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.

Researchers define cancer invasion machinery orchestrated by cancer gene

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have defined a cancer invasion machinery, which is orchestrated by a frequently mutated cancer gene called Ras. When signaling from Ras protein becomes abnormally high, like it does in many cancers, this switches on the cellular machinery that helps the cancer cells to depart from the tissue from which the cells have developed.

20 Jan 2021

New method shows how pharmaceuticals induce cancer cell death

Cancer cells are smart when it comes to anti-cancer drugs, evolving and becoming resistant to even the strongest chemotherapies over time.

20 Jan 2021

Study reveals unusual chemical steps involved in the synthesis of antibiotics

Pictures of a protein that plays a key role in the production of a potent antibiotic have disclosed the first unusual steps involved in the synthesis of antibiotics.

From Penn State University 19 Jan 2021

Gene therapy helps paralyzed mice to walk again

For the first time, scientists have successfully used gene therapy to make mice walk again after these animals suffered a complete cross-sectional injury.

18 Jan 2021

Study explains operating mode of mitochondrial sorting and assembly machinery

Mitochondria are vital for the human body as cellular powerhouses: They possess more than 1,000 different proteins, required for many central metabolic pathways. Disfunction of these leads to severe diseases, especially of the nervous system and the heart.

18 Jan 2021

Study shows how AFV3-109 protein with slipknot structure folds and unfolds based on temperature

Scientists from the Pacific Quantum Center of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) figured out how the AFV3-109 protein with slipknot structure folds and unfolds depending on temperature. The protein is typical for the viruses of the oldest single-celled organisms that can survive in the extreme conditions of underwater volcanic sources - archaea. The research outcome appears in PLOS ONE.

15 Jan 2021

Using mass spectrometry to determine the sex of fingermarks

In this interview, AZoLifeSciences speaks to Prof. Simona Francese about her latest research into fingermarks and how, by using MALDI-MS, you can accurately determine their sex.

From Sheffield Hallam University 15 Jan 2021

Protein phosphatase inhibition could contribute to the treatment of cancer, other diseases

The abundant presence of an enzyme known as low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMWPTP) in tumor cells has long been considered an indicator of cancer aggressiveness and metastatic potential.

13 Jan 2021

Nanobodies can prevent entry of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus into human cells

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed, in collaboration with researchers in Germany and the U.S., new small antibodies, also known as nanobodies, which prevent the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from entering human cells.

13 Jan 2021

Researchers develop novel nanobodies against SARS coronavirus-2

An international research team led by the University of Bonn has identified and further developed novel antibody fragments against the SARS coronavirus-2. These "nanobodies" are much smaller than the classic antibodies used to treat US President Donald Trump, for example.

13 Jan 2021

Researchers determine atomic structure of coronavirus protein linked to disease severity

A team of HIV researchers, cellular biologists, and biophysicists who banded together to support COVID-19 science determined the atomic structure of a coronavirus protein thought to help the pathogen evade and dampen response from human immune cells.

13 Jan 2021

New discovery helps explain how COVID-19 suppresses the body’s immune response

Seeking to understand why COVID-19 is able to suppress the body's immune response, new research from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology suggests that mitochondria are one of the first lines of defense against COVID-19 and identifies key differences in how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, interacts with mitochondrial genes when compared to other viruses.

12 Jan 2021