The human malaria parasite can sense environmental changes and respond by antigenic switching.

The primary antigenic and virulence determinant of the human malaria parasite is a variant surface protein called PfEMP1. Different forms of PfEMP1 are encoded by a multicopy gene family called , and switching between active genes enables the parasites to evade the antibody response of their human hosts. gene switching is key for the maintenance of chronic infections; however, what controls switching is unknown, although it has been suggested to occur at a constant frequency with little or no environmental influence.

Tales of diversity: Genomic and morphological characteristics of forty-six Arthrobacter phages.

The vast bacteriophage population harbors an immense reservoir of genetic information. Almost 2000 phage genomes have been sequenced from phages infecting hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria, and analysis of these genomes reveals substantial diversity, pervasive mosaicism, and novel mechanisms for phage replication and lysogeny. Here, we describe the isolation and genomic characterization of 46 phages from environmental samples at various geographic locations in the U.

Catalytic and functional roles of conserved amino acids in the SET domain of the S. cerevisiae lysine methyltransferase Set1.

In S. cerevisiae, the lysine methyltransferase Set1 is a member of the multiprotein complex COMPASS. Set1 catalyzes mono-, di- and trimethylation of the fourth residue, lysine 4, of histone H3 using methyl groups from S-adenosylmethionine, and requires a subset of COMPASS proteins for this activity.

Increase in Science Research Commitment in a Didactic and Laboratory-Based Program Targeted to Gifted Minority High-School Students.

Underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has been a growing concern. Efforts to ameliorate this have often been directed at college-level enrichment. However, mentoring in the sciences at a high-school age level may have a greater impact on career choices.