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Scientists solve genome of marine organism producing promising disease-fighting agents |
| TheAllINeed.com |
(NC&T/UCSD) Scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have solved the genomic puzzle of an organism discovered in the oceans with potential for producing compounds showing promise in treating diseases such as cancer.
Daniel Udwary and Bradley Moore joined colleagues at Scripps and the Department of Energy's (DOE) Joint Genome Institute in successfully sequencing the genome of Salinispora tropica. The decoding opens the door to a range of possibilities for isolating and adapting potent molecules the marine organism naturally employs in the ocean environment for chemical defense, scavenging for nutrients and communication.
The results were released this week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Salinispora was discovered in 1991 by Scripps Oceanography's Paul Jensen and William Fenical in shallow ocean sediment off the Bahamas. The bacterium produces compounds that have shown promising signs for treating cancers. Its product, "salinosporamide A," is currently in human clinical trials (Nereus Pharmaceuticals of San Diego) for treating multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells in bone marrow, as well as for treating solid tumors.
"By sequencing Salinispora tropica we are now able to look in greater detail at this organism and potentially pull out some of the other compounds from the gene clusters that may make highly potent anticancer agents," said Moore, a professor with Scripps' Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine and the UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "It's exciting to be able to use this genomic information to maximize the discoveries from this prolific organism."
 | | Salinispora Tropica. (Photo: UCSD) |
Much of the anticipation of producing new medicines from Salinispora comes from its potential to augment the current arsenal of antibiotics, many of which are ineffective against increasingly drug-resistant bacteria. More than half of the natural antibiotics now used clinically are derived from the Streptomyces genus, the land-based relatives of Salinispora that are considered the kings of antibiotic-producing organisms.
Having achieved genome sequencing success, Moore and his colleagues can now move into genetic engineering research, such as manipulating the machinery inside the bacterium to potentially yield new derivatives of compounds such as salinosporamide A. Other possibilities include using the information to increase compound manufacturing capabilities and generating new structures based on genomic designs.
"With the genome information in hand, we now understand the molecular basis for how nature synthesizes (salinosporamide A), which is allowing us to re-engineer its biosynthetic pathway," said Moore.
Sequencing the genome revealed several previously unknown aspects of Salinispora tropica.
For example, while observations in similar bacteria revealed that typically 6- to 8-percent of the organism's genome is dedicated to producing molecules for antibiotics and anticancer agents, Salinispora tropica's genome showed an impressive 10 percent, "to our delight," said Moore.
The scientists pinpointed 17 gene clusters scattered throughout the organism's genome as responsible for producing the 10 percent.
"If we know the genetic roadmap of their potential, we can read the sequence and the DNA to predict what chemicals are being made," said Moore. "This is a way to mine the genomes for new chemical structures and new biology, with potential in a human health context."
Advances by Fenical's laboratory in deciphering the chemical structures of natural Salinispora products were key for Moore and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) in solving the genome structure of Salinispora tropica. Indeed, the traditional "shotgun" approach, in which pieces of the genome are scrambled into small sections and rebuilt, failed to solve the genome puzzle. Instead, information about the natural chemistry of the organism helped close the sequencing gap, believed to be a first.
Current studies are concentrating on solving the genome of Salinispora arenicola, a related species also found in tropical sea sediment.
In addition to Udwary, Moore, Fenical and Jensen, coauthors of the research paper include Lisa Zeigler and Ratnakar Asolkar of Scripps Oceanography and Vasanth Singan and Alla Lapidus of JGI.
The research was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health and JGI.
How to make your home heating and cooling system cost effective? By: Ophelia Smith
Did your heating bill again knock your socks off? Why not mine? I have a 2100 plus square foot house but my heating system costs only $200 per month. As compared to me, your bill may be even more than $500. Why is there such a big difference? Let's know the basics to minimize this intolerable difference.
When it comes to my house, its visage is southern and obtains a good heat in winter seasons which turns into shade in summer. Most importantly, it is earth sheltered and on ground floor it is heated by propane heater. Additionally I have a wood stove for wintry days and even it is used for cooking whenever power is off. Higher altitude of mountainous location gives my home an appreciable air conditioning for free.
Now let's look on possible problems in your house. First of all your house may be in city where it gets little sun heat. Even though your house might be new and expensive but still I think insulation may be poor. Additionally you may have conventional gas heating and electric cooling system, both of which are expensive. In this way your house is sucking some extra money from your pocket. Obviously most of the houses in US are power controlled. So what you should do to save money? Here are three valuable strategies to do it efficiently.
1. Make sure to use less gas and power in extra efficient systems like air conditioners, hot water heaters and thermostats.
2. Insulation makes a big difference. You should try to increase insulation in structures which are not properly insulated. Cover all cabinets and shelves in the wall with doors. Also build a porch to shade the windows which will serve to save your home from hot sun. Investment in new sheet rock and insulation is required only once but your bill will come every month. Surely these are old ideas but we need to bring these ideas back to save some useful money.
3. While building your house you should ensure good science. Many builders avoid learning and doing something new so they use conventional ideas which are surely sucking our resources. Also poor quality systems are embedded in these extra large and too fragile houses. For this you need to learn all the basics so you become able to ask your builder for a higher quality.
Always remember houses built on small footprints have proved more energy efficient. Experiences have proved that smaller houses are cheaper to have proper heating and cooling system. Another way of proper heating and cooling is to stack the floors over each other. This way they work more efficiently and save some extra money. Similarly, earth sheltering is another useful approach. By this approach the under ground temperature remains 55 degree and it requires only a small amount of heating and dehumidifying. However some of these structures my not need any cooling or heating but still best thing about them is storm and fire resistance capability. Another option can be the addition of solar collectors to your yard and house. The idea of fireplace can be excellent in cold climates to have good heating environment in your house.
Does all this sounds good for you? Surely, if we go for good science rather than fashion, valuable money can be saved to invest some where else!
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| Quotes | Heres tae the fool on the hill and his pals that are down in the valley.- Wolfstone, Glass and the Can
He thought the formula for water was H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O (H-to-O).
He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts — for support rather than illumination. — Andrew Lang.
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