news from the lab 2014

Fruit flies respond more effectively to danger when in a group. A research team discovered this behavior as well as the neural circuits which relay this information, opening a new field of research.

Scientists have clarified the workings of thalidomide at the molecular level. Their analysis of various structures indicates that the drug can interfere with cellular processes in two different ways-once preventing and once promoting protein degradation-thus explaining its diverse clinical effects. In the early 1960s, thalidomide - a drug widely prescribed at that time as a sedative and for the treatment of morning sickness in pregnancy - became notorious when it was found to cause birth defects.

Scientists have resolved the mechanism controlling the maintenance of the light detectors - the cone photoreceptor outer segments - in the retina. With this knowledge, they have been able to induce the formation of functional photoreceptors in cultured retinas derived from embryonic stem cells. This opens up exciting new avenues for the study and treatment of blindness.

The brains of bilingual people do not differ in their structure, but are capable of developing differentiated strategies according to the demands placed on them by particular contexts.

A research has shown that limb motor control is regulated by a selective synaptic connectivity matrix between the brainstem and the spinal cord. In particular, the researchers have pinpointed a brainstem area responsible for the control of grasping. This is the first time it has been possible to link defined neuronal circuit elements unequivocally to a specific phase of movement.

Intestinal worms are the most feared problem among horse owners. To prevent them, the entire herd is systematically dewormed without any preventive control.

A research team developed a computer programme to identify mutations causing certain genetic diseases by analysing the genome sequencing data. The software can also detect the mutations leading to the appearance of tumours in patients with cancer. It is available to researchers all over the world.

An international research team led by scientists at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich has succeeded in improving a class of early-generation antibiotics: they have been able to suppress their once serious side effects. Antibiotic is more selective "We have now modified the mode of action of antibiotics of this group so that they can distinguish between human and pathogenic ribosomes far better," explains Böttger.

A new, unknown strain of bacteria produces most of the bioactive substances that the stony sponge Theonella swinhoei exudes. An international research team led by ETH professor Jörn Piel describes these natural products, the associated genes and strain of bacteria in a publication in Nature. Sponges are unique beings: they are invertebrates that live in symbiosis with sometimes hundreds of different types of bacteria; similar to lichens which are a biocoenosis of algae and fungi.

Development of the nematode C. elegans is directed by rhythmic patterns of protein production. As researchers have shown, oscillations with an 8-hour period occur across a wide variety of tissues, structures, cells and genes. The extent of the phenomenon suggests that the process involved could be a fundamental mechanism in the development of many organisms .