Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) News and Research

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Could GRP78 be a therapeutic target against COVID-19?

A new study by a team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA, reports a potentially important therapeutic target in the form of a molecule called GRP78 that promotes the entry and protein production by many viruses. The team's paper has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

26 May 2021

Phosphatidic acid is a key common substrate for hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2 replication

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, focuses on the lipid molecule called phosphatidic acid (PA), showing its crucial role in the replication of this virus, and thus its potential as a target for therapeutic intervention.

13 May 2021

Scientists investigate signal necrotic cells that cue phagocytic cells to engulf the dying cell

Just as people keep their houses clean and clutter under control, a crew of cells in the body is in charge of clearing the waste the body generates, including dying cells. The housekeeping cells remove unwanted material by a process called phagocytosis, which literally means 'eating cells.' The housekeepers engulf and ingest the dying cells and break them down to effectively eliminate them.

7 May 2021

SARS-CoV-1 utilizes ORF3a protein to trigger viral release

Scientists in the USA – from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland – have recently uncovered the mechanism by which SARS-CoV-1 is released from the infected cells.

21 Apr 2021

Study discovers how microcephaly and blindness may develop in Zika-infected fetuses

A study led by Edward Wojcik, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, identified how microcephaly (abnormally small heads) and blindness may develop in Zika-infected fetuses, as well as a new way to potentially prevent these neurodevelopmental defects.

6 Apr 2021

Research consortium identifies cell stress mechanisms for chronic inflammatory liver disease

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory disease of the bile ducts and is difficult to treat, since its causes have not yet been adequately researched.

30 Mar 2021

The role of S-acylation in the enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity

A new study published on the bioRxiv server focuses on the role of S-acylation in the SARS-CoV-2 infection cycle. It has also characterized Spike acylation and has also identified other acylated viral proteins and host enzymes involved in the process of infection. Further, it has also revealed the importance of acylation in viral biogenesis and infection.

18 Mar 2021

Study explores individual differences of SARS-CoV-2 infection in ACE2-expressing stem cells

The clinical phenotype of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is remarkable for its wide range of severity among individual patients. Genetic variations are known to mediate part of these differences. To examine these differences, researchers in a new study used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from different genetically diverse individuals. These cells are used to model genetic disease since they contain the donor’s genetic information. Researchers use a panel of iPSCs from over 500 individuals. The researchers preferred undifferentiated iPSCs to reduce the time required to differentiate them, especially since infection is not always reliable.

25 Feb 2021

Could rotavirus vaccine platforms aid in the immunization campaign against SARS-CoV-2?

The study began with the generation of recombinant (r)SA11 rotaviruses, into which segment 7 modified RNAs were introduced. These encoded sequences for the non-structural protein NSP3 and some parts of the viral spike.

23 Feb 2021

Inhibition of protein glycosylation successfully prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

A new study provides direct evidence that the oligosaccharides attached to the viral surface spike protein are essential for viral infection, offering new approaches to preventive and therapeutic drugs.

9 Feb 2021

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 cytoplasmic tail uncovered

The virus's cytosolic tail also interacts with the host cell to promote its entry into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A new study appearing on the bioRxiv preprint server elucidates the conformation of this region of the virus, which will help understand how its form is related to its function in viral entry.

12 Jan 2021

Anti-diarrhea drug triggers cell death in glioblastoma cells

In cell culture, loperamide, a drug commonly used against diarrhea, proves effective against glioblastoma cells. A research team at Goethe University has now unraveled the drug’s mechanisms of action of cell death induction and – in doing so – has shown how this compound could help attack brain tumors that otherwise are difficult to treat.

22 Dec 2020

A protein plays key role in the spread of stress signals among liver cells

A key protein in the communication channels between cells can allow a stress response in one liver cell to spread to neighboring liver cells in mice, causing otherwise healthy cells to become dysfunctional, according to new research co-led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Sheba Medical Center in Israel.

18 Dec 2020

D614G mutation promotes lysosomal trafficking of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

In the current COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has led to millions of infections worldwide, with over 1.5 million deaths.

14 Dec 2020

D614/G614 variants of SARS-CoV-2 affect neuronal transmission; G614 better at membrane fusion

The COVID-19 pandemic is showing a strong comeback after an initial reduction in the number of cases, following energetic public health interventions.

7 Dec 2020

Ipom-F inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

An international team of researchers showed the small molecule inhibitor, ipomoeassin F (Ipom-F), blocks the translocation/insertion of the three protein targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

27 Nov 2020

Scientists uncover a novel cellular mechanism for disposing of misfolded proteins

About 30 years ago, Dr. Richard Sifers set out on a journey to discover why people with a rare condition known as alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency present with high variation in the severity of liver disease.

21 Oct 2020

Researchers are developing a new class of compounds against various cancers

Researchers at The Wistar Institute and collaborators from the University of Notre Dame are developing anticancer compounds targeting a pathway of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response implicated in the development of multiple myeloma (MM), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and lymphoma.

14 Oct 2020

How SARS-CoV-2's spike protein highjacks the host cell trafficking machinery

Researchers at The Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology have conducted a study showing how the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein interacts with host cell factors in ways that promote the formation of syncytia.

13 Oct 2020

Thiopurines could help stop viral replication in human coronaviruses

Researchers from the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie University, University of Calgary, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Canada, worked with human coronaviruses in cell cultures to look for drugs that might prevent accumulation and replication of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Oct 2020