Acetylation News and Research

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Acetylation (or in IUPAC nomenclature ethanoylation) describes a reaction that introduces an acetyl functional group into an organic compound. Deacetylation is the removal of the acetyl group.

Ketogenic diet prolongs life and improves memory and physical functions in aged mice find researchers

A pair of new studies find that diets termed ketogenic that are classically low in carbohydrates can prolong life in adult male laboratory mice. In addition this ketogenic diet also preserves the memory functions as well as muscle masses of the aged mice that were fed on it. The mechanism behind this could be the fact that ketogenic diet induces protein acetylation in the mice liver and muscles.

5 Sep 2017

UAB researchers reveal key role for RSF1 protein in silencing genes

A fertilized human egg develops into multiple tissues, organs and about 200 distinct cell types. Each cell type has the same genes, but they are expressed differently during development and in mature cells.

31 Aug 2017

Leading experts come together to discuss clinical, translational applications of mitochondria

The American Physiological Society will host the "Physiological Bioenergetics: Mitochondria from Bench to Bedside" conference August 27–30 in San Diego. The meeting will bring together cross-disciplinary experts who study the mitochondria, which provide the energy to individual cells.

23 Aug 2017

Key metabolic enzyme fuels molecular machinery to turn on memory genes after learning

Understanding how memories are made, retrieved, and eventually fade over a lifetime is the stuff of poems and song. To medical researchers, solving the mysteries of memory is even more elusive.

1 Jun 2017

Study reveals how enzyme allows brain tumors to grow despite harsh surroundings

All cancer tumors have one thing in common – they must feed themselves to grow and spread, a difficult feat since they are usually in a tumor microenvironment with limited nutrients and oxygen.

26 May 2017

Researchers identify novel compounds that decrease glucose production in liver cells

Scientists may have found a new tool for studying—and maybe even treating—Type 2 diabetes, the form of diabetes considered responsible for close to 95 percent of cases in the United States.

27 Mar 2017

EPFL scientists develop synthetic methods to crack code of Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes patients to lose their ability to move, speak, and even think. It is caused by a gene mutation that produces an abnormal form of the protein huntingtin, which aggregates and builds up inside neurons of the cortex and striatum.

23 Mar 2017

Heroin use linked to epigenetic alterations in the brain

Heroin use is associated with excessive histone acetylation, an epigenetic process that regulates gene expression, and more years of drug use correlate with higher levels of hyperacetylation, according to research conducted at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

22 Mar 2017

Heroin use linked to epigenetic alterations in the brain

The past few years have seen an explosion of heroin abuse and deaths from opiate overdose. But little is known about the molecular underpinnings of heroin addiction.

14 Mar 2017

Study reveals promising new strategy to attack deadly pediatric brain tumor

Researchers from Northwestern Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago have revealed new insight into how the most deadly pediatric brain tumor, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), may develop.

7 Mar 2017

Study establishes ENL protein as potential drug target for acute myeloid leukemia

Anyone who uses an employee badge to enter a building may understand how a protein called ENL opens new possibilities for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer of bone marrow and blood cells and the second most common type of leukemia in children and adults.

2 Mar 2017

Viral infection during pregnancy affects maternal care and can trigger depression in offspring

A viral infection in a pregnant woman not only affects her subsequent ability to provide maternal care but can also trigger depression in her offspring, which can then even extend into the next generation as a result of changes to genetic mechanisms in the brain.

15 Dec 2016

Columbia researchers find way to reawaken potent cancer-fighting molecule in tumor cells

A potent cancer-fighting molecule in our cells can be reawakened by reducing levels of a protein - called SET - that's often found in excess in cancer cells, a new study from Columbia University's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

15 Sep 2016

ZMYND8 protein can suppress metastasis-linked genes in prostate cancer

Although it reads like European license plate number, a protein known as ZMYND8 has demonstrated its ability to block metastasis-linked genes in prostate cancer, according to a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

28 Jul 2016

HDAC inhibitors may help regulate alcoholism-induced anxiety

Epigenetics is the study of changes in organisms caused by modifying gene expression - by alcohol, for example - rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. Recent evidence suggests that alcohol can inhibit activity of an enzyme called histone deacetylase (HDAC) in the amygdala, a brain region that is crucial for storing memories and regulating fear, anxiety, and other emotions.

27 Jun 2016

Researchers uncover new clue that may help fight AML

A study led by researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore has uncovered a new clue that may help fight acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), the most common form of cancer of the blood and bone marrow, and an aggressive type of cancer. The findings open a new door to treating the disease more effectively.

30 Mar 2016

New Penn study shows that social behavior in carpenter ants can be reprogrammed

In Florida carpenter ant colonies, distinct worker castes called minors and majors exhibit pronounced differences in social behavior throughout their lives. In a new study published today in Science, a multi-institution team anchored at University of Pennsylvania found that these caste-specific behaviors are not set in stone.

4 Jan 2016

Denator forms a new Scientific Advisory Board

Denator AB has announced that a new external expert advisory board has been formed. Karsten Fjärstedt, recently appointed as CEO comments, “It is a great honor for me to be entrusted to lead Denator forward in this new phase of development. With a pipeline of new exciting business opportunities and a strong Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) I am looking forward to realizing the full potential of the company technology”.

3 Nov 2015

Study: Increased acetylation of histones promotes fear extinction in mice

The targeted modulation of gene activity and cellular signaling pathways could provide a new approach to the treatment of fear and anxiety states according to the recent findings of a project sponsored by the Austrian Science Fund FWF.

29 Sep 2015

Salsalate drug offers new hope for treating Alzheimer's disease and FTD

Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that salsalate, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, effectively reversed tau-related dysfunction in an animal model of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Salsalate prevented the accumulation of tau in the brain and protected against cognitive impairments resembling impairments seen in Alzheimer's disease and FTD.

21 Sep 2015