Messenger RNA (mRNA) News and Research

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Synthorx employs synthetic DNA technology to produce proteins containing novel amino acids

Synthorx Inc. announced today that the company has employed its proprietary protein expression system to successfully produce proteins containing novel amino acids. Using a semi-synthetic DNA template (containing the synthetic base pair X and Y), Synthorx scientists were able to produce RNA containing X and Y, which was used with an otherwise fully natural biological system, to efficiently direct the incorporation of multiple novel amino acids at different sites in proteins.

19 Aug 2015

RNA-binding protein ROQUIN regulates response to DNA damage

Messenger (mRNA) molecules are a key component of protein biosynthesis. They are first transcribed as a "working copy" of the DNA and then translated into protein molecules.

3 Aug 2015

UIC, Northwestern University researchers create first artificial ribosome

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University have engineered a tethered ribosome that works nearly as well as the authentic cellular component, or organelle, that produces all the proteins and enzymes within the cell. The engineered ribosome may enable the production of new drugs and next-generation biomaterials and lead to a better understanding of how ribosomes function.

30 Jul 2015

Innovative approach to treating AAT deficiency

Researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of delivering an RNA that encodes for the protein alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT)--which is missing or nonfunctional in the genetic disorder AAT deficiency--into cells in the laboratory, enabling the cells to produce highly functional AAT.

28 Jul 2015

Research could lead to new approaches to treating spinal cord and brain injuries

Many an injury will heal, but the damaged spinal cord is notoriously recalcitrant. There's new hope on the horizon, though. A team of researchers led by the University of South Carolina's Jeff Twiss just reported an innate repair mechanism in central nervous system axons that might be harnessed to regenerate nerves after brain or spinal cord injuries.

16 Jul 2015

Laser microdissection microscope series with LED for transmitted light launched by Leica Microsystems

Leica Microsystems has launched two instruments of the laser microdissection microscope series, the Leica LMD6 and the LMD7, with LED illumination for transmitted light. Users can now choose between halogen and LED illumination. LEDs are an energy-efficient light source providing homogenous illumination and a constant color temperature.

From Leica Microsystems GmbH 13 Jul 2015

TSRI study reveals alternative approach to current anti-HIV strategies

HIV-infected patients remain on antiretroviral therapy for life because the virus survives over the long-term in infected dormant cells. Interruption of current types of antiretroviral therapy results in a rebound of the virus and clinical progression to AIDS.

9 Jul 2015

Study uncovers complicated role of simple protein in spread of osteosarcoma

The investigation of a simple protein has uncovered its uniquely complicated role in the spread of the childhood cancer, osteosarcoma. It turns out the protein, called ezrin, acts like an air traffic controller, coordinating multiple functions within a cancer cell and allowing it to endure stress conditions encountered during metastasis.

7 Jul 2015

Researchers unravel mechanisms that enable accumulation of tumour promoting protease in stressed cancer cells

A mechanism beyond the level of gene regulation, which is often the underlying reason for changes in protein levels, does enable the strong accumulation of a tumour promoting protease in stressed cancer cells. The group of BIOSS researcher Prof. Dr. Thomas Reinheckel teamed up with BIOSS investigator Prof. Dr. Sabine Rospert and their colleagues from the University Medical Center Freiburg, Prof. Dr. Elmar Stickeler and Dr. Peter Bronsert, in order to unravel mechanisms by which stress-resistant production of cancer promoting proteins occurs.

6 Jul 2015

Nuclea and Aelan partner to develop, commercialize novel biomarker tests using STEM cells as models

Nuclea Biotechnologies Inc. announced today that it is partnering with Aelan Cell Technologies Inc. (San Francisco, California) for the development, validation and commercialization of novel biomarker tests and companion diagnostics using human STEM cells as models.

1 Jul 2015

New species of tRNA-derived small RNAs contribute to cell proliferation in cancer

Since their discovery in the 1950s, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) have been best known for their role in helping the cell make proteins from messenger RNA templates. However, recent studies have led to a previously-unsuspected concept that tRNAs are not always the end product; namely, they further serve as a source of small RNAs.

30 Jun 2015

Study on fruit flies, brewer's yeast may provide clues about cause of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Scientists at the University of Malta and the Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (CNRS/Université de Montpellier) have shown that fruit flies and brewer's yeast can reveal clues about the cause of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the most common genetic killer of infants.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers discover mechanism that regulates metabolism

The protein complex mTORC1 is a central regulator of cell metabolism. In the active state, it stimulates anabolic processes and increases the production and storage of proteins and lipids. Researchers from the German Leibniz Institute for Age Research in Jena and the Dutch Ageing Institute ERIBA in Groningen discovered a mechanism how mTORC1 regulates metabolism: It controls the expression of a specific variant of the transcriptional regulator C/EBPβ.

29 Jun 2015

High fructose consumption can lead to uncontrolled growth of cardiomyocytes, heart attack

'Walk through any supermarket and take a look at the labels on food products, and you'll see that many of them contain fructose, often in the form of sucrose (table sugar)' -- that's how Wilhelm Krek, professor for cell biology at ETH Zurich's Institute for Molecular Health Sciences, summarises the problem with today's nutrition.

18 Jun 2015

Molecular classifications of low-grade gliomas proposed

Two research teams have independently proposed molecular classification systems for grade II and III glioma based on three tumour markers, with each category displaying distinct clinical features and outcomes.

12 Jun 2015

New UAB research identifies link between temporal lobe epilepsy and memory loss

New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham identifies an epigenetic cause for why patients with temporal lobe epilepsy tend to have memory loss, and suggests a potential way to reverse that loss.

8 Jun 2015

Two grants to bolster research on why ovarian cancer is resistant to chemotherapy

Determining which strains of cancer will eventually become resistant to chemotherapy could be key in figuring out more effective and targeted forms of treatment. Finding the genes responsible for chemo-resistance is what Jeremy Chien, Ph.D., member of the Cancer Biology Program at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, is looking to do with an innovative system that draws inspiration from the early days of cancer gene research.

1 Jun 2015

Researchers identify six mRNA isoforms that could be used to diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat, making it an especially fatal disease. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have now identified six mRNA isoforms (bits of genetic material) produced by ovarian cancer cells but not normal cells, opening up the possibility that they could be used to diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer.

26 May 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers identify new therapy to treat lung cancer

A multidisciplinary team led by Johns Hopkins researcher Venu Raman, Ph.D., with notable contributions from Guus Bol, Farhad Vesuna and Phuoc Tran of Johns Hopkins, has identified a new therapy for lung cancer, the most common cancer worldwide. The therapy has been in development for six years and involves a first-in-class molecule designed by the team.

20 May 2015

Non-coding RNAs in maternal food can pass through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression

In a new study published in the Protein & Cell, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University reports that small non-coding RNAs in maternal food can transfer through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression.

14 May 2015