HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
The key to cell motility

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have described the regulatory mechanism of an important human protein called Rac that controls a number of biological processes and is directly implicated in several human diseases.

Rac is involved in tumor growth and metastasis in cancer; it is important for the proper functioning of immune cells and is necessary for the innate immune response; it is required for neuronal function and has been implicated in neurological diseases and mental retardation.

"Understanding the basic mechanism of how Rac activation is regulated," says Bokoch, "is a key to understanding [these sorts of diseases]."

In an article appearing in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Cell, immunology Professor Gary Bokoch, Ph.D., and his colleagues Cline DerMardirossian and Andreas Schnelzer at Scripps Research have described the molecular mechanism whereby Rac activation is regulated by a molecule called Pak.

The Rac-Pak Connection and Its Relevance to Disease

Rac is one of the most important members of a family of proteins known as the Rho GTPases. This family of proteins binds to a small metabolic product called GTP, which acts as a critical regulator of Rho GTPase activity. This enables Rac to regulate a wide variety of cellular functions that span the entire gamut of a cell's life, from its initial growth and differentiation, to its movement and division, and finally to its death. They are important for gene expression, and they play crucial roles in the ability of innate immune cells to make lethal responses to bacterial infections, of skin cells to cover wounds during the healing process, of vascular cells to make new blood vessels, of cancer cells to metastasize, and of neurons to develop and make proper connections in the brain.

Two years ago Bokoch and his Scripps Research colleagues discovered that Rac is one of the master regulators of cell motilitythe molecules driving the
'"/>

Contact: Jason Bardi
jasonb@scripps.edu
858-784-9254
Scripps Research Institute
1-Jul-2004


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. UB biophysicists discover high-speed motility in cells in response to voltage changes

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: The key cell motility

(Date:5/16/2013)... can trigger hematopoiesis at sites outside the bone marrow ... of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich now show that a ... formation of blood cells. , Balanced hematopoiesis is essential ... development, hematopoiesis takes place mainly in the liver and ... bone marrow, and this tissue normally serves as the ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... around the world are meeting next week in ... showcase the latest in research findings about the ... understanding the disorders that affect them., "Canada is ... will showcase the best of neuroscience research done ... President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience. He ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... us don,t ponder our pulses outside of the gym. But ... monitor heart health. , Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical ... a dollar bill and no wider than a postage stamp. ... the wrist, is sensitive enough to help doctors detect stiff ... be used to continuously track heart health and provide doctors ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Herpes infections: Natural killer cells activate hematopoiesis 27th Annual Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, Toronto, May 20-24, 2013 2Stanford engineers monitor heart health using paper-thin flexible 'skin' 2Stanford engineers monitor heart health using paper-thin flexible 'skin' 3
(Date:5/17/2013)... The paradigm of ‘one drug, one ... can help predict the adverse and therapeutic effects of ... of Computational Biology at the Genomics Laboratory, Covance, will ... high-quality genomics when used as part of the QC ... data sets to identify key clinical targets even in ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... May 17, 2013 Tooth decay is an ... active signs of the disease. The World Health Organization says ... 100% of adults have cavities. What are the long-term effects ... showing a strong connection between the oral bacterial imbalance and ... disease so rampant, yet it is also 100% preventable? Answer: ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... In late 2012, Dr. Sarah Hart, of ... in China about Appearance Medicine . Although Dr. Hart ... first trip to lecture in China, and quite a different ... home to 12 and 7 million people respectively. Interest in ... this point in time. As Dr. Hart passed through the ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... 16, 2013  HealthSparq, a trusted provider of ... largest regional health plans, will debut a new ... (AHIP) Institute 2013 conference on June 13.  The ... how health insurance companies across the country are ... marketplace demands for increased healthcare transparency. ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Seeing the Future: How a Revolutionary New Bacterial Screening Device Can Predict a Patient’s Future for Tooth Decay 2Seeing the Future: How a Revolutionary New Bacterial Screening Device Can Predict a Patient’s Future for Tooth Decay 3HealthSparq to Reveal New Healthcare Transparency Benchmark Study at AHIP Institute 2013 2HealthSparq to Reveal New Healthcare Transparency Benchmark Study at AHIP Institute 2013 3
Cached News: