Protein News and Research

RSS

Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

Developing new fluorescent metal sensors to explore the gastrointestinal tract

A University of Houston researcher is developing a new set of metal sensors that will be able to function in the gastrointestinal tract, a low oxygen environment, to examine how gut bacteria respond when trace metal nutrients, like iron and zinc, are thrown out of balance either through diet or disease.

20 Aug 2020

UT researchers to explore the mysteries of brain connections

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin will lead an ambitious new project with 10 other U.S. institutions and global partners that has significant implications for understanding human brain health.

20 Aug 2020

Researchers identify key protein involved in age-related disorders

People may go to great lengths to fight aging, but this process is a part of life.

From Osaka University 20 Aug 2020

Study shows how herpesvirus invades human cells and causes chickenpox

Inspite of several years of research, scientists are still clueless about how herpesviruses penetrate the human cells.

20 Aug 2020

Study shows age is a major risk factor for dying from COVID-19 infection

According to a study, genes that play a significant role in enabling SARS-CoV-2 to penetrate the heart cells become more active as people age.

20 Aug 2020

Cashew shell compound shows therapeutic potential for demyelinating diseases

In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

From Vanderbilt University 19 Aug 2020

Study shows how high-protein diet protects against fatty liver

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease in the world, with sometimes life-threatening consequences.

19 Aug 2020

Novel molecular survival strategy of Shigella bacterium uncovered

Enteric pathogens, such as the bacterium Shigella, can cause severe intestinal disease with bloody diarrhea. In a new study, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discovered a novel molecular survival strategy by which Shigella is able to cause damage to the intestines despite two elaborate protective mechanisms used by host cells.

19 Aug 2020

New mechanism that enables spruce trees to adapt to winter discovered

Photosynthesis in conifer forests is one of the most important carbon sinks on a global scale. Unlike broadleaf trees, conifers are evergreen and retain their photosynthesis structure throughout the year.

19 Aug 2020

Surface structure of SARS-CoV-2 virus offers insights for development of therapeutics

At the start of a COVID-19 infection, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 docks onto human cells using the spike-like proteins on its surface. The spike protein is at the centre of vaccine development because it triggers an immune response in humans.

19 Aug 2020

LJI scientists tracked down rare stem cells that generate neutrophils in humans

Neutrophils are the warriors of the immune system. They are always ready to spring to action to help heal injuries or fight off disease. Unless, that is, something goes wrong in their developmental process.

19 Aug 2020

Study investigates how Ebola virus adapts to bat and human cells

A new study by researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston uncovered new information on why the Ebola virus can live within bats without causing them harm, while the same virus wreaks deadly havoc to people.

19 Aug 2020

Long-term opioid use in back-pain patients leads to production of anti-opioid antibodies

University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies.

19 Aug 2020

RNA-based therapeutic approach could be used to cure hereditary diseases

Short RNA molecules can be used as medication. Their effectiveness is based on the genetic information they carry: therapeutic RNA can bind to the body's own RNA and thus influence how it functions.

19 Aug 2020

Study shows how proteins act as a defense mechanism to protect their own DNA

Viruses usually inject their DNA into a host cell to multiply. As soon as this foreign material penetrates the intracellular fluid, it activates a defense mechanism called the cGAS-STING pathway.

18 Aug 2020

High-speed AFM enables real-time visualization of influenza A hemagglutinin during viral entry

Unlike living organisms, to avoid extinction, viruses need to hijack living host machineries to generate new viruses.

18 Aug 2020

Protective anti-prion antibodies found in humans

Antibodies targeting the normal PrP version of the prion protein have been found in humans selected at random with no history of any associated transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

18 Aug 2020

Genome analysis helps identify 568 cancer driver genes

Analysis of the genomes of 28,000 tumors from 66 types of cancer has led to the identification of 568 cancer driver gene.

18 Aug 2020

Regulating cancer stemness using combination of nanotechnology and genetic engineering

The development of chemotherapeutic agents with selective anti-cancer activities is increasingly unattractive due to the emergence of resistance, poor targeting of cancer tissues, and subsequent metastasis.

18 Aug 2020

Protein produced by nervous system may be the key to treating inflammatory diseases

A Rutgers-led team may have found the key to treating inflammatory diseases like asthma, allergies, chronic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

From Rutgers University 18 Aug 2020