Phosphatase News and Research

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Study suggests enhanced phosphorylation and increased abundance of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein provide selective advantage

Researchers have been investigating the phosphorylation of the nucleocapsid protein.

27 Jan 2022

Researchers create a DNA-based fluorescent nanoantenna to monitor the motions of proteins

Researchers at Université de Montréal have created a nanoantenna to monitor the motions of proteins. Reported this week in Nature Methods, the device is a new method to monitor the structural change of proteins over time – and may go a long way to helping scientists better understand natural and human-designed nanotechnologies.

10 Jan 2022

New optogenetic tool uses focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force

Cell generated force plays essential roles in a wide range of biological processes, such as cell motility, cytokinesis, and tissue morphogenesis. In a study published in Nature Communications, a research team led by the Division of Quantitative Biology at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Japan has successfully developed "OptoMYPT"：an optogenetic tool that utilizes focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force.

29 Dec 2021

New mechanism involving the protein Scribble helps maintain cell polarity

A previously unknown mechanism involving the protein Scribble helps maintain polarity in cells, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

12 Nov 2021

Targeting Shp2 in oncological treatments appears to worsen the disease

In recent years, much scientific effort and funding has focused on developing drugs that target an enzyme with the unwieldy name of Src homology 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 or more briefly, Shp2.

9 Nov 2021

Serum modified PTEN levels associated with increased risk of kidney function decline

High levels of a polyubiquinated form of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) were associated with an almost four-fold higher risk of a 40% decline in kidney function in a cohort of American Indians with or at high risk of diabetic kidney disease.

22 Sep 2021

Enzyme appears to be a major driver of dangerous pregnancy complication

A new study by UT Southwestern scientists indicates that an enzyme called protein phosphatase 2 (PP2A) appears to be a major driver of preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by the development of high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine.

9 Sep 2021

Scientists identify novel mechanism that links genetic defect in IBD patients to gut leakiness

A team of researchers led by a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside, has identified a novel mechanism by which loss-of-function mutations in the gene PTPN2, found in many patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, affect how intestinal epithelial cells maintain a barrier.

3 Sep 2021

Researchers discover molecule that plays an important role in sperm motility regulation

About 120 million unintended pregnancies occurred each year between 2015 and 2019 worldwide. While there are oral contraceptives for women, the development of oral contraceptives for men has not been successful.

24 Aug 2021

Study: PirB inhibits the self-renewal and differentiation capacities of neural stem cells

Aging-US published "PirB functions as an intrinsic suppressor in hippocampal neural stem cells" which reported that neural stem cells play pivotal roles during prenatal development and throughout life.

20 Aug 2021

PTEN nuclear translocation plays a key role in neuronal injury following hypoxia-ischemia

Aging-US published "PTEN nuclear translocation enhances neuronal injury after hypoxia-ischemia via modulation of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway" which reported that this study was designed to investigate phosphatase and tensin homolog nuclear translocation and its possible role in rat cortical neuronal damage following oxygen-glucose deprivation in vitro.

9 Aug 2021

mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine CV07050101 demonstrates limited immunogenicity in non-human primates

Scientists from the US and Germany have recently evaluated the efficacy of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CV07050101, in inducing humoral and cellular immune responses in non-human primates. The study reveals that prime-boost immunization with the vaccine candidate induces only limited immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

12 Jul 2021

Structural analogs of triterpenoids show strong inhibitory activity against coronaviruses

In a recent study published in the journal Pathogens, researchers carried out a molecular docking study for 17 structural analogs prepared from natural maslinic and oleanolic acids and screened them against SARS-CoV-2 main protease. They also experimentally validated the data by determining the half-maximal cytotoxic and inhibitory concentrations of each of the 17 compounds. The researchers investigated whether the compound with antiviral activity affected viral adsorption, replication, or viricidal effect using a plaque infectivity reduction assay.

9 Jun 2021

Study uncovers novel molecular mechanism of immune cell migration

In a new study, researchers from Osaka University discovered a novel molecular mechanism by which immune cells migrate to fight off infections. These findings may help in understanding the development of certain immune deficiency disorders and establish novel therapies against them.

7 Jun 2021

Novel antibody engineering approach

Scientists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA, have recently developed an Antibody Display technology by grafting the second extracellular domain of tetraspanin12 (Tspan12EC2) and the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein on the heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3).

2 Jun 2021

Antithrombotic endothelial dysfunction is prevented by Tie2 activation in severe COVID-19

Researchers from the US recently assessed if severe COVID-19 is linked to procoagulant dysfunction of the endothelium and changes in the Tie2-angiopoietin axis. They assessed circulating endothelial markers in a study cohort of 98 patients with mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19. This study is published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

19 May 2021

Researchers identify SARS-CoV-2 antiviral compounds using protein assay

During the process of SARS-CoV-2 infection, once the virus penetrates the host cell, two open reading frames, ORF1a and ORF1ab, are translated. ORF1ab is responsible for the production of 16 nonstructural proteins (nsp). Several viral proteases such as 3CLpro and PLpro (papain-like protease) produce 1-16 nsps. A new study has been published in bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with identifying drugs that are effective as PLpro inhibitors.

13 Apr 2021

New way to enhance treatment outcomes for breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and the second most common cancer overall. Although it can now be treated with drugs, many of these drugs mysteriously stop working after some time, causing a relapse.

18 Mar 2021

Researchers unlock mysteries of protein that plays key regulatory role in cancer therapies

Researchers from the University of Virginia, Lehigh University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are pooling their respective labs' expertise to unlock the mysteries of a protein that plays a critical regulatory role in human health and disease. Knowing how the protein works could lead to improved therapies for cancers and other diseases.

5 Feb 2021

Researchers develop thermostable RNA vaccine delivery platform

A new study describes the production of a new RNA vaccine delivery system that promises greater ease of storage and distribution. This could help boost vaccination rates in regions without adequate infrastructure for low-temperature storage.

4 Feb 2021