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.

Researchers uncover cause of rare childhood neurodegenerative disease

Neurology researchers investigating a rare but devastating neurological regression in infants have discovered the cause: gene mutations that severely disrupt crucial functions in mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells.

23 Mar 2018

What gives the curl to curly hair? Sheep wool provides clues

There has been no research that explains what gives the curl to curly hair. To understand this, the researchers looked at the microscopic structure of the hair and measure the individual hair cells in the curly hair that could explain the curls. However human hair was found to be too thick for these experiments. So as a next step they looked at naturally curly hair or wool from six Merino sheep from New Zealand. This provided them with the answers they were looking for. The study results were published this week in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology.

23 Mar 2018

New study identifies key cellular mechanisms behind vascular aging in mice

We are as old as our arteries, the adage goes, so could reversing the aging of blood vessels hold the key to restoring youthful vitality? The answer appears to be yes, at least in mice, according to a new study led by investigators at Harvard Medical School.

22 Mar 2018

New findings could have revolutionary impact on quality of life of older people

Researchers from UNSW and Harvard Medical School have discovered that replacing two naturally occurring molecules in the body could reverse symptoms of aging, potentially influencing how the body responds to and performs exercise.

22 Mar 2018

Researchers make key discovery about cellular pathway linked to myriad of diseases

Researchers from the University of Dundee and the Francis Crick Institute have made a significant discovery about a cellular pathway associated with developmental defects and a myriad of diseases ranging from alopecia to colorectal cancer.

22 Mar 2018

Gut microbiome may promote pancreatic cancer by inducing immune suppression

Bacterial load was significantly higher in pancreatic tumor samples from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared with pancreatic tissue from normal individuals, and in studies using mice, eliminating certain "bad" bacteria slowed the growth of pancreatic cancer, reversed immune suppression, and upregulated the immune checkpoint protein PD1.

22 Mar 2018

Weight-loss surgery reduces risk for severe chronic kidney disease and kidney failure

Patients that underwent weight-loss surgery ran a significantly lower risk of developing severe chronic kidney disease and kidney failure, when compared to conventionally treated patients, according to a study published in International Journal of Obesity.

22 Mar 2018

Researchers explain link between 2 key Alzheimer's proteins

It's a paradox of Alzheimer's disease: Plaques of the sticky protein amyloid beta are the most characteristic sign in the brain of the deadly neurodegenerative disease. However, many older people have such plaques in their brains but do not have dementia.

21 Mar 2018

Neuroscientists move closer to developing tools for deciphering brain function

A team of University of Missouri neuroscientists are inching closer to developing the tools needed to decipher the brain.

21 Mar 2018

Targeting aberrantly active telomerase to treat therapy-resistant melanoma

A study conducted at The Wistar Institute in collaboration with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has demonstrated the efficacy of targeting aberrantly active telomerase to treat therapy-resistant melanoma.

21 Mar 2018

Discovery of new ALS gene points to cytoskeleton as potential target for drug development

An international team of researchers led by John Landers, PhD, at UMass Medical School, and Bryan Traynor, MD, PhD, at the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, has identified KIF5A as a new gene associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

21 Mar 2018

Protein profiling reveals new prostate cancer mechanisms

A study by the University of Tampere in Finland used protein profiling to find new prostate cancer mechanisms that are not shown by aberrations at the genomic level. Several new potential biomarkers of prostate cancer were also found.

21 Mar 2018

New DOD grant to support testing of promising therapy for triple-negative breast cancer

A unique cell surface protein found on triple-negative type breast cancer cells called JAG1 is a promising new therapeutic target for this hard-to-treat and highly metastatic type of breast cancer, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

21 Mar 2018

Study uncovers potential therapeutic target against large family of parasites

Apicomplexa form one of the largest and most diverse groups of obligate intracellular parasites, capable of infecting almost every kind of animal.

21 Mar 2018

Discovery of genes could lead to development of novel therapies for EBV-related cancers

VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers have identified two genes that are responsible for governing the replication of the Epstein-Barr virus, an infection that drives the growth of several types of cancer.

21 Mar 2018

Study identifies two genes associated with extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy

Most women experience some morning sickness during pregnancy, but about 2 percent of pregnant women experience a more severe form of nausea and vomiting.

21 Mar 2018

High-fat, high-cholesterol diet depletes ranks of artery-protecting immune cells

New research from scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology shows how a diet high in fat and cholesterol depletes the ranks of artery-protecting immune cells, turning them into promoters of inflammation, which exacerbate atherosclerotic plaque buildup that occurs in cardiovascular disease.

21 Mar 2018

Compound found in beet extract could help slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease

A compound in beets that gives the vegetable its distinctive red color could eventually help slow the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain, a process that is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Scientists say this discovery could lead to the development of drugs that could alleviate some of the long-term effects of the disease, the world's leading cause of dementia.

20 Mar 2018

Researchers succeed in integrating artificial organelles into cells of living organism

For the first time, an interdisciplinary team from the University of Basel has succeeded in integrating artificial organelles into the cells of living zebrafish embryos.

20 Mar 2018

Researchers uncover specific gene region in hypertension

Genes encode proteins and proteins dictate cell function. Therefore, the thousands of genes expressed in a cell determine what that cell can do.

20 Mar 2018

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers uncover cause of rare childhood neurodegenerative disease

What gives the curl to curly hair? Sheep wool provides clues

New study identifies key cellular mechanisms behind vascular aging in mice

New findings could have revolutionary impact on quality of life of older people

Researchers make key discovery about cellular pathway linked to myriad of diseases

Gut microbiome may promote pancreatic cancer by inducing immune suppression

Weight-loss surgery reduces risk for severe chronic kidney disease and kidney failure

Researchers explain link between 2 key Alzheimer's proteins

Neuroscientists move closer to developing tools for deciphering brain function

Targeting aberrantly active telomerase to treat therapy-resistant melanoma

Discovery of new ALS gene points to cytoskeleton as potential target for drug development

Protein profiling reveals new prostate cancer mechanisms

New DOD grant to support testing of promising therapy for triple-negative breast cancer

Study uncovers potential therapeutic target against large family of parasites

Discovery of genes could lead to development of novel therapies for EBV-related cancers

Study identifies two genes associated with extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy

High-fat, high-cholesterol diet depletes ranks of artery-protecting immune cells

Compound found in beet extract could help slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers succeed in integrating artificial organelles into cells of living organism

Researchers uncover specific gene region in hypertension

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