Protein News and Research

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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

Study reveals underlying mechanism for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias

Low oxygen levels in the heart have long been known to produce life-threatening arrhythmias, even sudden death. Until now, it was not clear how.

18 Feb 2020

Study reveals how cells remove misfolded proteins from tissues

Researchers in Japan have identified a new quality control system that allows cells to remove damaged and potentially toxic proteins from their surroundings.

18 Feb 2020

Live-cell imaging provides new insights into dynamic structure of mitochondria

As power plants and energy stores, mitochondria are essential components of almost all cells in plants, fungi and animals. Until now, it has been assumed that these functions underlie a static structure of mitochondrial membranes.

18 Feb 2020

Fruit flies have a new defense strategy to deal with oxidative stress

Oxidative stress affects all living organisms, and the damage it causes is believed to play a part in cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and a number of other health conditions.

18 Feb 2020

NUS researchers identify new protein to prevent chemotherapy-induced neuropathy

A team of researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has identified a novel protein that would prevent the development of neuropathy in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy.

18 Feb 2020

Low folate levels associated with malnutrition in hospital patients

About 10% of patients who come to complex care hospitals may have low levels of folate and other indicators of malnutrition, investigators say.

18 Feb 2020

Mediterranean diet promotes healthy aging with healthier gut microbiome

A new study published online in the journal Gut in February 2020 reports the striking health-promoting effects of switching to a Mediterranean diet for just one year. The results were due to an increase in the health and number of gut bacteria that favor a healthy diet.

17 Feb 2020

Research suggests new approach to block tau pathology in FTLD, Alzheimer's

The protein β-arrestin-2 increases the accumulation of neurotoxic tau tangles, a cause several forms of dementia, by interfering with removal of excess tau from the brain, a new study by the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine found.

17 Feb 2020

Researchers map key atomic structures in measles, mumps, flu and RSV

Northwestern University researchers have, for the first time, determined the 3D atomic structure of a key complex in paramyxoviruses, a family of viruses that includes measles, mumps, human parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus.

17 Feb 2020

Targeting regulatory T cells could boost the effects of cancer immunotherapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a mechanism by which regulatory T cells, which suppress immune responses, adapt their metabolism to thrive in the harsh microenvironment of the tumor.

17 Feb 2020

New technique helps decipher how individual cancer cells communicate with each other

Scientists have a developed a new technique to decipher how millions of individual cells are communicating with each other in miniature tumors grown in the lab, known as organoids, according to new research published in Nature Methods today (Monday).

17 Feb 2020

England reports highest rates of mumps

Mumps is a contagious condition affecting the parotid glands. In some cases, mumps can lead to complications, especially in men, including sterility. Other serious complications of mumps include meningitis, encephalitis, and pancreatitis. There is a readily available vaccine against mumps, but despite this, there has been a sharp rise in mumps cases in England.

17 Feb 2020

Fragile X syndrome-causing repeats help human neurons function, study finds

Over half of our genomes are made of repeating elements within DNA. In rare cases, these repeats can become unstable and grow in size. These repeat "expansions" cause neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and dementia as well as learning disorders and autism in Fragile X syndrome.

17 Feb 2020

Scientists develop new tool using machine learning to diagnose lymphedema

Scientists at the TSU Laboratory for Biophotonics, with specialists from the Tomsk Scientific Research Institute of Microsurgery, have developed a new tool for diagnosing lymphedema, a severe pathology that can develop after radical treatment of several oncological diseases.

17 Feb 2020

Combination therapy for pediatric low-grade gliomas shows promise in mice

In experiments with human cells and mice, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center report evidence that combining the experimental cancer medication TAK228 (also called sapanisertib) with an existing anti-cancer drug called trametinib may be more effective than either drug alone in decreasing the growth of pediatric low-grade gliomas.

17 Feb 2020

Research shows how Ebola virus interacts with human lipids

Robert Stahelin studies some of the world's deadliest viruses. Filoviruses, including Ebola virus and Marburg virus, cause viral hemorrhagic fever with high fatality rates.

16 Feb 2020

New molecular 'fishing' technology can find individual molecules in blood

Like finding a needle in a haystack, Liviu Movileanu can find a single molecule in blood. Movileanu, professor at Syracuse University, and recently graduated Ph.D. student Avinash Thakur will present their research on Monday, February 17 at the 64th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society in San Diego, California.

16 Feb 2020

New technique can label diverse molecules in a single tissue sample

A new technique can label diverse molecules and amplify the signal to help researchers spot those that are especially rare. Called SABER (signal amplification by exchange reaction), Peng Yin's lab at Harvard's Wyss Institute first introduced this method last year and since have found ways to apply it to proteins, DNA and RNA.

16 Feb 2020

Oxidative stress induces sleep in fruit flies, research shows

Sleep-deprived fruit flies helped reveal what induces sleep. University of Oxford researchers Anissa Kempf, Gero Miesenböck, and colleagues reveal that fruit fly sleep is driven by oxidative stress, the imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Kempf

16 Feb 2020

Pioneering technique reveals structure of Parkinson's disease protein in action

The top contributor to familial Parkinson's disease is mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), whose large and difficult structure has finally been solved, paving the way for targeted therapies.

16 Feb 2020