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.

Alteration in gut microbiome may lead to hyperinflammation in severe COVID-19

A team of international scientists has recently identified a distinct set of proinflammatory mediators and metabolites associated with the fatal consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, they have established a link between gut microbiome alteration and hyper-inflammatory response in patients with severe COVID-19. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

1 Nov 2021

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant A.30 efficiently evades vaccine-induced immunity

A recent study published in the journal Cellular & Molecular Immunology shows that a new A.30 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can evade vaccine-induced antibodies and might spread outside the lungs extraordinarily well, with important implications for our public health response.

1 Nov 2021

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa

A new study explores the role of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in sustaining the pandemic in South Africa.

31 Oct 2021

New Canadian serology solution for SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccination

A new study developed a “Made-in-Canada” solution for enabling scalable and reproducible SARS-CoV-2 serology.

31 Oct 2021

The ability of natural flavonoids to inhibit SARS-CoV-2

A recent systematic review discusses naturally occurring flavonoids as a promising antiviral alternative against SARS-CoV-2.

31 Oct 2021

Protein pairs assemble based on their complementary shapes

Proteins bind to one another through a complex mix of chemical interactions. What if some proteins bind due to their shapes, a much simpler process? To answer this question, researchers used Summit, the nation's fastest supercomputer, to model lock-and-key interactions.

30 Oct 2021

Researchers explore whether salivary glands infected with SARS-CoV-2 can diminish long-term immunity

University of Utah Health scientists are leading an effort to determine if salivary glands infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 could diminish a person’s long-term immunity to the disease after being immunized or after recovering from the illness.

30 Oct 2021

Alzheimer's disease develops in a very different way than previously thought

For the first time, researchers have used human data to quantify the speed of different processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease and found that it develops in a very different way than previously thought.

30 Oct 2021

Cancer cells exploit genetic and cellular processes to promote tumor growth

Writing in EMBO reports, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health describe how a pair of fundamental genetic and cellular processes are exploited by cancer cells to promote tumor survival and growth.

29 Oct 2021

Atomic-level imaging of artificial proteins

Scientists have created thin, paper-like crystalline sheets using a synthetic, protein-like molecule called a polypeptoid. These nanosheets are only one molecule thick, with the molecules arranged in very specific ways.

29 Oct 2021

Drug-like molecule can counteract the effects of mutated epigenetic regulators that drive cancers

A decade ago, genome sequencing revealed a big surprise: about 50 percent of human cancers are linked to mutations in what are known as epigenetic regulators, which control the activity of genes.

29 Oct 2021

Researchers develop eToeholds for safe, effective RNA and cellular therapies

RNAs are best known as the molecules that translate information encoded in genes into proteins with their myriad of activities.

29 Oct 2021

Study discovers inflammatory mediator critically involved in bacterial pneumonia

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report that a recently discovered inflammatory mediator, interleukin-26, appears to have an important role in pneumonia and contribute to the killing of bacteria.

29 Oct 2021

UT Southwestern study suggests potential way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease

A study by UT Southwestern researchers finds that changing the biochemistry of parts of brain cells abolished the formation of amyloid beta plaques in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

29 Oct 2021

New approach to control the hierarchical assembly of protein pathways with DNA

Northwestern investigators have identified a novel approach to control the hierarchical assembly of protein pathways with DNA, according to a study published the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Oct 2021

Study finds immunity against SARS-CoV-2 delta variant waned after BNT162b2 vaccine second dose

Researchers from Israel have investigated the possibility that vaccine-induced immunity reduces over time and potential causes and risk factors.

29 Oct 2021

Mitochondrial proteins last much longer than expected, finds study

Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of the cell, generating the energy that's needed to fuel the functions that our cells carry out.

28 Oct 2021

Study uncovers unknown effects of COVID-19 virus on the immune system

COVID-19 reduces the numbers and functional competence of certain types of immune cells in the blood, say LMU researchers. This could affect responses to secondary infections.

28 Oct 2021

New method reveals changes in protein structure more efficiently and accurately than before

Important processes take place among the subunits of the molecules that make up our cells. Defects in these processes or distortions in the subunits can lead to serious diseases.

28 Oct 2021

Study unravels how cells protect against influenza A viruses

Human cells use a protein named TBC1D5 to route influenza A viruses inside host cells for destruction, preventing the virus from spreading replicated copies of itself to other cells, according to a study published in Nature Microbiology.

28 Oct 2021