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JanuaryPeptides from amphibian skins - by Pier Carlo Montecucchi - Montegen (Italy -- U.S.A.) Presentation of the peptides isolated from amphibian skins. This work has been made under the supervision of prof. Vittorio Erspamer and with the collaboration of Ada Anastasi, Roberto de Castiglione, Luigia Gozzini and Agnes Edman Henschen.
February
The genotype editing Gene, Genetic material, Genome, Codome, Editome The term "Regdome" (introduced by John Edser) will be discussed. Reference:
Scientific misconduct - The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) at http://ori.dhhs.gov/
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) promotes integrity in biomedical and behavioral research supported by the U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) at about 4,000 institutions worldwide. ORI monitors institutional investigations
of research misconduct and facilitates the responsible conduct of research (RCR) through educational, preventive, and regulatory activities. Recently, Barbara A. Mikulski has published a letter on Nature about the problem of
science and censorship. "Government scientists must be able to research and report their findings to the public without fear of censorship or intimidation. We need honest results from our science agencies that we can count on.
And taxpayers have the right to know the facts" ["Scientists must be able to report without censorship" on Nature 440 , 408 (March 23, 2006)] Urine proteomics -
Identification of protein peaks in urine samples from humans affected by bladder cancer. Their relationships with the different stages of the disease.
My experience in the purification of a factor that should correspond to the physiological LH release-inhibiting factor (LHRIF) - by Pier Carlo Montecucchi, MONTEGEN (Italy - U.S.A.). It is reported m y experience in the purification of a factor of peptidic nature (extracted from rat hypothalamus) that suppresses GnRH-stimulated LH release from dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells. This factor should correspond to the physiological LH release-inhibiting factor (LHRIF)
May
The technology transfer process and the mechanism of the induced fit The term "induced fit" was coined by Dan Koshland (Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.) for the conformational change of the
three-dimensional structure of an enzyme. This term is now used in the technology transfer process during the coupling step between the requested technology ("demand") and the offer. Protein tomography
- Tomograms of proteins (Ref. Sidec
Animal models to test new pharmaceutical compounds (with reference in particular to theirr toxicity): the role of toxicogenomics / pharmacogenomics Reference: C. Reiss "TGN1412: l'industria farmaceutica controllata dai topi" - ( http://antidote-europe.org ) Biologi Italiani vol. XXXVI (5), 5 (2006)
The gene HAR1F and the evolution of the human brain Scientists believe they have found a key gene that helped the human brain evolve from our chimp-like ancestors. The gene HAR1F is a RNA gene; it does not code for proteins that then carry out a particular function in the body, rather it produces roduce a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule that guides the production of proteins by other genes. It is part of a human accelerated region (HAR) of the human genome. The HAR can provide new candidates in the search for uniquely human biology. The gene HAR1F is located on the long arm of chromosome 20 and the RNA product is expressed in Cajal-Retzius
cells, where it colocalizes with the protein reelin (a product of Cajal–Retzius neurons that is of fundamental importance in specifying the six-layer structure of the human cortex). HAR1F is active in the developing human
brain between the 7th and 18th gestational weeks, a crucial period for cortical neuron specification and migration.
The gene shuts down at 19 weeks. It is found in the dorsal telencephalon in fetuses. In adult humans, it is found throughout the cerebellum and forebrain; it is also found in the testes. The function of HAR1F is unknown. The
evidence is very suggestive that this gene is important in the development of the cerebral cortex, and that's exciting
because the human cortex is three times as large as it was in our predecessors, as said by one of the authors, dr. David Haussler (University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A.).
The developmental and evolutionary mechanisms behind the emergence of human-specific brain features remain largely unknown. However, the recent ability to compare our genome to that of our closest relative, the chimpanzee,
provides new avenues to link genetic and phenotypic changes in the evolution of the human brain. We devised a ranking of regions in the human genome that show significant evolutionary acceleration. HAR1R is found (and conserved) in chickens and chimpanzees but is not present in fish. frogs on animals without backbones that have been studied. There are 18 base pair mutations different between humans and chimpanzees, far more than expected by its history of conservation. The gene, called HAR1F, may provide an important answer to the question: "What makes humans brainier than
other primates?" Human brains are triple the size of chimp brains. It appears to have a role in a rapid tripling of the size of the brain's crucial cerebral cortex The questions
(i) how the gene changed so fast (ii) and that related to its involvement with the cerebral cortex (that is connected to other complex brain functions, as language and information processing)
are still open, as reported by Andrew Clark (Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.) References:
"An RNA gene expressed during cortical development evolved rapidly in humans" by Katherine S. Pollard et al Nature online (doi:10.1038/nature05113), August 16, 2006
"Homing in on the genes for humanity" by Kerri Smith on Nature 442, 725 (2006) "US scientists find gene that helped human brain evolve from apes" Associated Press smc 17/08/06
September Integrated business solutions for the technology transfer in the biotech industry sector MONTEGEN, as business interpreter, is a private agile enterprise that provides integrated business solutions in the biotech industry sector. We act as business integrators for our clients and Montegen represents a bio-business solutions interface between the target enterprise and its business ecosystem. Innovative aspect : If a client requires our assistance for a business development based on a technology transfer (TT) process, our goal is to offering products & technologies tailored exactly to the customer's needs, anticipating his emerging problems and acting as "interpreters and integrators" for his business. This catalytic action , based on a reverse engineering process, is focused on (i) analyzing the competitive market strategy of the client's firm (including its innovative policy) , (ii) on searching for product, processes or services to purchase, licensing or lease that can fit with the client' requests, (iii) on transferring the knowledge matching the customer's needs and (iv) on its integration into the core business, through an intelligence interpretation process ( "The A.S.T.I. Strategy Cycle" of the technology interpreter). The A.S.T.I. strategy includes a "mission back" approach to improve integration, innovation and performance of the targeted activities / processes and to measure success or failure. We act as "Business Interpreters and Business Integrators" more than as "Technology brokers".Main advantages: In the technology transfer process, the MONTEGEN's team acts as a business integrator for the clients. MONTEGEN represents a bio-business solutions interface between the target enterprise and its business ecosystem
The information as external force for an economic system "Information is identified as an external force that contributes to the transformation processes that occur within an
economic system" E. Ortega Ref.: E. Ortega - "What is Info" - Biologi Italiani - July 2006, 47 - 51
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