FORTIFIED WHEAT: A newly cloned gene designated GPC-B1 boosts protein, zinc and iron content by 10 percent to 15 percent in certain wild wheat varieties, offering a potential solution to nutritional deficiencies in millions of children around the world. UC Davis Professor Jorge Dubcovsky, a wheat breeder, led the research by UC Davis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Haifa. Science published the report on Nov. 24.

-- Pat Bailey

CARDIOLOGY ADVANCE: Epoxide hydrolase inhibitors, known to play an important role in how insects develop from larvae to adults, have been shown in mice to be effective in preventing and re-ducing cardiac cell overgrowth and irregular heart rhythms, according to a UC Davis team led by cardiologist and cell biologist Nipavan Chiamvimonvat and entomology professor Bruce Hammock. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. posted the report online on Nov. 27.

-- Carole Gan and Kathy Keatley Garvey

LACTIC ACID GENETICS: UC Davis' David Mills and his colleagues in the national Lactic Acid Bacteria Genomics Consortium have determined the genetics of nine bacteria responsible for the fermentation of foods such as wine, cheese, sourdough bread, yogurt, pickles and coffee. Mills, a microbiologist and professor of viticulture and enology, said that beyond its importance in food processing and preservation, the discovery provides a basic understanding of lactic acid bacteria in the gut and could lead to health advances. The study appeared in the Oct. 17 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A.

-- Ann Filmer