Ligase News and Research

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Understanding neuron development: an interview with Dr. Brock Grill, The Scripps Research Institute

There’s a big difference between understanding coordination and actually building connectivity. In terms of building connectivity, several molecules have been identified that control this process and a lot has been learned from both genetic and biochemical research in a variety of different systems, particularly studies in the nematode C. elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila and mice.

22 Aug 2014

Scientists solve key mystery in cancer research

A chance meeting between two leading UK and US scientists could have finally helped solve a key mystery in cancer research.

8 Aug 2014

Study shows inactivation of p53 protein promotes cancer progression

Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the University of Barcelona have discovered the interaction between HERC2 proteins with another protein called p53 that is inactivated in more than half of human tumors.

22 Jul 2014

New study sheds light on role of RPM-1 protein in neuron development

In a new study, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shed new light on these complex processes, showing that a particular protein plays a far more sophisticated role in neuron development than previously thought.

11 Jul 2014

Cells are more resilient than originally thought, say scientists

New research shows that cells are more resilient in taking care of their DNA than scientists originally thought. Even when missing critical components, cells can adapt and make copies of their DNA in an alternative way.

26 Apr 2014

Professor receives $1.7M NIH grant to explore novel treatments for chronic methamphetamine users

A Wayne State University professor recently received a nearly $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health to explore whether proteasome and parkin — two components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system — are potential pharmaceutical drug targets that can be manipulated to promote survival and recovery of dopaminergic terminals after binge and chronic administration of toxic doses of methamphetamine.

8 Apr 2014

Sanford-Burnham to present new cancer research data at AACR 2014

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute will present a wide range of new research data at the annual American Association for Cancer Research Meeting in San Diego starting Saturday, April 5, at the San Diego Convention Center. The presentations will cover a variety of topics including breast, melanoma, and prostate cancer, as well as novel methods of delivering drugs to tumors.

4 Apr 2014

LifeSensors receives U.S. patent for development of novel DUB substrates

LifeSensors, Inc., a biotech company developing cutting-edge technologies for studying the ubiquitin pathway, has been awarded a U.S. patent for the development of novel, fluorescent di- and poly-ubiquitin deubiquitinase substrates (US 8,518,660).

16 Sep 2013

Disease Twofer: Parkin Problem Leads To Parkinson’S And Impairs Response To TB

University of California, San Francisco researchers report that a key protein associated with Parkinson's disease also plays a major role in the destruction of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis.

5 Sep 2013

Research opens potential new avenue for cancer treatment

Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson who identified a protein's dual role in cancer promotion have discovered a way to shut it down, opening a potential new avenue for cancer treatment.

2 Aug 2013

Discovery points to new therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease

Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute have made a significant discovery that could lead to a new therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.

25 Jul 2013

Discovery could lead to new therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease

Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made a significant discovery that could lead to a new therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.

25 Jul 2013

Researchers produce potential antibiotic that targets bacterial enzyme critical to metabolic processes

University of Adelaide research has produced a potential new antibiotic which could help in the battle against bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

4 Jul 2013

Researchers reveal how disease mutations affect the stability and function of Parkin protein

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the United Kingdom have determined the crystal structure of Parkin, a protein found in cells that when mutated can lead to a hereditary form of Parkinson's disease.

3 Jun 2013

Scientists spell out pivotal role of Peli1 in mouse model of multiple sclerosis

Scientists have identified an influential link in a chain of events that leads to autoimmune inflammation of the central nervous system in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

3 May 2013

Study reveals inner workings of master regulator that controls diverse functions

New discoveries by a team of scientists at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans for the first time reveal the inner workings of a master regulator that controls functions as diverse as the ability of nerve cells to "rewire" themselves in response to external stimuli and the mechanism by which certain viruses hijack normal cellular processes to facilitate their replication that can ultimately lead to cancer. The research will be published in the April 12, 2013 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

12 Apr 2013

Scientists determine structure of Ltn1 protein

Using an innovative approach, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have determined the structure of Ltn1, a recently discovered "quality-control" protein that is found in the cells of all plants, fungi and animals.

17 Jan 2013

Susceptibility genes for bovine digital dermatitis found

Researchers have identified genetic variants that influence susceptibility to bovine digital dermatitis, an infectious condition that causes lameness of the hindfoot.

9 Jan 2013

Study reveals how BRCA1 enzymatic activity may stop cancer cell growth

A new study by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers reveals how a well-known tumor suppressor gene may be functioning to stop cancer cell growth.

17 Dec 2012

UNM study to understand why and how DNA repair mechanisms go awry in cancer cells

DNA, like houses and cars, needs ongoing maintenance. Rays of ultraviolet sunlight, chemical pollutants and normal biochemical processes in the cell can damage it. Cells routinely repair this damage before making proteins or copying DNA for cell division. The repairs are remarkably accurate in normal cells but cancer cells make far more mistakes in fixing their DNA.

11 Dec 2012