Protein News and Research

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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.

Researchers identify a novel interaction in hydrogenases

Hydrogenases can convert hydrogen just as efficiently as expensive platinum catalysts. In order to make them usable for biotechnological applications, researchers are deciphering how they work in detail.

18 Aug 2020

Novel receptor protein can be a promising treatment for COVID-19

A novel receptor protein that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevents it from entering cells may hold promise for treating COVID-19 and other coronavirus-related diseases, according to research published online Aug. 4 in the journal SCIENCE.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers show how two X chromosomes communicate during embryo development

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have solved a mystery that has long puzzled scientists: How do the bodies of female humans and all other mammals decide which of the two X chromosomes it carries in each cell should be active and which one should be silent?

18 Aug 2020

NIH-supported research delineates how genetic variations cause atopic dermatitis

New research supported by the National Institutes of Health delineates how two relatively common variations in a gene called KIF3A are responsible for an impaired skin barrier that allows increased water loss from the skin, promoting the development of atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema.

17 Aug 2020

Scientists describe the mechanism of action of therapeutic antibodies

Since the late 1990s, immunotherapy has been the frontline treatment against lymphomas where synthetic antibodies are used to stop the proliferation of cancerous white blood cells.

14 Aug 2020

Hydrogels based on modified pectins could be used for neural tissue restoration

Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) scientists have developed implantable hydrogels based on plant polysaccharides (pectins). They can play the role of an artificial extracellular matrix, a special network of molecules that fills the space between body cells.

14 Aug 2020

Detection of cancer using different kind of liquid biopsy

Because cancer is easier to successfully treat when it's caught early, a major goal in cancer research is to develop new ways to find tumors at early stages, before they start to spread. One approach that's being studied are liquid biopsies.

14 Aug 2020

Researchers use supercomputer to gain new insights into hepatitis B virus

Researchers at the University of Delaware, using supercomputing resources and collaborating with scientists at Indiana University, have gained new understanding of the virus that causes hepatitis B and the "spiky ball" that encloses the virus's genetic blueprint.

14 Aug 2020

Scientists shed new light on the evolution and function of shapes seen in nature

Researchers have shed fresh light on the evolution and function of the shapes we see in nature - using as a model the heart shaped fruits of the Capsella genus.

14 Aug 2020

Researchers solve an ancient cancer mystery

The 1970s revealed the initial data indicating mutations in the genetic material of tumors, much before the first oncogene alterations were identified.

13 Aug 2020

Triple-negative breast cancer's ecosystem reveals potential therapeutic targets

Researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have uncovered four new subtypes of cells within triple-negative breast cancer, which contain promising new therapeutic targets for the aggressive disease.

13 Aug 2020

Genetic analysis could be used to counsel parents after stillbirth

Columbia researchers have uncovered an array of new genes that cause stillbirth, significantly increasing the understanding of the condition's genetic foundations.

13 Aug 2020

Study identifies a protein that facilitates spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus through cells

Eric Ross and Sean Cascarina, biochemistry and molecular biology researchers at Colorado State University, have released a research paper identifying a protein encoded by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that may be associated with the quick spread of the virus through cells in the human body.

13 Aug 2020

Study reveals key biochemical processes that advance understanding of colorectal cancer

A new insight into cell signals that control cancer growth and migration could help in the search for effective anti-cancer drugs. A McGill-led study reveals key biochemical processes that advance our understanding of colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer among Canadians.

13 Aug 2020

Study shows how FAK protein is activated on lipid membranes

A team of researchers has recently described the mechanistic details regarding the activation of the Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) on lipid membranes.

12 Aug 2020

Study shows MARCH8 protein protects against infection through antiviral mechanisms

A protein known as MARCH8 protects humans from infection by tagging the vesicular stomatitis virus for destruction, while simply holding the HIV hostage.

12 Aug 2020

Study shows human genome regulates the early development of organs

A team of researchers has identified how the human genome regulates the development of several organs that are crucial to human life.

From The University of Manchester 11 Aug 2020

New method helps track actin involved in mitochondrial dysfunction

The human skeleton helps in moving the body. Similarly, fine skeleton-like filaments inside the cells also help in the movement of cellular structures.

11 Aug 2020

Adaptive parallel mutations are more common in Lake Baikal amphipods

A group of scientists from Skoltech and the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of RAS (IITP RAS) showed, using Lake Baikal amphipods as an example, that parallel evolution driven by adaptations can be detected at the whole-genome level.

11 Aug 2020

Adapting the equipment and expertise of agtech labs could help combat pandemics

Just as redeploying a fleet of small British fishing boats helped during the Battle of Dunkirk, marshalling the research equipment and expertise of the many agtech labs around the world could help combat pandemics, say the authors of a just-published article in Nature Biotechnology.

11 Aug 2020