Signaling Pathway News and Research

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Scientists reveal new control mechanism for gene that causes Opitz syndrome

Opitz G/BBB (Opitz) syndrome is a hereditary disorder that affects people in different ways, causing malformations in medial (midline) organs and structures, intellectual disability and developmental disorders.

18 May 2017

Neurobiologists uncover reason for defects in the blood-brain barrier of Huntington's disease patients

By using induced pluripotent stem cells to create endothelial cells that line blood vessels in the brain for the first time for a neurodegenerative disease, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists and colleagues have learned why Huntington's disease patients have defects in the blood-brain barrier that contribute to the symptoms of this fatal disorder.

17 May 2017

New gene variant linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

For the first time, a variant in UBQLN4 gene has been associated with Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a progressive disease resulting in the loss of nerve cells that control muscle movement, which eventually leads to paralysis and death.

15 May 2017

Research findings provide insight into mechanisms underlying differences in efficacy of anti-TNF drugs

Osaka University-led researchers identified differences in how three drugs bind to tumor necrosis factor, a key mediator of inflammatory disease. The team used sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation to investigate drug-target binding in a physiological environment and at clinically-relevant concentrations.

15 May 2017

Scientists use new RNA sequencing and statistical techniques to track stem cells in the nose

Adult stem cells have the ability to transform into many types of cells, but tracing the path individual stem cells follow as they mature and identifying the molecules that trigger these fateful decisions are difficult in a living animal.

12 May 2017

New research sheds light on inner mechanisms underlying learning and memory

New research published online in The FASEB Journal sheds important light on the inner workings of learning and memory.

11 May 2017

TSRI scientists uncover regulatory machinery underlying the function of cancer protein

Despite intense research, there's been much confusion regarding the exact role of a protein in a critical cancer-linked pathway. On one hand, the protein is described as a cell proliferation inhibitor, on the other, a cell proliferation activator, a duality that has caused a great deal of scientific head scratching.

5 May 2017

Discovery of signaling pathway offers new functional framework for treating schizophrenia

Neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine have discovered a new signaling pathway that directly connects two major receptors in the brain associated with learning and memory – the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a7nAChR) – which has significance for current efforts to develop drugs to treat schizophrenia.

4 May 2017

GW scientist awarded $1.7 million grant to understand mechanisms behind Hedgehog receptor

Among scientists specializing in the area, the mechanisms behind the signaling function of the Hedgehog (Hh) receptor pathway remain a mystery. Xiaoyen Zheng, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy and regenerative biology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, who recently received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of General Medical Sciences, is determined to learn more about the Hh pathway.

4 May 2017

Scientists grow and purify earliest lung progenitors from human stem cells

Human lungs, like all organs, begin their existence as clumps of undifferentiated stem cells. But in a matter of months, the cells get organized. They gather together, branch and bud, some forming airways and others alveoli, the delicate sacs where our bodies exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide.

3 May 2017

Researchers identify key player in initiation and progression of melanoma

Identification and functional validation of proteins involved in tumorigenesis are essential steps toward advancing cancer precision medicine. In The Journal of Clinical Investigation researchers from VIB, KU Leuven together with colleagues from INSERM now report the important role for FES in the initiation and progression of melanoma, a malignant type of skin cancer, that is notoriously quick to metastasize and that responds poorly to existing cancer treatments.

3 May 2017

Researchers identify novel molecular mechanism involved in progression, metastasis of TNBC

University of Tsukuba-led researchers identified a novel molecular mechanism involved in progression and metastasis in the most aggressive form of breast cancer.

21 Apr 2017

Researchers show how dengue virus employs multiple tactics to evade immune detection

For the human body to mount an immune response to a viral infection, host cells must identify the viral invader and trigger a signaling pathway. This signal then prompts the immune system to attack and subdue the pathogen.

19 Apr 2017

UC Riverside professor receives grant to explore therapeutic target for treating IBD patients

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine that includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. A protective protein that plays a key role in this disease is "T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase" or TCPTP.

7 Apr 2017

Insilico Medicine announces launch of intelligently-formulated nutraceuticals in Europe

Insilico Medicine, Inc, a big data analytics company applying latest advances in deep learning to drug discovery, biomarker development, and aging research today announced that the line of nutraceuticals developed in collaboration with Life Extension will be available across Europe.

5 Apr 2017

Short-term fasting during chemotherapy may counteract side effects of common cancer drugs

A short-term fast appears to counteract increases in blood sugar caused by common cancer drugs and protect healthy cells in mice from becoming too vulnerable to chemotherapy, according to new research from the University of Southern California.

4 Apr 2017

Traumatic brain injuries affect the body's stress axis differently in female and male mice, shows research

Traumatic brain injuries affect the body's stress axis differently in female and male mice, according to research presented at the Endocrine Society's 99th annual meeting, ENDO 2017, in Orlando, Fla.

4 Apr 2017

Study shows inhibition of transgelin prevents vasculogenic mimicry in breast cancer

An article published in Experimental Biology and Medicine identifies a new signaling pathway involved in breast cancer cell growth. The study, led by Dr. Chan-Wha Kim, from the Department of Biotechnology at Korea University in Seoul, reports that inhibition of the actin-binding protein transgelin prevents vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a process that provides tumor cells with the nutrients required for growth.

29 Mar 2017

Researchers aim to examine therapeutic effect of iPS-ML producing interferon-β on liver cancer

All causes of the most common form of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, are not yet known, but the risk of getting it is increased by hepatitis B or C, cirrhosis, obesity, diabetes, a buildup of iron in the liver, or a family of toxins called aflatoxins produced by fungi on some types of food.