October 26, 2004
NEW FINDINGS WITH RHO GTPases
Research on a family of enzymes called Rho GTPases has emerged over the past few years as one of the hottest and most promising areas of cell biology. This interest stems from the ability of these enzymes to help regulate a number of activities that are basic to our cells, such as movement, adhesion, changes in cell shape, and the control of genes involved in growth. Although researchers have learned a great deal in general about where these enzymes bind to switch on these processes, they still know little about the precise molecular interactions that are involved. As published online recently in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, a team of NIDCR researchers has filled in some important new molecular details about the structural requirements for these interactions. To read more, click here.
October 21, 2004
NEW COST-ASSESSMENT STUDY
Tooth decay in young children remains a rampant public health problem in the United States. It also remains a largely preventable condition for which early intervention strategies are critical. In the October issue of the journal Pediatrics, NIDCR grantees at the University of North Carolina and colleagues report the results of the first cost-assessment study to evaluate the timing of the initial dental visit for children at high risk for early caries. To read more click here.
October 21, 2004
DISCOVERY OF GENES INVOLVED IN NERVOUS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
As an embryo develops, its peripheral nervous system is seeded from two sources of cells: plate-like thickenings of the ectoderm called cranial ectodermal placodes and the more familiar neural crest. Although researchers have spent years intensively studying neural crest cells, relatively little is known about the formation of placodes. In the October issue of the journal Developmental Biology, NIDCR grantees at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena report the discovery of 52 genes involved in placode development. This paper marks the first array of candidate genes to appear in the scientific literature that are implicated in placode development. To read more, click here.