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Science,
1995]
Programmed cell death (PCD), or apoptosis, is a conserved terminal differentiation program that multicellular organisms have evolved to get rid of cells that are not needed, that are in the way, or that are potentially dangerous. PCD can be equated with cell suicide in the sense that the dying cell plays an active role in promoting its own demise and removal from the organism.
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Curr Biol,
2003]
microRNAs form an abundant class of 21-22 nucleotide, non-coding RNA that is common to diverse species of multicellular life. Although they are currently the subject of intense, directed study, the path toward their discovery has been dominated by chance and serendipity. In this review, I examine how these tiny molecules have risen from genetic obscurity to scientific stardom, and discuss the emerging biological functions of these novel
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Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci,
2015]
The article 'Structure of the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans' (aka 'The mind of a worm') by White et al., published for the first time the complete set of synaptic connections in the nervous system of an animal. The work was carried out as part of a programme to begin to understand how genes determine the structure of a nervous system and how a nervous system creates behaviour. It became a major stimulus to the field of C. elegans research, which has since contributed insights into all areas of biology. Twenty-six years elapsed before developments, notably more powerful computers, made new studies of this kind possible. It is hoped that one day knowledge of synaptic structure, the connectome, together with results of many other investigations, will lead to an understanding of the human brain. This commentary was written to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
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Genetics,
2014]
THE Genetics Society of America's Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is awarded to an individual GSA member for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics. The 2014 recipient is Frederick Ausubel, whose 40-year career has centered on host-microbe interactions and host innate immunity. He is widely recognized as a key scientist responsible for establishing the modern postrecombinant DNA field of host-microbe interactions using simple nonvertebrate hosts. He has used genetic approaches to conduct pioneering work that spawned six related areas of research: the evolution and regulation of Rhizobium genes involved in symbiotic nitrogen fixation; the regulation of Rhizobium genes by two-component regulatory systems involving histidine kinases; the establishment of Arabidopsis thaliana as a worldwide model system; the identification of a large family of plant disease resistance genes; the identification of so-called multi-host bacterial pathogens; and the demonstration that Caenorhabditis elegans has an evolutionarily conserved innate immune system that shares features of both plant and mammalian immunity.
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Nat Rev Genet,
2001]
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is well known to practising biologists as a model organism. Early work with C. elegans is best understood as part of a descriptive tradition in biological practice. Although the resources that have been generated by the C. elegans community have been revolutionary, they were produced by traditional methods and approaches. Here, I review the choice and use of the worm as an experimental organism for genetics and neurobiology that began in the 1960s.
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Carbohydr Res,
2016]
This review discusses the advances in metabolic oligosaccharide engineering (MOE) from 2010 to 2016 with a focus on the structure, preparation, and reactivity of its chemical probes. A brief historical overview of MOE is followed by a comprehensive overview of the chemical probes currently available in the MOE molecular toolbox and the bioconjugation techniques they enable. The final part of the review focusses on the synthesis of a selection of probes and finishes with an outlook on recent and potential upcoming advances in the field of MOE.
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Cell,
2002]
In 1963, Sydney Brenner, one of the founders of molecular biology, had reached an intellectual impasse. He felt that there were few advances left in that field that would have the significance of the discovery of mRNA and the elucidation of the genetic code, both of which he had participated in, and in any case with so many Americans joining in, the chemical details of replication and so forth would all be worked out soon. Brenner thought large thoughts, and the questions that were left seemed too
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Genetics,
2002]
This article marks the 25th anniversary of a paper reporting the first sex-determination mutants to be found in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The isolation of these mutants initiated an extensive analysis of nematode sex determination and dosage compensation, carried out by a number of laboratories over the subsequent decades. As a result, the process of sex determination is now one of the most thoroughly understood parts of C. elegans development, in both genetic and molecular terms. It has also proved to have interesting repercussions on the study of sex determination in other organisms.
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Genetics,
2015]
A little over 50 years ago, Sydney Brenner had the foresight to develop the nematode (round worm) Caenorhabditis elegans as a genetic model for understanding questions of developmental biology and neurobiology. Over time, research on C. elegans has expanded to explore a wealth of diverse areas in modern biology including studies of the basic functions and interactions of eukaryotic cells, host-parasite interactions, and evolution. C. elegans has also become an important organism in which to study processes that go awry in human diseases. This primer introduces the organism and the many features that make it an outstanding experimental system, including its small size, rapid life cycle, transparency, and well-annotated genome. We survey the basic anatomical features, common technical approaches, and important discoveries in C. elegans research. Key to studying C. elegans has been the ability to address biological problems genetically, using both forward and reverse genetics, both at the level of the entire organism and at the level of the single, identified cell. These possibilities make C. elegans useful not only in research laboratories, but also in the classroom where it can be used to excite students who actually can see what is happening inside live cells and tissues.
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Clin Med,
2003]
The recent award of a Nobel Prize to Sydney Brenner crowns an astonishingly distinguished scientific career. He must have come very close to winning it several times in the past. A colleague described him as 'a visionary who sees further into the future than anyone'. This is borne out by his decision - made 40 years ago - to study a one-millimetre long worm in detail to define the, biochemical and genetic control of its development and differentiation. The impact of these studies has been so profound, with a significant bearing on human physiology and disease, that over 400 laboratories worldwide have now adopted the worm as a research tool. In this article, a brief outline is given of his work on the worm and of some of the highlights of his brilliant career.