Ubiquitin News and Research

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Ubiquitin is a small regulatory protein that has been found in almost all cells (''ubiquitously'') with nuclei (eukaryotes). It directs proteins to recycling and other functions.

Researchers discover how mutations in protein network drive high-risk leukemias

Researchers have uncovered how mutations in a protein network drive several high-risk leukemias, offering new prospects for novel therapies.

14 Jun 2017

New anti-viral tool could become game-changer in the fight against MERS

In June 2012, a 60 year-old man with flu-like symptoms walked into a private hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Two weeks later, he died from multiple organ failure, becoming the first victim of a mysterious virus that came to be known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS.

19 May 2017

Mayo Clinic research advances understanding of DNA repair mechanisms

We humans like to think our DNA is well-protected in the nucleus of each cell. But it's a hard life for the hard-working genetic code.

12 May 2017

Research findings identify protein as potential new drug target for HCMV infections

Scientists have demonstrated that a human protein known as valosin containing protein (VCP) is essential for replication of human cytomegalovirus. The findings, published in PLOS Pathogens, identify VCP as a potential new treatment target.

11 May 2017

Scientists study cell’s reaction to Salmonella by visualizing protein chains at near-molecular level

With drug resistance being on the rise worldwide, bacterial infections pose one of the greatest global threats to human health. By deciphering the host-pathogen interaction on a molecular level, researchers hope to pave the way for new therapies.

10 May 2017

Study provides new understanding of molecular mechanisms that impact intellectual disability

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that a protein helps balance nerve cell communication.

25 Apr 2017

Researchers discover how protein aggregation triggers aging

Not only does our way of life determine how long we live but so too does our genetic material. Of particular importance here is a genetic program that is controlled by the insulin receptor. A team of researchers from the Universities of Cologne and Bonn has now discovered how protein aggregation affects this genetic program and thus triggers aging.

21 Apr 2017

Novel technology enables systematic analysis of linear ubiquitination targets

Ubiquitin is a small protein that can be linked to other cellular proteins, thereby controlling and modulating their functions. The attachment occurs in many different forms, either as single molecule or in the form of distinct ubiquitin chains, leading to diverse conformations and varying cellular outcomes.

20 Mar 2017

Researchers unravel protein dosage compensation mechanism in genes

Researchers at Okayama University report in PLOS Genetics which genes from the yeast genome exhibit dosage compensation — the ability to temper protein production when the corresponding encoding gene’s copy number increases.

16 Mar 2017

Biologists develop new way to inhibit cancer cell cleanup mechanism

The genomes of cancer cells--cells that do not obey signals to stop reproducing--are riddled with genetic mutations, causing them inadvertently to make many dysfunctional proteins.

28 Feb 2017

Scientists discover how genetic mutation disarms tumor-suppressing BRCA1 proteins in breast cancer

Of the more than 3 million people with breast cancer in the United Stated, about 10 percent carry an inherited mutation in their BRCA1 gene. In health, the gene is responsible for suppressing tumors. In disease, the gene goes terribly awry.

28 Feb 2017

Scientists discover 'Achilles' heel' of tumor-suppressing protein that drives prostate cancer metastasis

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered that a protein called Importin-11 protects the anti-cancer protein PTEN from destruction by transporting it into the cell nucleus. A study they publish today in The Journal of Cell Biology suggests that the loss of Importin-11 may destabilize PTEN, leading to the development of lung, prostate, and other cancers.

13 Feb 2017

Scientists generate new insights into intricate molecular underpinnings of ubiquitin signaling

Scientists at the University of Würzburg have generated new insights into the intricate molecular underpinnings of ubiquitin signaling. Their results may provide new avenues for cancer therapy.

13 Feb 2017

Study highlights need for increased vigilance when using GFAP, UCH-L-1 as potential biomarkers of mTBI

In patients who suffered acute orthopedic injuries, two proposed biomarkers for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) were not able to distinguish between patients who did or did not have mTBI.

7 Feb 2017

Researchers find chemical link between two problem proteins that cause Parkinson's disease

Researchers report they have discovered how two problem proteins known to cause Parkinson's disease are chemically linked, suggesting that someday, both could be neutralized by a single drug designed to target the link.

2 Feb 2017

Faults in natural waste disposal system may play key role in neurodegenerative diseases

A fault with the natural waste disposal system that helps to keep our brain cell 'batteries' healthy may contribute to neurodegenerative disease, a new study has found.

25 Jan 2017

Researchers reveal central role of new key players in meiosis

Where would we be without meiosis and recombination? For a start, none of us sexually reproducing organisms would be here, because that's how sperm and eggs are made. And when meiosis doesn't work properly, it can lead to infertility, miscarriage, birth defects and developmental disorders.

24 Jan 2017

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