Photosynthetic Dimmer
Switch Identified

CP 29 protein

In a study of the molecular mechanisms by which plants protect themselves from oxidation damage should they absorb too much sunlight during photosynthesis, a team of researchers has discovered a molecular “dimmer switch” that helps control the flow of solar energy moving through the system of light harvesting proteins. This discovery — led by Berkeley Lab scientist Graham Fleming — holds important implications for the future design of artificial photosynthesis systems that could provide the world with a sustainable and secure source of energy. Full story.

HIV Enzyme Like
Swiss Army Knife

Using ingenious molecular espionage, scientists have found how a single key enzyme, seemingly the Swiss army knife in HIV's toolbox, differentiates and dynamically binds both DNA and RNA as part of the virus's fierce attack on host cells. Using single-molecule fluorescent imaging to trace RT's activity in real time, not only reveals novel insights into how this critical viral enzyme functions, but also clarifies how some of the anti-HIV pharmaceuticals work. The research team includes Berkeley Lab physical bioscientist Gregory Bokinsky. Full story.

Higher Temps Yield
More Sensitive MRI

Molecular depolarization gates

Standard magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, is a superb diagnostic tool but one that suffers from low sensitivity, requiring patients to remain motionless for long periods of time inside noisy, claustrophobic machines. A new MRI method, much faster, able to distinguish even among specific target molecules, and many thousands of times more sensitive, has now been developed by researchers in the labs of Berkeley Lab materials scientist Alex Pines and physical bioscientist David Wemmer. Full story.

Milk Duct Cells Key
To DCIS Spreading

DCIS

When a form of cancer that begins in the milk ducts of the breast invades neighboring tissue to spread to other parts of the body, the cause lies not in the tumor cells themselves but in a group of abnormal surrounding cells that cause the walls of the duct to deteriorate like a rusty pipe, according to a new study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers. The discovery may lead to screening tests to determine whether the disease — known as ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS — is likely to spread beyond the ducts, based on genetic abnormalities in cells in the ducts' lining. Berkeley Lab life scientist Mina Bissell was a co-author of the study. Full story.