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.

New mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection reflects features of human infection

Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server reports the development of a modified mouse model that allows productive SARS-CoV-2 infection of the mouse lungs, as well as the exploration of type I and III interferon responses in this condition.

14 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2's resistance to remdesivir in vitro

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server discusses the emergence of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, allowing it to escape the effects of the most commonly used antiviral drug, remdesivir.

14 Feb 2021

Vaccine candidate containing tetanus toxoid potentially protective against SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from Cuba, China, and France have demonstrated the potential of coupling a viral antigen with the tetanus toxoid protein as a vaccination approach to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

14 Feb 2021

LMU researchers study T cell exhaustion

T lymphocytes, or T cells, are an important component of our immune system. They can recognize foreign proteins, so-called antigens, as peptide fragments - for instance, those derived from viruses or cancer cells.

13 Feb 2021

New tool enables study of SARS-CoV-2 mutant spectrum by ultrasequencing

SARS-CoV-2 genome is three times larger than influenza genome. Both consist of NRA molecules that mutate when replicate.

13 Feb 2021

Study reveals mechanisms behind sensitivity of multiple myeloma cells to EZH2 inhibition

Researchers from Uppsala University show in a new study that inhibition of the protein EZH2 can reduce the growth of cancer cells in the blood cancer multiple myeloma.

13 Feb 2021

Targeted drug combined with immunotherapy prolongs survival in patients with advanced kidney cancer

Patients with advanced kidney cancer, who received a targeted drug combined with a checkpoint-blocker immunotherapy agent had longer survival than patients treated with the standard targeted drug, said an investigator from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, reporting results from a phase 3 clinical trial.

13 Feb 2021

Major antioxidant in green tea may increase levels of natural anti-cancer protein

An antioxidant found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein, known as the "guardian of the genome" for its ability to repair DNA damage or destroy cancerous cells.

13 Feb 2021

Lund researchers discover how E. coli bacteria target and degrade MYC oncogene

Scientists at Lund University have discovered how E. coli bacteria target and degrade the well-known oncogene MYC, which is involved in many forms of cancer.

13 Feb 2021

Research provides insight into protein structures that could treat Huntington’s disease

In Huntington's disease, a faulty protein aggregates in brain cells and eventually kills them. Such protein aggregates could, in principle, be prevented with a heat shock protein. However, it is not well known how these proteins interact with the Huntington's disease protein.

12 Feb 2021

A novel approach to suppress the growth of glioblastoma cells

Inhibiting a key enzyme that controls a large network of proteins important in cell division and growth paves the way for a new class of drugs that could stop glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer, from growing.

12 Feb 2021

Scientists demonstrate how glue points and sequence alignment information can flag residue SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the U.S. have demonstrated how dominant energetic landscape mappings or glue points, along with sequence alignment information can potentially identify key residue mutations and spike protein deletions tied with emerging variants.

12 Feb 2021

Disrupting cancer cell cycle with two commercially available inhibitors causes tumor cell death

With two commercially available inhibitors, the cell cycle of the cancer cells in the childhood tumor neuroblastoma can be disrupted at a key point causing tumor cell death.

12 Feb 2021

A brain enzyme plays an important role in waking up neural stem cells

Researchers studying an enzyme in fruit fly larvae have found that it plays an important role in waking up brain stem cells from their dormant 'quiescent' state, enabling them to proliferate and generate new neurons.

12 Feb 2021

Researchers identify protein sequences involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was established that SARS-CoV-2 infects cells by binding to the human protein ACE2, which plays a role in regulating blood pressure.

12 Feb 2021

Study reveals detailed map of glioblastoma in genetic, molecular detail

Glioblastoma is among the most aggressive and devastating of cancers. While rare compared with other cancers, it's the most common type of brain cancer.

12 Feb 2021

Study identifies a new factor that increases risk of Alzheimer's disease

People who have a gene variant associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease also tend to have changes in the fluid around their brain and spinal cord that are detectable years before symptoms arise, according to new research from Duke Health.

12 Feb 2021

Researchers receive $1,894,271 grant to address new drug targets for diastolic dysfunction

After the left ventricle of the heart contracts, it must relax efficiently to prepare to refill and supply the body with blood on the next beat. An increasing number of patients -- including nearly all patients with heart failure -- suffer from impaired relaxation, which is part of a clinical syndrome known as diastolic dysfunction. Currently, treatments for impaired relaxation do not exist.

12 Feb 2021

Study shows that SRC-3 also regulates human immune T regulatory cells

A study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reveals a novel role of the steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3/NCOA3), a protein crucial for steroid hormone function and a prognostic marker for aggressive human breast and other cancers.

12 Feb 2021

Research reveals vital clues for discovery of COVID-19 drugs

Research from the University of Kent, Goethe-University in Frankfurt am Main, and the Philipps-University in Marburg has provided crucial insights into the biological composition of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, revealing vital clues for the discovery of antiviral drugs.

11 Feb 2021