Bond LSC Research, Page 17 // Bond Life Sciences Center

March 21, 2014

MU researchers find key gene in spinal locomotion, yield insight on paralysis

Samuel Waters and graduate researcher Desiré Buckley review stages of embryonic development. — BLANKENBUEHLER The difference between walking and being paralyzed could be as simple as turning a light switch on and off, a culmination of years of research shows. Recently, University of Missouri Assistant Professor of biology Samuel T. Waters isolated a coding gene…

Feb. 7, 2014

Quicker anthrax detection could save millions of dollars, speed bioterror response

Anthrax bacteria is a rod-shaped culture. Most common forms of transmission are through abrasions in the skin and inhalation. Imagine researchers in hazmat suits moving slowly and deliberately through a lab. One of them holds up a beaker. It’s glowing. This light — or the absence of it — could save millions of dollars…

Feb. 3, 2014

Mind map: Bond LSC research explains how proteins guide migrating neurons

Bond LSC scientist Anand Chandrasekhar studies the zebrafish model to learn how motor neurons develop. These adult zebrafish lay eggs used to gain insight into how motor neurons arrange themselves as embryos grow into adults. Roger Meissen/ Bond LSC Three thousand zebrafish swim circles in tanks located on the ground floor of the Bond Life…

Jan. 16, 2014

Bond LSC team identifies first plant receptor for extracellular ATP

Jeongmin Choi (left), Gary Stacey (center) and Kiwamu Tanaka recently discovered the first plant receptor for extracellular ATP using Arabidopsis plants. Roger Meissen/Bond LSC It’s the genetic equivalent to discovering a new sensory organ in plants. A team at the University of Missouri Bond Life Sciences Center found a key gene that sniffs out extracellular ATP.…

Jan. 13, 2014

Bond LSC researchers search for causes of complex pregnancy disorder

Toshihiko Ezashi (left), Danny Schust (middle), Laura Schulz (middle) and Michael Roberts (right) collaborate on new research to discover the causes of preeclampsia. Roger Meissen/ Bond LSC You can’t see the resemblance, but cells in Michael Roberts’ lab share a family tree with some newborns. Their common genetics may help explain severe, early-onset preeclampsia, an inherited…

Nov. 22, 2013

The sweet path: how scientists try to understand sugar movement in plants

Roots play a key role in regulating where sugar ends up in plants like tomato. Plant scientists are borrowing a tool from medicine to unravel how plants fight off an attack. The Schultz-Appel Chemical Ecology lab used PET scans to decipher how and when a plant uses resources to fight off a disease or insect. Positron…

Nov. 8, 2013

Searching for the gene: MU scientist works to find link to nutrient content of seeds

David Mendoza-Cozatl uses Arabidopsis plants like these as a model to understand how plants transport nutrients from soil to seeds and leaves.Courtesy Randy Mertens/CAFNR Forget fruits and vegetables, seeds provide a critical part of the average person’s diet. From beans to cereal grains, understanding how genes and soil types impact nutrition could one day help…

Sept. 9, 2013

The secret of the legume: Bond Life Sciences Center researchers pinpoint how some plants fix nitrogen while others do not

Yan Liang and Gary Stacey research the symbiosis between legumes, like these soybeans, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria at the Bond Life Sciences Center. A silent partnership exists deep in the roots of legumes. In small, bump-like nodules on roots in crops like soybeans and alfalfa, rhizobia bacteria thrive, receiving food from these plants and, in turn,…

Aug. 16, 2013

MU researchers tackle tough grapevine pest

Division of Plant Sciences and Bond LSC investigators Jack Schultz and Heidi Appel have been awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to unravel the mystery of how an insect pest gets the better of the world’s – and Missouri’s – most valuable fruit crop. Grape phylloxera is an insect that infests grapevine leaves…

July 24, 2013

Bond LSC post doc recognized for his research on novel HIV drug

Lefteris Michailidis received the 2013 Distinguished Dissertation Award for his work to understand EFdA, a new drug that shows promise to treat resistant HIV viruses with fewer side effects. A four-letter drug could be the next generation of AIDS treatment. EFdA, a new anti-viral drug in development, promises HIV treatment that is more effective with…