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Holiday shopping season has arrived, and tough financial times mean that more people will probably be shopping around for the best price. But a study co-authored by North Carolina State University’s Dr. Jonathan D. Bohlmann shows that shoppers who compare prices at multiple online retailers will not only find the best value, but will also likely contribute to driving down prices for that product at other retailers. Continue Reading »

As Christmas tree farmers prepare for their busiest season, researchers at North Carolina State University are studying how to combat a disease that has killed thousands of North Carolina Christmas trees in recent decades. Continue Reading »

Biochemists at North Carolina State University have answered a fundamental question of how important bacterial proteins make life-and-death decisions that allow them to function, a finding that could provide a new target for drugs to disrupt bacterial decision-making processes and related diseases.

In a study published this month in the journal Structure, the NC State scientists show for the first time that the specific movements of these important bacterial proteins, called transition-state regulators, guide how the proteins bind with DNA and thus control a variety of functions. These rare proteins are like army generals sizing up a battlefield; while they all look the same and have the same rank, their highly specialized “wiggles” allow them to figure out how to bind to different parts of DNA, triggering defense capabilities, for example, or commands to set up camp and chow down.

“For the first time, we’ve shown that proteins with identical shapes have different movements, and these movements allow proteins to select proper DNA targets that lead to tens or hundreds of processes,” says Dr. John Cavanagh, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry at NC State and the corresponding author of the paper. “Motion is really important. If the proteins didn’t move, they wouldn’t be able to bind to DNA and therefore to function.”

Cavanagh and NC State senior biochemistry researcher Dr. Benjamin Bobay, a paper co-author, say that the findings present a new way of thinking about stopping bacteria. If a drug or antibiotic can stymie the motion of the transition-state regulators, the thinking goes, bacteria won’t be able to figure out where to bind to DNA, effectively shutting the bacteria down. Killing a general, therefore, would stop the infantry from taking the battlefield.

An image of  bacterial transition-state regulator protein AbrB (gold) binding to DNA on a background image of Bacillus spores. NC State researchers discovered that movement within bacterial proteins is crucial for precise function and correct bacterial decision-making processes.

Besides the fundamental knowledge about bacterial protein movement and DNA binding, the Structure paper also sheds light on the specific bacterial protein responsible for producing anthrax toxins.

One of the transition-state regulators studied by the NC State biochemists, called AbrB, helps control the production of the three toxins in anthrax: lethal factor, edema factor and protective antigen. Production of all three of these toxins is necessary to make anthrax lethal.

Cavanagh and Bobay say that knowledge of AbrB’s function could make it a likely target for a drug that would knock out its function. That would prevent anthrax from “going lethal.”

“We now know more about the protein that causes you to die from anthrax poisoning and a brand new way of understanding how important proteins bind to targets,” Cavanagh said. “This presents a whole new paradigm for drug design in the arms race against harmful bacteria and disease.”

The National Institutes of Health, the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences supported the study.

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Note: An abstract of the paper follows.

“Insights into the Nature of DNA Binding of AbrB-like Transcription Factors”

Authors: Daniel M. Sullivan, Benjamin G. Bobay, Richele J. Thompson and John Cavanagh, North Carolina State University; Douglas Kojetin and Mark Rance, University of Cincinnati; Mark Strauch, University of Maryland at Baltimore

Published: Nov. 11, 2008, in Structure

Abstract: Understanding the DNA recognition and binding by the AbrB-like family of transcriptional regulators is of significant interest since these proteins enable bacteria to elicit the appropriate response to diverse environmental stimuli. Although these ”transition-state regulator” proteins have been well characterized at the genetic level, the general and specific mechanisms of DNA binding remain elusive. We present RDC-refined NMR solution structures and dynamic properties of the DNA-binding domains of three Bacillus subtilis transition-state regulators: AbrB, Abh, and SpoVT. We combined previously investigated DNase I footprinting, DNA methylation, gel-shift assays, and mutagenic and NMR studies to generate a structural model of the complex between AbrBN55 and its cognate promoter, abrB8. These investigations have enabled us to generate a model for the specific nature of the transition-state regulator-DNA interaction, a structure that has remained elusive thus far.

William (Bill) L. Cowher, Super Bowl-winning coach and North Carolina State University alumnus, will deliver NC State’s commencement address on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The commencement ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Continue Reading »

Population growth and significant increases in development across the country are leading to changes in traffic and driving behavior in many areas where motorists share the road with farmers moving their equipment – changes that worry some members of the agriculture community. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have found a number of risk factors associated with traffic accidents involving farm vehicles, which could point the way toward changes that will better protect farmers and motorists. Continue Reading »

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded North Carolina State University’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering a $1.2 million grant to build and study tiny materials that can help generate renewable energy. Continue Reading »

A team of researchers led by North Carolina State University has made an enormous advance in the understanding of some of Puerto Rico’s most remarkable ecosystems by conducting the first comprehensive study of the island’s freshwater fish species. NC State’s Dr. Thomas Kwak, who led the study, says many of these species “are hidden gems that have been largely ignored,” and calls the research “a huge first step in conserving and protecting these fish and their habitat.”

The study is the first-ever comprehensive population and habitat survey of freshwater fishes in Puerto Rico, Kwak says. The study focuses on identifying those features that support native fish populations, and distinguishing those features that make a system susceptible to invasion by exotic species. Kwak says the research will likely have a significant impact on how the Puerto Rican government makes decisions on issues ranging from fisheries management to water use and habitat management.

Kwak also hopes that the study raises the profile of the freshwater fishes in Puerto Rico both on the island itself and abroad as part of Puerto Rico’s natural heritage. “Just letting the world know the fish are there is an accomplishment,” Kwak says. “Many of these fish are very charismatic – they are unique and really worthy of conservation.” For example, Kwak points to Puerto Rico’s native Sirajo Goby – a brilliantly colored fish that has evolved sucker-like pelvic fins that allow it to climb steep waterfalls and even the sheer faces of some artificial dams,

Sirajo goby: The sirajo goby or olivo (Sicydium spp.), a colorful native Puerto Rico stream fish with pelvic fins modified to form a suction cup that allow this fish to ascend steep cascades, waterfalls, and other wet barriers. (Photo by Patrick Cooney, NC State University)

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources funded the research with federal Sport Fish Restoration funds, and an overview of the study was presented at the American Fisheries Society (AFS) Annual Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, earlier this year.

Kwak is a professor of biology at NC State, and a unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey’s North Carolina Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit. Other researchers involved in the study include: NC State research biologist Patrick Cooney, who was lead author for the AFS presentation; NC State graduate student Christin Brown; and Dr. Craig Lilyestrom, director of the Division of Marine Resources in Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

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Note to editors: The presentation abstract follows.

“Puerto Rico Stream Fishes: Sampling, Distribution, and Influential Factors”

Authors: Patrick B. Cooney, Dr. Thomas J. Kwak, Christin H. Brown, North Carolina State University; Dr. Craig G. Lilyestrom, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Presented: August 21, 2008, at the 138th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Ottawa, Ontario

Abstract: Puerto Rico is known for marine fisheries, but its freshwater habitats support a substantial number of species with fishery value.  We conducted research in Puerto Rico streams to estimate stream fish populations and model their patterns related to physical habitat at multiple spatial scales.  We employed a standardized fish sampling protocol using three-pass removal backpack or barge electrofishing at 81 stream sites to quantify fish and crustacean populations and measured instream, riparian, and water quality parameters.  We quantified density of 24 fish species (10 native) and 15 crustacean species (11 shrimp, 3 crabs, 1 crayfish).  The most abundant fish species were Agonostomus monticola (mountain mullet), Poecilia sphenops (Mexican molly), Poecilia reticulata (guppy) and Sicydium plumieri (sirajo goby).  Mean fish species richness was 5.14 species per site, ranging from one species at three sites to 11 non-native species at one site.  Based on our results and habitat measurements at the instream, riparian, and watershed scales, we developed a series of models explaining variation in fish community structure among sites and basins.  This research is among the most comprehensive to study stream fishes and habitat in Puerto Rico and may facilitate outreach efforts and fishery and ecosystem management to sustain fish communities.

A historic bell – the oldest surviving artifact from the Raleigh Fire Department, dating back to 1870 – will be returned to the city by North Carolina State University officials during a special event on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 10 a.m. at the Central Fire Station, located at 220 S. Dawson St. Media coverage of the event is invited. Continue Reading »

A landmark national survey on the use of nanotechnology for “human enhancement” shows widespread public support for applications of the new technology related to improving human health. However, the survey also shows broad disapproval for nanotech human enhancement research in areas without health benefits. A team of researchers at North Carolina State University and Arizona State University (ASU) conducted the study, which could influence the direction of future nanotechnology research efforts. Continue Reading »

North Carolina State University joins the international community in celebrating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document provides the model and lays the foundation for international treaties, national constitutions, and laws in countries around the world guaranteeing human rights, such as the right to life, liberty and security, the rights to freedom from slavery and torture, and the right to freedom of movement. Continue Reading »