Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) News and Research

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Study reveals why SARS-CoV-2 is more infectious than SARS-CoV-1

Researchers from China and Canada recently combined structural data obtained from cryo-EM and structure prediction and constructed bottom-up Martini coarse-grained models of intact envelopes of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.

22 Sep 2021

Research pinpoints new therapeutic opportunity for ovarian clear cell carcinomas

Mutations in the ARID1A gene are present in more than 50% of ovarian clear cell carcinomas (OCCC), for which effective treatments are lacking. Scientists at The Wistar Institute discovered that loss of ARID1A function enhances a cellular stress response pathway that promotes survival of cancer cells, which become sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of this pathway. These findings were published online in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and point to a new therapeutic opportunity for this type of ovarian cancer for which new solutions are urgently needed.

22 Sep 2021

Antiviral compound RG10 acts via intracellular SARS-CoV-2-ER dynamics

A new study describes a small molecule referred to as RG10 that may have potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in human cells.

16 Sep 2021

SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 and the expression of cytokine in human macrophages

A new study has determined the production of the SARS-CoV-2 SP-dependent ORF8.

18 Aug 2021

A multi-scale cryo-correlative platform to image SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells

A new study describes the cytopathic episodes triggered by SARS-CoV-2 with virus replication processes in frozen-hydrated cells.

9 Aug 2021

Scientists uncover the early assembly of gamma-secretase involved in plaque production

A research team led by Wim Annaert (VIB-KU Leuven) uncovered the early assembly of gamma-secretase, a protein complex linked to numerous cellular processes including the development of Alzheimer's disease.

23 Jul 2021

Thiol-based mucolytics show potent allosteric inhibition of SARS-CoV-2-ACE2 binding via disulfide reduction

A compelling report, recently released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes unexpectedly powerful inhibition of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by thiol-based mucolytic compounds P2119 and P2165, by preventing the virus spike from binding to its host cell receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

5 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 causes ER-stress-activated unfolded protein response leading to cell death

A new study describes the varying ways in which the virus co-opts the machinery of the host cell following infection to evade or modulate the host immune response, alter the pattern of translation of viral proteins, and the release of new viral particles.

24 Jun 2021

Study examines SARS-CoV-2 replication in cells using super-resolution microscopy

Despite tremendous efforts by the global scientific community to curb the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), by developing more efficient testing protocols, therapies, and vaccines at a rapid pace, relatively little is known about the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 replication within cells.

18 Jun 2021

Researchers develop new imaging technique for studying nanoscale coronavirus-host interactions

Lei S. Qi of Stanford University, California, and colleagues published research showing a potential framework to better characterize coronaviruses' biology. While most high-resolution imaging techniques show the life cycle of coronaviruses, identifying viral or host proteins and genomes remains poorly understood. Their results use multi-color super-resolution imaging allows them to study nanoscopic parts of the coronavirus, including RNA.

14 Jun 2021

Melatonin prevents kidney damage caused by metabolic complications of obesity

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR), the Hospital Universitario La Paz (Madrid), and the University of Texas (USA) have taken an important step in the fight against kidney damage and its progression towards kidney failure, which is closely related to diabesity (obesity and its type 2 diabetes) and its complications.

27 May 2021

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