Cytoplasm News and Research

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New method to display viral DNA in host cells at single-molecule resolution

The medical, humanitarian and economical impact of viral diseases is devastating to humans and livestock. There are no adequate therapies available against most viral diseases, largely because the mechanisms by which viruses infect cells are poorly known.

17 Oct 2013

Professor receives $1.3M EUREKA grant to explore communication between cytoplasm and nucleus

University of Massachusetts Medical School Professor and Vice Chair of Neurobiology Vivian Budnik, PhD, has received a four-year, $1.3 million EUREKA (Exceptional Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration) grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to explore a novel mechanism of communication between the cytoplasm and the nucleus, called nuclear envelope budding, that may lead to new understandings for various tissue dystrophies and aging disorders.

8 Oct 2013

New research identifies protein that controls formation of different types of mature blood cells

New research in the Journal of Experimental Medicine identifies a protein that controls the formation of different types of mature blood cells - a finding that could be important to developing new treatments for blood diseases and helping realize the potential of regenerative medicine.

8 Oct 2013

Genes in mitochondria shape each person's risk for heart disease and diabetes

Genes in mitochondria, the "powerhouses" that turn sugar into energy in human cells, shape each person's risk for heart disease and diabetes, according to a study published recently by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the Biochemical Journal.

27 Sep 2013

Expression of stress protein induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury, say researchers

Spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury is a stress injury to the spinal cord. Therefore, research on the expression of stress-related protein in neurons could be of great significance for the pathological mechanism and control measures for spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury.

11 Sep 2013

Little STING could go long way in avoiding arthritis, type 1 diabetes, report researchers

A little STING could go a long way in helping treat or even avoid autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, researchers report.

10 Sep 2013

Researchers identify possible treatment strategy for ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers have tied mutations in a gene that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative disorders to the toxic buildup of certain proteins and related molecules in cells, including neurons. The research, published recently in the scientific journal Cell, offers a new approach for developing treatments against these devastating diseases.

29 Aug 2013

Study shows ABL kinases have enhanced expression and activity in CML

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the white blood cells that is most commonly found in adults and in the elderly. Its incidence has been estimated to be 1 to 2 in 100,000 people. CML was the first cancer to be associated with a genetic abnormality, known as the Philadelphia Chromosome, which 95% of all CML patients carry in their cells.

28 Aug 2013

Cancer-linked mitosis: an interview with Professor Scott Kern, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Mitosis is the process by which a cell gives rise to two daughter cells. It’s the basis behind the growth of the human body, the renewal of the human body as it ages, and unfortunately, the growth of cancers.

7 Aug 2013

OracleBio to highlight Oncology image analysis expertise at Tumor Models conference

OracleBio, providers of high precision digital image analysis services for detailed quantification of histological marker staining within cells and tissues, is pleased to announce it will be a principal sponsor of the forthcoming Tumor Models conference to be held in Boston, MA on the 23-25th July.

24 Jul 2013

Discovery may help explain how anti-inflammatory steroid drugs work

A gene long presumed dead comes to life under the full moon of inflammation, Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have found.

23 Jul 2013

Researchers visualize live cell-to-cell communication pathways in bacteria

Most bacteria are able to communicate with each other by secreting signaling molecules. Once the concentration of signals has reached a critical density (-the Quorum), the bacteria are able to coordinate their behavior

20 Jul 2013

Scientists discover molecular switch that determines death or survival of cell

The study is the result of a collaboration of scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, University of Michigan, and University of California San Diego, USA, who were interested in finding out whether autophagy can be affected by events in the cell nucleus. Surprisingly, they discovered that a signal chain in the nucleus serves as a kind of molecular switch that determines whether the cell dies or survives.

19 Jul 2013

Tumor suppressor p53 inactivation and restoration: an interview with Dr. Xin Lu, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

Before we talk about p53, it is important to understand why cancer cells are a problem for the body. Cancer cells multiply recklessly, refuse to die and blithely metastasize to set up shop in places where they don’t belong.

12 Jun 2013

Potential new treatment approaches for liver diseases

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

24 May 2013

Researchers examine how BRD4 contributes to sustained presence of NF-kappa B in cancer cells

In a new study described in the journal Oncogene, researchers reveal how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

20 May 2013

Scientists unravel complex role of PBs in maintaining cellular homeostasis

As scientists learn more about processing bodies, granules present within normal cells, they are unraveling the complex role PBs play in maintaining cellular homeostasis by regulating RNA metabolism and cell signaling.

17 May 2013

Student researchers get new view of the dynamics of cancer cells as they metastasize

A team of student researchers and their professors from 20 laboratories around the country have gotten a new view of cancer cells. The work could shed light on the transforming physical properties of these cells as they metastasize, said Jack R. Staunton, a Ph.D. candidate at Arizona State University in the lab of Prof. Robert Ros, and the lead author of a paper reporting on the topic.

29 Apr 2013

Research on miRNAs offers new therapeutic potential to fight diseases

RNA molecules, made from DNA, are best known for their role in protein production. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), however, are short (~22) nucleotide RNA sequences found in plants and animals that do not encode proteins but act in gene regulation and, in the process, impact almost all biological processes - from development to physiology to stress response.

26 Apr 2013

Mechanism of tumor suppressor p53 inactivation described

Cancer cells are a problem for the body because they multiply recklessly, refuse to die and blithely metastasize to set up shop in places where they don’t belong. One protein that keeps healthy cells from behaving this way is a tumor suppressor named p53. This protein stops potentially precancerous cells from dividing and induces suicide in those that are damaged beyond repair. Not surprisingly, p53’s critical function is disrupted in most cancers.

25 Apr 2013