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 find link between mutations in gene called RAB 24 and inherited neurodegenerative disease

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a link between a mutation in a gene called RAB 24 and an inherited neurodegenerative disease in Old English sheepdogs and Gordon setters. The findings may help further understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and identify new treatments for both canine and human sufferers.

7 Feb 2014

New RUB project to unravel role of enzyme Parkin in promoting neuronal survival

Cell biologists at the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum have launched a new project to unravel the role of the enzyme Parkin in promoting neuronal survival. The team of Prof Dr Konstanze F. Winklhofer from the Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, is looking for new therapeutic options to treat Parkinson's disease. The Michael J. Fox Foundation finances this research project with 125,000 US Dollars.

18 Dec 2013

New research reveals how high-protein diet reduces muscle loss when dieting

Building upon the discovery that a high-protein diet reduces muscle loss when dieting, a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal now helps explain why. Protein consumption slows the ubiquitin proteasome system, which is primarily responsible for degrading skeletal muscle.

4 Dec 2013

Enzyme intervenes when cancer-fighting PTEN is bound for cell's protein-destroying machinery

A protector for PTEN, a tumor-thwarting protein often missing in cancer cells, has emerged from research led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published online at Nature Cell Biology this week.

28 Nov 2013

Researchers report long-term benefits of gene therapy in advanced heart failure patients

Researchers from the Cardiovascular Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reported the long-term benefits of a single dose of their gene therapy AAV1/SERCA2a in advanced heart failure patients on Nov. 19 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2013.

20 Nov 2013

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

Parkin protein plays key role in destruction of bacteria that cause tuberculosis

A protein at the center of Parkinson's disease research now also has been found to play a key role in causing the destruction of bacteria that cause tuberculosis, according to scientists led by UC San Francisco microbiologist and tuberculosis expert Jeffery Cox, PhD.

5 Sep 2013

URI professor studies rare hereditary disorder Fanconi anemia in children

When 2-year-old Logan Stevenson served as best man at his parents' wedding just days before he died of a rare genetic disorder, it drew international attention to a disease about which few people had ever heard. Hearing about Logan's story added another level of urgency to the research being conducted by University of Rhode Island Associate Professor Niall Howlett.

28 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

Gladstone-led study finds underlying mechanisms behind Huntington's disease

Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's. Names forever linked to what they represent: diseases that ravage the brain's neurons and leave entire regions to wither and die. These and other so-called neurodegenerative diseases are often associated with the buildup of toxic proteins that lead to the death of neurons.

22 Jul 2013

Sir Michael Stratton, Thijn Brummelkamp and Anne Glover to speak at The EMBO Meeting 2013

Predisposition to cancer and other diseases, genetic testing, infectious proteins and ubiquitin signalling -- these are some of the topics internationally renowned speakers will tackle at The EMBO Meeting 2013 to be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 21-24 September 2013.

22 Jul 2013

FORMA Therapeutics, CRT partner to discover therapeutic drug candidates against DUBs

FORMA Therapeutics and Cancer Research Technology, Ltd., the commercialization company of Cancer Research UK, announced today a bold research initiative to discover innovative tools, technologies and therapeutic drug candidates against a variety of protein homeostasis regulators called, deubiquitinating enzymes.

9 Jul 2013

Ubiquitin protein may treat variety of diseases from Parkinson's to diabetes

A tiny protein called ubiquitin - so named because it is present in every cell of living things as dissimilar as hollyhocks and humans - may hold the key to treatment for a variety of diseases from Parkinson's to diabetes.

3 Jul 2013

Researchers discover an important mechanism that regulates proteasome activity

Dysfunction of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has been detected in many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and certain types of cancer. Such dysfunction is also believed to be related to some degenerative muscle diseases. Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, have now discovered an important mechanism that regulates proteasome activity.

1 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 discover new function of an enzyme that disposes of superfluous proteins

Cells have a sophisticated system to control and dispose of defective, superfluous proteins and thus to prevent damage to the body. Dr. Katrin Bagola and Professor Thomas Sommer of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch as well as Professor Michael Glickman and Professor Aaron Ciechanover of Technion, the Technical University of Israel in Haifa, have now discovered a new function of an enzyme that is involved in this vital process.

29 May 2013

Research findings could lead to new therapies for stroke and other brain diseases

Scientists investigating the interaction of a group of proteins in the brain responsible for protecting nerve cells from damage have identified a new target that could increase cell survival.

18 May 2013

Researchers find a way the body can remove injured axons

Many medical issues affect nerves, from injuries in car accidents and side effects of chemotherapy to glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. The common theme in these scenarios is destruction of nerve axons, the long wires that transmit signals to other parts of the body, allowing movement, sight and sense of touch, among other vital functions.

10 May 2013