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.

Unveiling Epidermal Hemoglobin: A Breakthrough in Skin Research

Scientists have, for the first time, demonstrated the presence of hemoglobin—a protein primarily known for its role in binding with oxygen within red blood cells—in the epidermis, the outermost tissue layer of human skin.

20 Nov 2023

Study Reveals Crucial Protein’s Role in Brain Cell Development

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have pinpointed a crucial protein associated with the formation of a specific type of brain cell implicated in conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

20 Nov 2023

Scientists Discover New Class of Molecular Glue Degraders for Cancer Therapy

Cells contain molecular machinery that targets and disposes of unwanted proteins to maintain homeostasis.

17 Nov 2023

Gene Splicing Affects CD20 Expression and Response to Cancer Immunotherapy

Immunotherapies that target the CD20 antigen have revolutionized how patients with a variety of blood cancers and hematologic disorders have been treated.

17 Nov 2023

Novel Biosensors Uncover Brain Activity

Researchers have employed novel biosensors to uncover neuropeptide activity in the brain, introducing innovative tools for examining the release, function, and regulation of these vital signaling molecules in vivo.

17 Nov 2023

Unraveling the Mystery of L-Cry: A Distinctive Cryptochrome Protein

In a recent release in Nature Communications, a collaborative research group comprising Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the University of Cologne, and the University of Oldenburg has disclosed their discoveries regarding the operation of a distinctive cryptochrome protein (Cry).

16 Nov 2023

Rare Genetic Variant Found to Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease

Researchers at Gladstone Institutes have discovered that a rare genetic variant known as the "Christchurch mutation" can block detrimental effects of apolipoprotein E4, the best-established risk factor for the most common form of Alzheimer's disease.

14 Nov 2023

New Drug-Like Molecule Enhances Mitophagy, Protects Against Neurodegeneration

Having healthy mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy in all our cells, usually portends a long healthy life whether in humans or in C. elegans, a tiny, short-lived nematode worm often used to study the aging process.

14 Nov 2023

New Synthetic Enzymes can Control Signaling Protein Vital to Embryonic Development

A University of Texas at Dallas bioengineer has developed synthetic enzymes that can control the behavior of the signaling protein Vg1, which plays a key role in the development of muscle, bone and blood in vertebrate embryos.

10 Nov 2023

Novel Bacterial Protein can Prolong Cell Longevity by Acting Directly on Mitochondria

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, partnering with colleagues in Australia, have identified a novel bacterial protein that can keep human cells healthy even when the cells have a heavy bacterial burden.

10 Nov 2023

Challenging the Assumption of Genetic Homogeneity in European Ancestry

Previous studies studying the genomes of people with European heritage might have reported misleading results because they did not adequately account for population structure, according to a new study.

8 Nov 2023

SPT5 Identified as a Potential Target Protein for Treatment of MYC-Dependent Cancers

MYC proteins play an important role in many types of cancer. A research team at the University of Würzburg has now succeeded in indirectly influencing these proteins - with clear consequences for the tumor.

8 Nov 2023

Unveiling the Role of Foxp3 in Shaping Chromatin Architecture of Regulatory T Cells

Regulatory T cells, or Tregs, represent a specialized class of immune cells dedicated to quelling immune responses and safeguarding the body against self-attack.

7 Nov 2023

Understanding the Dynamic Regulation of Manchette Microtubules in Sperm Development

A team of researchers, led by Wenxiang Meng from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has demonstrated that the deletion of the calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein 1 (CAMSAP1) gene in mice, which is associated with the minus ends of non-centrosomal microtubules, results in a condition known as oligoasthenoteratozoospermia.

6 Nov 2023

Exploring Z-RNA’s Role in Immune Response

Quentin Vicens, an Assistant Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston, has been granted $1.2 million by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to investigate the enigmatic Z-RNA structure found within human cells.

3 Nov 2023

Scientists Uncover New Insights into Cellular Recycling Process

Recycling is just as essential in cells as in our more familiar macroscopic world. Cells continuously generate waste products and accumulate damaged components while performing regular functions.

3 Nov 2023

Unlocking the Secrets of Memory: Key Protein Regulates Hippocampal Plasticity

Mount Sinai researchers have shed valuable light on the mechanism of a key protein that regulates the plasticity and function of the hippocampus, a key brain region involved in memory and learning, and that decreases with age in mice.

3 Nov 2023

New Methods to Modify Molecular Structure Could Lead to More Tailored Drugs

For years, the top desire among those engaged in the development of pharmaceutical drugs was to find a simple method for substituting a carbon atom with a nitrogen atom in a molecule.

2 Nov 2023

Study Identifies Significant Changes in Peptides During Pyroglutamination

Peptides are biomolecules formed when two or more amino acids that perform key functions in the human organism, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, painkillers and antibiotics, bind together. For this reason, they are much studied and used by the pharmaceutical industry, for example.

2 Nov 2023

Scientists Unlock the Structure of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2

Neurons talk to each other using chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have drawn on structural biology expertise to determine structures of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), a key component of neuronal communication.

2 Nov 2023