October issue of Plant Physiology, and will be presented today at the BIO-Asia 2007 Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
New force-fluorescence device measures motion previously undetectable (10/11/07) A hybrid device combining force and fluorescence developed by researchers at the University of Illinois has made possible the accurate detection of nanometer-scale motion of biomolecules caused by pico-newton forces.
“By combining single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer and an optical trap, we now have a technique that can detect subtle conformational changes of a biomolecule at an extremely low applied force,” said U. of I. physics professor Taekjip Ha, the corresponding author of a paper to appear in the Oct. 12 issue of the journal Science.
Wanted: Citizen scientists to help track wild bees in Illinois (10/2/07) Honey bee colonies are in decline in many states, but little is known about their wild cousins, the bumble bees, or, for that matter, honey bees living on their own in the wild without beekeepers. A new initiative from the University of Illinois seeks to build a better record of honey bee and bumble bee abundance and distribution in Illinois by recruiting citizen scientists to report on wild bees seen anywhere in the state.
Census of protein architectures offers new view of history of life (10/1/07) The present can tell you a lot about the past, but you need to know where to look. A new study appearing this month in Genome Research reveals that protein architectures – the three-dimensional structures of specific regions within proteins – provide an extraordinary window on the history of life.
Four named to Swanlund Chairs, university's premier endowed recognition (9/26/07) Four professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been named Swanlund Chairs, the highest endowed titles at the university.
The new Swanlund Chairs are Tamer Basar, electrical and computer engineering; Nigel D. Goldenfeld, physics; Arthur F. Kramer, psychology; and Gene E. Robinson, entomology.
Researchers set new record for brightness of quantum dots (9/25/07) By placing quantum dots on a specially designed photonic crystal, researchers at the University of Illinois have demonstrated enhanced fluorescence intensity by a factor of up to 108. Potential applications include high-brightness light-emitting diodes, optical switches and personalized, high-sensitivity biosensors.
Illinois professor to receive NIH New Innovator Award (9/18/07) Ryan C. Bailey, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois, has been named a recipient of the 2007 National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award. The award recognizes bold ideas from some of the nation’s most innovative new scientists.
How drones find queens: Odorant receptor for queen pheromone identified (8/30/07) The mating ritual of the honey bee is a mysterious affair, occurring at dizzying heights in zones identifiable only to a queen and the horde of drones that court her. Now a research team led by the University of Illinois has identified an odorant receptor that allows male drones to find a queen in flight. The receptor, on the male antennae, can detect an available queen up to 60 meters away.
Microfluidic chambers advance the science of growing neurons (8/30/07) Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a method for culturing mammalian neurons in chambers not much larger than the neurons themselves. The new approach extends the lifespan of the neurons at very low densities, an essential step toward developing a method for studying the growth and behavior of individual brain cells.
Hepatitis C helicase unwinds DNA in a spring-loaded, 3-step process (7/26/07) The process by which genes are duplicated is mysterious and complex, involving a cast of characters with diverse talents and the ability to play well with others in extremely close quarters. A key player on this stage is an enzyme called a helicase. Its job is to unwind the tightly coiled chain of nucleic acids – the DNA or RNA molecule that spells out the organism’s genetic code – so that another enzyme, a polymerase, can faithfully copy each nucleotide in the code.
