HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Botulism bug says no to nitric oxide, provides key to molecule's role in human cell signaling

HOUSTON Oct. 7, 2004 (Embargoed to 1 p.m. CDT) -- A deadly bacterium's defense against a mortal molecular enemy illuminates the origins and structure of a vital protein involved in human cell signaling, University of Texas Medical School scientists report today in Science Express, the rapid online publication forum for the journal Science.

The paper also details how evolution transformed one of nature's simplest molecules, nitric oxide (NO), from a toxin to anaerobic bacteria the planet's oldest life form into a beneficial signaling molecule in higher animals. It also offers an explanation for how the decades-old practice of treating meat with sodium nitrite prevents life-threatening food poisoning known as botulism.

Discovering how botulism-causing Clostridium botulinum detects nitric oxide (NO) sheds light on how NO connects with its receptor protein in humans to govern crucial processes in the cardiovascular, neurological and immunological systems, said senior author C. S. Raman, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Structural Biology Research Center in the UT Medical School Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

"We started by identifying the protein that the botulism bug uses to detect and evade NO," Raman said. "What we have ultimately shown is how this protein evolved from being part of a protective mechanism into a system that learned to use the toxin to benefit the organism."

In human beings, nitric oxide binds to a receptor called soluble guanylyl cyclase to make cyclic GMP, a molecule that improves blood flow by relaxing blood vessel walls. Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology at the UT Medical School at Houston, won the Nobel prize for his 1977 finding that NO is the ingredient that makes nitroglycerine beneficial to heart patients. Since then NO has been found to govern many other vital biological functions and became the basis for me
'"/>

Contact: Scott Merville
scott.merville@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-3042
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
7-Oct-2004


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Botulism bug has few genome wrinkles
2. Botulism study could lead to new vaccines and treatments to counter bioterrorist attacks
3. U-M study offers new perspective on nitric oxide signaling in rheumatoid arthritis
4. Study links high levels of nitric oxide to infertility and sperm DNA damage
5. Inhaled nitric oxide protects premature infants brains
6. Global warming is reducing ocean life, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, say scientists
7. Female gender provides an advantage in renal diseases
8. Forecasting system provides flood warnings to vulnerable residents of Bangladesh
9. Genomics study provides insight into the evolution of unique human traits
10. Study provides new data about the laws governing embryo development in organisms
11. Sea anemone genome provides new view of our multi-celled ancestors

Post Your Comments:
(Date:6/19/2013)... 2013 A decade-long JDRF-funded study led by ... Mnchen, Germany, is providing a deeper understanding of ... developing type 1 diabetes (T1D), highlighting the importance ... disease. The study, "Seroconversion to Multiple Islet Autoantibodies ... was published today in The Journal of ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... NEW YORK , June 19, 2013  New ... #8,461,981 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office ... security systems that reflect whether guards have been injured, ... of an extensive portfolio under the Intellectual Properties Agreements ... Lisa Pamintuan , President of New ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... 19, 2013 Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, ... to announce the launch of a new open access ... of GeoResJ , Elsevier,s earth and planetary science ... The journal aims to provide a forum for rapid ... field. The journal will be co-edited by six Executive ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New data on islet autoantibodies in young children defines early type 1 diabetes development 2New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 2New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 3New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 4
(Date:6/19/2013)... 2013 Clinverse, Inc. , ... clinical trials, today announced it will be exhibiting ... #2000) in Boston, June 24-26, 2013. Clinverse’s ... only fully configurable, cloud-based clinical financial lifecycle system. ... within Clinverse’s eClinical Commerce Network, automates site contract ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... 2013   NineSigma , Inc., of ... its launch, NineSights.com is now the innovation ... the worldwide community of innovators. From technology ... experts, NineSights stands out for its large community of ... technical disciplines, all vetted by NineSigma. The community is ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... , June 19, 2013 ... Book Bureau presents Innovative Drug ... Formulation Technology Licensing Opportunities for ... ) There are ... controlled release drugs approved all ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... Washington (PRWEB) June 18, 2013 A ... complex materials, costs and other trends will highlight technical ... Monterey, California this fall. In its 33rd year, the ... includes an exhibition of key suppliers, approximately 100 technical ... SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Clinverse, Inc. Exhibiting and Showcasing Its Technology at DIA 2013 2NineSigma Evolves Global Open Innovation through Social Media Platform, NineSights 2NineSigma Evolves Global Open Innovation through Social Media Platform, NineSights 3Innovative Drug Delivery Systems: Novel Product and Formulation Technology Licensing Opportunities for Generic Pharmaceutical Companies 2Innovative Drug Delivery Systems: Novel Product and Formulation Technology Licensing Opportunities for Generic Pharmaceutical Companies 3‘Big Glass’ and Visions for the Future are on the Program for SPIE Photomask Technology 2‘Big Glass’ and Visions for the Future are on the Program for SPIE Photomask Technology 3
Cached News: