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Protein Linked to Sex Differences in Age-Related Neuron Loss
It is not every day that scientists come across a phenomenon so fundamental that it is observed across fruit flies, rodents and humans.
In a paper published today in Aging Cell, neuroscientists from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences discovered that a single protein a glutamate transporter on the membrane of vesicles that carry dopamine in neurons is key to regulating sex differences in the brain’s vulnerability to age-related neuron loss.
The protein named VGLUT was more abundant in dopamine neurons of female fruit flies, rodents and human beings than in males, correlating with females’ greater resilience to age-related neuron loss and mobility deficiencies, the researchers found. Excitingly, genetically reducing VGLUT levels in female flies diminished their protection from neurodegeneration associated with aging, suggesting that VGLUT could be a new target for prolonging dopamin
COVID mutants multiply as scientists race to decode variations
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April 4, 2021
When Bette Korber, a biologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, spotted the first significant mutation in the COVID-19 virus last spring, some scientists were skeptical. They didn’t believe it would make the virus more contagious and said its rapid rise might just be coincidence.
Now, 11 months later, the D614G mutation she helped discover is ubiquitous worldwide, featured in the genomes of fast-spreading variants from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil. Meanwhile, new mutations are popping up in increasingly complicated patterns, spurring a drive by top biologists to devise new ways to track a fire hose of incoming genomic data.
Covid Mutants Multiply As Scientists Race To Track Shape-Shifting Virus Covid Mutants Multiply As Scientists Race To Track Shape-Shifting Virus The flood of new genome data is so great that the Los Alamos lab had to upgrade its servers to deal with the incoming data.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus could settle down and become a mere nuisance like the common cold. (File)
Highlights
Top biologists are devising new ways to track incoming genomic data
The HIV virus is notorious for its rapid mutation rate
When Bette Korber, a biologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, spotted the first significant mutation in the Covid-19 virus last spring, some scientists were skeptical. They didn t believe it would make the virus more contagious and said its rapid rise might just be coincidence.
(April 5): When Bette Korber, a biologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, spotted the first significant mutation in the Covid-19 virus last spring, some scientists were sceptical. They didn’t believe it would make the virus more contagious and said its rapid rise might just be coincidence.
Now, 11 months later, the D614G mutation she helped discover is ubiquitous worldwide, featured in the genomes of fast-spreading variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil. Meanwhile, new mutations are popping up in increasingly complicated patterns, spurring a drive by top biologists to devise new ways to track a fire hose of incoming genomic data.
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