Researchers have genetically engineered mouse cells to produce human collagen type VII, which is missing in a family of inherited skin diseases called dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. The team, led by Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, also prompted the mouse cells to create structural fibers that normally arise from type VII collagen. "This is the first demonstration of in vivo gene therapy where the genes have made a large extracellular molecular structure that you can actually see with a microscope," says Dr. David Woodley, chief of dermatology at the Keck School and principal investigator. In 1992 Woodley and colleagues became the first to clone the human gene for type VII collagen, a key component of the skin's extracellular matrix. Collagen makes up the tendrils and fibrils that provide a cushion for the skin's cells and type VII collagen is critical to the creation of the skin's so-called anchoring fibrils. Without fibrils, the layers of the skin can separate like layers of pastry, blistering and sloughing off at the slightest injury. This is why people without type VII collagen develop dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, in which blisters form all over the body, leaving behind permanent scars.

SOLVENTS MADE FROM BULK COMMODITIES

Environmentally friendly solvents that are recyclable have been developed by researchers at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. The various cleaners are made from bulk commodity materials, such as urea, a common fertilizer, and vitamin B4. They offer a potentially clean way to carry out chemical processes and are non-volatile over a wide range of temperatures. They also offer a safe alternative to some strong acids. The project was carried out by Scionix Ltd., which was set up by the university with Genacys Ltd., a subsidiary of the Whyte Group. Scionix is marketing the solvents for companies to test on their applications. The liquids can be used for a variety of applications, including metal finishing, catalysis, batteries and metal reprocessing. They have a limited sensitivity to water, are readily available in large quantities and are priced comparable to many volatile organic solvents.

A NEW TAKE ON ACRYLAMIDE

Professor Bruce Ganem of Cornell University is posing a new explanation of the organic chemistry of acrylamide -- a possible cancer-causing chemical. Earlier research showed acrylamide is produced when asparagine, an amino acid abundant in cereals and grains, is heated above 212 degrees Fahrenheit with either of two sugars, glucose or 2-deoxyglucose. A molecule of carbon dioxide must be lost to form acrylamide but scientists did not know how it happened. It was attributed to the Maillard reaction, also known as non-enzymatic browning, first observed in 1912 by Louis Camille Maillard. This involves the reactions between proteins and carbohydrates that cause food to turn brown when cooked. The reactions result in the formation of many products, most of which have some impact on the flavor and appearance of cooked food. Ganem says his idea was based on how some biological systems achieve decarboxylation, which means the loss of carbon dioxide. He says instead of the Maillard reaction, fried or baked foods undergo an alternative chemical pathway that results in the loss of carbon dioxide through natural metabolic processes, known as enzymatic decarboxylation. "The asparagine is the actual source of acrylamide," Ganem says. "The pathway I presented probably would not occur under normal biological conditions, but it's important to recognize that we're talking about temperatures well above 100 degrees Centigrade while the food is being cooked."

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(EDITORS: For more information on COLLAGEN, contact Jon Weiner, (323) 442-2830 or e-mail jonweine@usc.edu. For SOLVENTS, Ather Mirza, 0116 252 2415 or pressoffice@le.ac.uk, and for ACRYLAMIDE, Blaine P. Friedlander Jr., (607) 255-3290 or bpf2@cornell.edu)