Amino Acid News and Research

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Amino Acid is one of several molecules that join together to form proteins. There are 20 common amino acids found in proteins.

Researchers discover molecular "switch" in receptor that controls cell behavior

If scientists can control cellular functions such as movement and development, they can cripple cells and pathogens that are causing disease in the body.

17 Dec 2013

Utah researchers discover naturally occurring genetic variation that cause inflammatory arthritis

University of Utah researchers have discovered a naturally occurring genetic variation in mice that predisposes carriers toward developing severe, inflammatory arthritis. The finding implicates a new class of genes in arthritis progression, potentially opening doors to new treatment options.

17 Dec 2013

University of Colorado medical school professor uncovers variant of NKH

People from around the country and the world turn to Johan Van Hove, MD, PhD, for advice on a rare metabolic disease known as NKH, which can disrupt the body in devastating and even deadly ways. Now, Van Hove, a University of Colorado medical school professor, has identified a new disease related to NKH, a finding that resolves previously baffling cases including the death of a Colorado girl.

13 Dec 2013

Probe mimics pathogen's amino acids, solving mystery behind Chlamydiae cell wall

Biochemical sleuthing by an Indiana University graduate student has ended a nearly 50-year-old search to find a megamolecule in bacterial cell walls commonly used as a target for antibiotics, but whose presence had never been identified in the bacterium responsible for the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the United States.

12 Dec 2013

Researchers find how olfactory receptor variation impacts human odor perception

According to Gertrude Stein, "A rose is a rose is a rose," but new research indicates that might not be the case when it comes to the rose's scent. Researchers from the Monell Center and collaborating institutions have found that as much as 30 percent of the large array of human olfactory receptor differs between any two individuals. This substantial variation is in turn reflected by variability in how each person perceives odors.

9 Dec 2013

New research finds that H7N9 still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans

Avian influenza virus H7N9, which killed several dozen people in China earlier this year, has not yet acquired the changes needed to infect humans easily, according to a new study by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute. In contrast to some initial studies that had suggested that H7N9 poses an imminent risk of a global pandemic, the new research found, based on analyses of virus samples from the Chinese outbreak, that H7N9 is still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans.

6 Dec 2013

Johns Hopkins researchers discover some cases of scleroderma likely to be initiated by cancer

The Scleroderma Research Foundation today reported that researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have discovered that some cases of scleroderma are likely to have been initiated by cancer.

6 Dec 2013

18F-FDOPA imaging can help distinguish radiation-induced lesions in patients with brain metastases

Imaging with the molecular imaging tracer 18F-FDOPA can help distinguish radiation-induced lesions from new tumor growth in patients who have been treated with radiation for brain metastases, according to new research published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Using this amino acid tracer, researchers found that physicians could accurately differentiate the two types of lesions 83 percent of the time. Progression-free survival could also be predicted through evaluating the 18F-FDOPA imaging results.

4 Dec 2013

Asparagine found in meat, eggs and dairy products is important for normal brain development

Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development.

26 Nov 2013

Genetic variation linked to increased levels of triglycerides associated with heart disorders

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have found that a genetic variation that is linked to increased levels of triglycerides -- fats in the blood associated with disorders such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and stroke -- is far more common than previously believed and disproportionally affects people of African ancestry.

26 Nov 2013

University of Sydney researchers identify new type of medication for osteoporosis

University of Sydney researchers have discovered a new and promising treatment for osteoporosis which is easily delivered in water soluble form.

20 Nov 2013

Research shows superiority of whey protein

As science continues to support the role of protein in building and maintaining lean muscle, maintaining weight and aging healthy, consumers are embracing the important role of protein in the diet. But not all proteins are created equal and it turns out that protein quality really does matter.

16 Nov 2013

New view can give scientists better understanding of how antidepressants work in human brain

Research from Oregon Health & Science University's Vollum Institute, published in the current issue of Nature, is giving scientists a never-before-seen view of how nerve cells communicate with each other.

13 Nov 2013

Tea helps promote weight loss and improve bone health

Decades worth of research shows that tea-the second most consumed beverage in the world-may help prevent chronic illnesses, including heart disease, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. New research shows tea has been found to help promote weight loss and maintain a healthy weight, improve bone health and activate areas of the brain that bolster attention, problem solving and mood.

7 Nov 2013

Gene mutated in rare hereditary disorder also prevents mTORC1 pathway activation

Whitehead Institute scientists report that the gene mutated in the rare hereditary disorder known as Birt-Hogg-Dub- cancer syndrome also prevents activation of mTORC1, a critical nutrient-sensing and growth-regulating cellular pathway.

5 Nov 2013

McMaster University researchers discover how metformin drug works on fat in the liver

About 120 million people around the world with Type 2 diabetes - and two million in Canada - take the drug metformin to control their disease.

4 Nov 2013

Malaria elimination and insecticide resistance: an interview with Professor Hilary Ranson, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

The first malaria elimination programme was in the 1950s and 1960s. Malaria was eliminated from many countries in Asia and the Americas, largely by indoor spraying with insecticide. But the campaign had very little impact in Africa and eventually resources were moved away from malaria control.

30 Oct 2013