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.

New deep neural network predicts transcription factors from protein sequences

A collaborative team of researchers have developed a deep neural network called DeepTFactor that predicts transcription factors from protein sequences.

8 Jan 2021

New technique to detect gene doping in human plasma

All athletes wish to be at the top of their game while competing, yet some turn to corrupt strategies to achieve peak speed, agility, and muscle growth. Latest advancements in gene editing technology could lure athletes to change their DNA to gain an upper hand.

7 Jan 2021

New class of protein materials can influence cell signaling

A new study has revealed that a novel class of protein material that communicates with living cells without being absorbed by them can affect cell signaling. The protein material does this by attaching and sequestering cell surface receptors.

7 Jan 2021

Study may lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases

According to a research team, headed by Decio L. Eizirik, MD, PhD, a Scientific Director from the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute Diabetes Center, new treatments for autoimmune disorders can be identified by studying both target tissues and the immune system together.

7 Jan 2021

Researchers map platypus genome to understand its bizarre characteristics

Often considered the world's oddest mammal, Australia's beaver-like, duck-billed platypus exhibits an array of bizarre characteristics: it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live babies, sweats milk, has venomous spurs and is even equipped with 10 sex chromosomes.

7 Jan 2021

Study explores why Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections are so dangerous

E. coli food poisoning is one of the worst food poisonings, causing bloody diarrhea and kidney damage. But all the carnage might be just an unintended side effect, researchers from UConn Health report in the 27 November issue of Science Immunology. Their findings might lead to more effective treatments for this potentially deadly disease.

7 Jan 2021

Researchers create molecular ON-OFF switches to regulate CAR T cell activity

CAR T cells are a breakthrough class of effective but often toxic cancer therapies. To prevent overactivation, switchable CAR T cells were engineered that can be turned on and off with an approved, widely used cancer drug.

7 Jan 2021

Study addresses mystery of how chromosomes are inherited during cell division

Starting as a single cell, organisms undergo millions of generations of divisions to ultimately generate the bones, heart, brain and other components that make up a living being. The mainspring within this intricate process is the transfer of DNA through each subsequent cell split within discrete packets called chromosomes.

7 Jan 2021

DNA-editing technique used to extend lifespan of mice with progeria

Researchers have successfully used a DNA-editing technique to extend the lifespan of mice with the genetic variation associated with progeria, a rare genetic disease that causes extreme premature aging in children and can significantly shorten their life expectancy.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 7 Jan 2021

New technological development could revolutionize the dairy industry

Might a new technological development of researchers from Tel Aviv University soon revolutionize the dairy products we consume?

7 Jan 2021

Scientists show how plants adapt root growth to varying sources of nitrogen

Nitrogen is one of the most essential nutrients for plants. Its availability in the soil plays a major role in plant growth and development, thereby affecting agricultural productivity.

6 Jan 2021

Sugar-binding protein could serve as a useful biomarker for patients at risk of sepsis

According to a research team headed by the University of Connecticut Health, a sugar-binding protein could drive terrible inflammation and worsen sepsis—a disease that kills over 270,000 individuals per year in the United States alone.

5 Jan 2021

Researchers identify a vital protein needed to regulate anti-tumor immune response

Scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a protein known as NF-kappa B-inducing kinase (NIK).

5 Jan 2021

Scientists resolve long-standing debate over key mechanism involved in gene silencing

Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have resolved a long-standing debate over how crucial gene-silencing protein detects its targets.

5 Jan 2021

Study shows that hemoglobin in several species descends from a single gene

The marine worm Platynereis dumerilii has enabled researchers from CNRS, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, University of Saint Petersburg, and the University of Rio de Janeiro to demonstrate that hemoglobin appeared independently in several species and actually evolved from a single gene transmitted to all by their last common ancestor.

4 Jan 2021

Altered sugar composition impacts cell-to-surface adhesion

Biotechnologists measure the forces with which algae cells adhere to surfaces and move on them. How can cells adhere to surfaces and move on them? This is a question that was investigated by an international team of researchers headed by Prof. Michael Hippler from the University of Münster and Prof. Kaiyao Huang from the Institute of Hydrobiology (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China).

4 Jan 2021

Abnormalities in cholesterol transport protein associated with schizophrenia

Scientists have suspected mutations in a cellular cholesterol transport protein are associated with psychiatric disorders, but have found it difficult to prove this and to pinpoint how it happens.

29 Dec 2020

Twist‐and‐squeeze mechanism of transporter protein confers cancer drug resistance

In 1986, cellular biochemist Kazumitsu Ueda, currently at Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, discovered that a protein called ABCB1 could transport multiple chemotherapeutics out of some cancer cells, making them resistant to treatment. How it did this has remained a mystery for the past 35 years.

29 Dec 2020

Study reveals evolutionary relationship between two different organelles in liverwort cells

Cells, the basic unit of life, are surrounded by a limiting membrane called the plasma membrane. Inside cells, there are various membrane-bounded organelles, each of which has various and distinctive functions.

29 Dec 2020

Controlling biological functions of DNA with the aid of light

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the basis of life on earth. The function of DNA is to store all the genetic information, which an organism needs to develop, function and reproduce. It is essentially a biological instruction manual found in every cell.

29 Dec 2020