Study finds all octopuses are venomous
MELBOURNE, April 16 (UPI) -- Researchers from Australia and Belgium say they have determined all octopuses, cuttlefish and some squid are venomous.
The scientists at the University of Melbourne, University of Brussels and Museum Victoria said their discovery indicates the octopus, cuttlefish and squid share a common, ancient venomous ancestor.
Bryan Fry, director of the University of Melbourne's Australian Venom Research Unit, said that while the blue-ringed octopus is the only octopus that's dangerous to humans, the other species have been using their venom for predation, such as paralyzing a clam into opening its shell.
"Venoms are toxic proteins with specialized functions, such as paralyzing the nervous system," Fry said. "We hope that by understanding the structure and mode of action of venom proteins we can benefit drug design for a range of conditions such as pain management, allergies and cancer."
Fry said that while many creatures have been examined as a basis for drug development, cephalopods (octopuses, cuttlefish and squid) remain an untapped resource and their venom might represent a unique class of compounds.
The research appears in the Journal of Molecular Evolution.
Melanoma protein therapy target identified
PHILADELPHIA, April 16 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they've discovered a protein called Mcl-1 that plays a critical role in allowing melanoma cells to metastasize.
Researchers led by Thomas Jefferson University Associate Professor Andrew Aplin said the protein causes cell-resistance to a form of apoptosis -- a type of cell death called anoikis. That resistance, Aplin said, enables the melanoma cells to metastasize and survive at sites distant from the primary tumor.
"When we depleted Mcl-1 from the tumor cells they were susceptible to cell death," said Aplin, who conducted the study at Albany Medical College in New York. "Our findings show that targeting Mcl-1, which is unregulated in a majority of melanoma cells, could be a viable treatment strategy."
Aplin said there is one drug now in development that targets Mcl-1. That agent, called obatoclax, is in phase I/II trials.
The research is reported in the journal Molecular Cancer Research.
A secret to night vision found in DNA
MUNICH, Germany, April 16 (UPI) -- German-led scientists say they have discovered an important element of DNA that creates good night vision in nocturnal mammals.
Ludwig-Maximilians University researchers in Munich said they discovered the DNA within the photoreceptor rod cells responsible for low light vision turns the rod cell nuclei themselves into tiny light-collecting lenses, with millions of them in every nocturnal eye.
"The conventional architecture seen in almost all nuclei is invariably present in the rod cells of diurnal mammals, including primates, pigs and squirrels," said researcher Boris Joffe. "On the other hand, the unique inverted architecture is universally present in nocturnal mammals."
That architecture has important ramifications for the optical properties of those cells, said Jochen Guck of the University of Cambridge. "Diurnal nuclei are basically scattering obstacles," he said. "In nocturnal animals, they are little lenses. In one case, light is scattered in all directions and in the other it is focused in the forward direction," meaning that even at night, what little light there is can travel deeper into the eye where it can be perceived.
The research is detailed in the journal Cell.
New nerve block may change pain management
BOSTON, April 16 (UPI) -- Children's Hospital Boston scientists say they've created a slow-release anesthetic drug-delivery system that could potentially revolutionize pain treatment.
The researchers said their National Institutes of Health-funded work might change the way physicians treat pain during and after surgery, as well chronic pain.
The scientists said they used specially designed fat-based particles called liposomes to package saxitoxin, a potent anesthetic, and produced long-lasting local anesthesia in rats without apparent toxicity to nerve or muscle cells.
"The idea was to have a single injection that could produce a nerve block lasting days, weeks, maybe even months," said Dr. Daniel Kohane, the report's senior author. "It would be useful for conditions like chronic pain where, rather than use narcotics (that) are systemic and pose a risk of addiction, you could just put that piece of the body to sleep, so to speak."
The scientists said previous attempts to develop slow-release anesthetics haven't been successful due to toxicity problems. But in the new study, Kohane and his colleagues report saxitoxin packaged within liposomes is able to block nerve transmission of pain without causing significant nerve or muscle damage.
Kohane said he is now optimizing the formulation to make it last even longer and it is conceivable clinical trials could soon start.
The research appears in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
