Enzyme News and Research

RSS

Amino acids signaling controls whole-body glucose homeostasis, study shows

Amino acids are a major nutrient type for humans and are used as building blocks and a source of energy for cells.

16 Mar 2021

Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes for 2021 go to four female and six male researchers

Four female and six male researchers are to receive the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize this year, the top award for early career investigators in Germany.

16 Mar 2021

Study could lead to the development of novel treatments for drug-resistant cancers

ETC-159, a made-in-Singapore anti-cancer drug that is currently in early phase clinical trials for use in a subset of colorectal and gynecological cancers, could also prevent some tumors from resisting therapies by blocking a key DNA repair mechanism, researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore reported in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

16 Mar 2021

Novel protein construct prevents lethal COVID-19 in mice

Researchers in the United States have developed a novel protein that prevented lethal disease among mice infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 Mar 2021

Researchers uncover potential new target for anti-COVID-19 therapies

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Florida Research and Innovation Center have identified a potential new target for anti-COVID-19 therapies.

16 Mar 2021

Ketogenesis has a protective effect on mitochondria, finds study

Ketone bodies are generally an alternative energy source during starvation, but in newborns, ketogenesis is active regardless of nutritional status. In a recent study from Kumamoto University (Japan), researchers analyzed the effects of ketogenesis in mice and found that it has a protective effect on cells by maintaining the function of mitochondria.

16 Mar 2021

Study explores how SARS-CoV-2 mutations produce antibody resistance and enhanced transmissibility

An interesting new study deals with the effects of the natural mutations in the spike antigen of the SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that is responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic.

16 Mar 2021

Backtracking occurs within SARS-CoV-2 replication-transcription complex

Researchers continue to achieve a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One such effort has been reported in a new preprint on the bioRxiv server, dealing with the phenomenon of backtracking.

16 Mar 2021

The role of RNA capping of SARS-CoV-2 in immunity evasion

The SARS-CoV-2 pathogen successfully uses multiple immune evasion mechanisms to achieve infection within its host. An intriguing new study describes one such process, which may help develop drugs to counteract the virus more effectively.

16 Mar 2021

New study tests how mutations in SARS-CoV-2 affect antibody neutralization

Using pseudoviruses with single amino acid substitutions, researchers found that mutations in SARS-CoV-2 reduce monoclonal antibody neutralization differently. However, convalescent sera samples did not lose neutralization potency many and were also effective against the B.1.1.7 (UK-derived) strain.

16 Mar 2021

New approach may lead to novel treatments for renal fibrosis

Ageing is a common factor in many diseases. So, what if it were possible to treat them by acting on the causes of ageing or, more specifically, by acting on the shortening of telomeres, the structures that protect chromosomes?

16 Mar 2021

Chromatin-regulating enzyme found to be a key driver of common lung cancer

A chromatin-regulating enzyme has been shown by in-depth interdisciplinary investigations to be a key driver of a common type of lung cancer. Drugs that target the enzyme could improve treatment and survival rates for this particular cancer.

15 Mar 2021

Researchers identify epigenetic mechanism responsible for lifelong stress susceptibility

An epigenetic modification that occurs in a major cell type in the brain's reward circuitry controls how stress early in life increases susceptibility to additional stress in adulthood, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have learned.

15 Mar 2021

White-tailed deer susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, finds study

White-tailed deer have been observed to be susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They can also transmit the virus both through direct and indirect contact to one another, researchers find. The research paper is available to be read online in the Journal of Virology.

15 Mar 2021

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

The ability to detect potentially fatal illness early on in the course of the disease would enable a swift prioritization of these high-risk individuals for treatment. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server presents an array of biomarkers that may help achieve this laudable goal.

15 Mar 2021

Neutralizing nanobodies effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Nanobodies have different mechanisms to neutralize viruses, and some target epitopes not accessible to monoclonal antibodies, making them an alternative for developing therapies for COVID-19.

15 Mar 2021

Soluble ACE2 level correlates with COVID-19 outcomes

Researchers at the Aarhus University, Denmark, found that high baseline levels of ACE2 in plasma from COVID-19 patients are tied to a worse outcome in hospitalized patients. The study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv, shows that measuring ACE2 levels in serum can help determine patients at a higher risk of developing severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

14 Mar 2021

Study targets main protease of SARS-CoV-2 involved in viral replication

The main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enzyme implicated in the transcription and replication of the coronavirus. New research led by S. Samar Hasnain from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom used the selenium-containing drug Ebselen to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro).

14 Mar 2021

Dual-action monoclonal antibodies from an original SARS survivor show promise against COVID-19

A recent study, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, indicates that a pair of dual-action monoclonal antibodies derived from an original 2003 SARS survivors could play an important role in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their broadly neutralizing activity and the engagement of the immune system via effector function capabilities.

14 Mar 2021

Cannabis compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that a cannabis plant compound inhibited infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human lung cells.

14 Mar 2021