Biotechnology : Highlights
: Biotechnology Articles
Editorial: Join the dotsPushing biotech as the 'solution' to the world's problems is doing more harm than good. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp837-837 |
News and Views: Sequencing sliced ends reveals microRNA targetsGlobal sequencing of cleaved mRNAs enables identification of the targets of microRNA silencing. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp881-882 |
News and Views: Nematology: terra incognita no moreThe genome sequence of the plant-parasitic roundworm Meloidogyne incognita opens new avenues to boosting food production. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp882-884 |
News and Views: Antibody-drug conjugates ace the tolerability testNear-uniform, low-level conjugation of cytotoxins to antitumor antibodies increases their tolerability without compromising efficacy. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp884-885 |
News and Views: A welcome burst of human antibodiesA new method allows rapid identification of human monoclonal antibodies from immune or vaccinated individuals. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp886-887 |
Research: Genome sequence of the metazoan plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognitaBiological control of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, one of the world's most destructive crop pathogens, presents a major opportunity for safely improving global agricultural yields. Its 86-Mb genome—the first to be sequenced for a strictly parthenogenetic species—provides a blueprint to design new strategies for plant protection. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp909-915 |
Research: A drug-inducible transgenic system for direct reprogramming of multiple somatic cell typesGenerating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells is still an inefficient process, in part because the delivery of reprogramming factors by retroviral vectors yields cell populations that are genetically heterogeneous. Wernig et al. increase efficiency by producing iPS-cell chimeric mice from which they isolate cells bearing identical proviral insertions that support drug-inducible reprogramming. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp916-924 |
Research: Site-specific conjugation of a cytotoxic drug to an antibody improves the therapeutic indexSystemic toxicity associated with heterogeneity in the stoichiometries and sites of drug attachment is a major hurdle to developing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for cancer therapy. Junutula et al. engineer cysteine residues in constant domains to produce near-homogenous ADCs that are better tolerated than conventional ADCs, without any loss of antitumor activity. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp925-932 |
Research: A small molecule enhances RNA interference and promotes microRNA processingLittle is known about the regulation of RNA interference (RNAi). Shan et al. constructed a reporter system to monitor RNAi activity and identified a small molecule that increases RNAi by facilitating the interaction between small RNAs and a protein involved in small RNA loading and processing. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp933-940 |
Research: Global identification of microRNA–target RNA pairs by parallel analysis of RNA endsThe targets of a microRNA (miRNA) are usually identified by computational analysis of sequences complementary to the miRNA. Working with inflorescence tissue of Arabidopsis, German et al. devise an experimental approach in which the products of miRNA-mediated cleavage are sequenced and used to identify miRNA–target RNA pairs. Nature Biotechnology, vol. 26 #8, pp941-946 |