Cell Metabolism News and Research

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Two proteins identified as prime suspects in proliferation of breast cancer

Two proteins have been identified as prime suspects in the proliferation of breast cancer in a study by an international consortium of researchers from Rice University, the University of North Texas, Denton (UNT); the University of California, San Diego (UCSD); and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

21 Aug 2013

New technique accelerate tissue repair, reduce costs for chronic wound management

In a small clinical study, researchers administered a new method for treating chronic wounds using a novel ultrasound applicator that can be worn like a band-aid. The applicator delivers low-frequency, low-intensity ultrasound directly to wounds, and was found to significantly accelerate healing in five patients with venous ulcers.

2 Aug 2013

Cedars-Sinai investigator awarded grant to study cell metabolism in childhood sarcomas

Sandra Orsulic, PhD, director of Women's Cancer Biology in the Women's Cancer Program at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, was awarded a $250,000 grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation to study cell metabolism in childhood sarcomas.

22 Jul 2013

Scientists discover chain of molecular mechanisms set in motion by glucocorticoids

These scientists under the leadership of Martin Bilban from the Clinical Institute of Laboratory Medicine at the MedUni Vienna discovered a chain of molecular mechanisms, which is kick-started by the formation of glucocorticoids.

12 Jul 2013

Activation of brown fat increases heart-related mortality during winter

More people die from heart-disease during the winter months, and according to a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the increase in mortality is possibly due to the accelerated growth of atherosclerotic plaque in the blood vessels caused by the activation of brown fat by the cold.

3 Jul 2013

Researchers find NRF2 signaling plays a role in growth of tumor cells by altering metabolic pathways

Cancer cells have alteration in metabolic pathways as a result of oncogenes that promote tumor growth. NRF2 (nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2) works as a "master gene" that turns on stress response by increasing numerous antioxidants and pollutant-detoxifying genes to protect the lungs from variety of air pollutants such as diesel exhaust and cigarette smoke.

3 Jul 2013

Investigators uncover connection between tumor metabolic process and progression of kidney cancer

Investigators in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have uncovered a connection between how tumor cells use energy from metabolic processes and the aggressiveness of the most common form of kidney cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

24 Jun 2013

Stress exposure may be associated with increased risk of aggressive breast cancer

Local chemical signals released by fat cells in the mammary gland appear to provide a crucial link between exposure to unrelenting social stressors early in life, and the subsequent development of breast cancer, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the July 2013 issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

19 Jun 2013

FGF21 endocrine hormone which reduces glucose levels also protects against cardiac diseases in mice

A research group has found that FGF21, an endocrine factor which reduces glucose levels, protects against cardiac diseases in mice. The research, published online on the journal Nature Communications, was led by Francesc Villarroya, professor from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the UB and Director of the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), affiliated centre with the campus of international excellence BKC.

18 Jun 2013

International researchers find how brain cancer cells survive and drive tumor growth

An international team of researchers - led by principal investigator Paul S. Mischel, MD, a member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine - has found that a singular gene mutation helps brain cancer cells to not just survive, but grow tumors rapidly by altering the splicing of genes that control cellular metabolism.

1 Jun 2013

Study shows PDH enzyme plays a major role in regulation of oncogene-induced cellular senescence

An article published on the journal Nature describes the major role that Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) —an enzyme of cellular energy metabolism— plays in the regulation of the cellular senescence induced by the oncogene BRAF, which usually appears mutated in melanoma and other cancers.

22 May 2013

Study provides comprehensive blueprint for understanding diabetes

Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.

22 May 2013

New therapeutic targets for reducing heart disease in people with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes appears to increase the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death among people with high blood sugar, partly by stimulating the production of calprotectin, a protein that sparks an inflammatory process that fuels the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.

8 May 2013

HSPH researchers discover potential target to treat type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers have discovered that a particular type of protein (hormone) found in fat cells helps regulate how glucose (blood sugar) is controlled and metabolized (used for energy) in the liver.

8 May 2013

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

EPAC stands for exchange protein activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). cAMP is an (among many) intracellular messenger molecule. cAMP is generated when certain hormones stimulate a cell by binding to their receptor, which is at the outside surface of the cell.

3 May 2013

New study sheds light on DEAD-box proteins

Proteins, the workhorses of the body, can have more than one function, but they often need to be very specific in their action or they create cellular havoc, possibly leading to disease.

30 Apr 2013

Study may pave way for new strategies to fight cancer cells

For the first time, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to obtain detailed images of the way in which the transport protein GLUT transports sugars into cells.

29 Apr 2013

Mechanism of tumor suppressor p53 inactivation described

Cancer cells are a problem for the body because they multiply recklessly, refuse to die and blithely metastasize to set up shop in places where they don’t belong. One protein that keeps healthy cells from behaving this way is a tumor suppressor named p53. This protein stops potentially precancerous cells from dividing and induces suicide in those that are damaged beyond repair. Not surprisingly, p53’s critical function is disrupted in most cancers.

25 Apr 2013

Janssen Diabetes Forum: A medical education initiative for management of type 2 diabetes

Launched today in Beerse, the Janssen Diabetes Forum (www.janssendiabetesforum.com) is a novel medical education initiative, which has been developed to contribute to the understanding of the latest developments in the management of type 2 diabetes.

22 Apr 2013

Study identifies potential drug targets that interfere with cancer metabolism

A massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer.