Changes in shape of single protein plays key role in the spread of cancer cells
...overed, occurs after one of two different proteins binds to the head. The team demonstrated that when a protein called talin binds to vinculin's head, the head undergoes helical bundle conversion and the helices assume new position...JCI table of contents, January 2, 2004
...wn" to one component: 6,7-dimethylesculetin, which binds to and activates the hepatic nuclear receptor CAR and its target genes, leading to increased clearance of bilirubin. The report could lead to improved pharmaceutical treatments for neonatal jaundice and also helps close the gap between Western-style ...New roles for protein modifications in cell migration
...e cells and secreted into the body cavity where it binds to the migrating gonadal tip cells. Distal tip cells in worms engineered to lack the MIG -17 protein fail to steer cell migration properly, resulting in abnormal development and a emeanderingf gonad phenotype. However, the means by which MIG-17 coord...Discovery of brain disorder gene paves way for genetic test
...the Duke team more recently found that the protein binds a second protein related to a family of receptors called integrins. Integrins are responsible for cells' ability to respond appropriately to their external environments. That clue led the team to search the second genetic region linked to CCM for ab...Ultra-thin coating traps DNA on a leash
...ped a coating made of molecules with one side that binds to glass and the other side that grabs on to DNA strands to solve this problem. "The coating is a single molecule thick, about one nanometer," says Dr. Carlo G. Pantano, distinguished professor of materials science and director of Penn State's Mater...Budding viral hijackers may co-opt cell machinery for the getaway
...de the virions. However, Dynamin-2, a protein that binds to endophilin-2, was not there. This suggests that the incorporation of selected proteins is unlikely to be accidental. Endophilin-2's normal role is to increase the curvature of the cell membrane during endocytosis. Further examination of how retrov...New findings implicate cell size controls in a variety of diseases
... possible treatment for all of them. The tie that binds these three seemingly disparate medical conditions is a biochemical chain of events that govern cell size. At the end of this chain, a known drug may work to replace missing or broken parts of the biochemical chain. "We were doing basic cell biology...Protein-hungry cells 'go fishing,' report Purdue biologists
... fishing for another." One of the colicin's halves binds to the vitamin B-12 receptor, while its tail end remains hanging from the membrane like a long fishing rod. The B-12 receptor then essentially swings the tail around until it finds what it needs - the second receptor that can admit the rest of the co...Three molecular-targeted compounds show promise against cancers
...proteins called histones, and inactive. When SAHA binds to histone deacetylase, DNA becomes unwrapped from the histone core, freeing the genes in a DNA chain to be turned on, or "expressed." Pre-clinical studies have shown that the drug can decrease and inhibit the growth of many tumors in the laborator...Small-molecule inhibitors of botulinum neurotoxin identified
...d a light chain (LC). The heavy chain targets and binds to surface receptors on nerve terminals. The toxins are then internalized into the nerve terminal. Once inside, the light chain separates from the heavy chain and cleaves, or cuts, specific proteins that control neuromuscular function. Cleavage o...Technique may identify novel disease genes at a faster clip
...d to know what is the full array of RNAs that Nova binds to and regulates in the brain?" According to Darnell, Nova is just one of a rapidly growing list of RNA-binding proteins that are being implicated in human diseases. Thus, a technique that can help identify the multiple RNA targets regulated by an RN...ESA and Rosaviakosmos sign up for two Foton flights
...A-supplied scientific payloads onboard. The order binds ESA, Rosaviakosmos and two Russian partner companies (KBOM in Moscow, TsSKB-Progress in Samara) for at least the next three years, with a first launch scheduled for May 2005 and the second for autumn 2006. This will provide reflight opportunities for...Activity detailed for sirtuins, involved in metabolism, aging, gene expression
...among the various sirtuins each different sirtuin binds to a different target and carries out a different biological task. The lead author on the Structure study is Kehao Zhao, Ph.D., of The Wistar Institute. Xiaomei Chai, also at Wistar, is a coauthor. Funding to support the research was provided by the ...Study offers new insight into Rett Syndrome
.... Previous lab experiments demonstrated that MeCP2 binds to genes that have undergone methylation (a fundamental biological process in which the cell disables genes it doesn't use by modifying them with methyl). Like a biological deadbolt, MeCP2 adheres to these methylated genes, further preventing them fr...RSRF-funded study leads to breakthrough for Rett Syndrome research
...ted that MeCP2, acting like a biological deadbolt, binds to genes that have undergone methylation (a fundamental biological process in which the cell disables genes it doesn't use by modifying them with a methyl group) preventing them from activating. As a result, scientists theorized that MeCP2 was a "lon...New study identifies gene signaling puberty
...The researchers think that the molecule metastatin binds to the GPR54 receptor. As of yet, they do not know what precise effect the molecule may have on cells. The researchers sought to learn which genes are involved in triggering the brain's release of GnRH at puberty. Two teams of researchers working i...New protein provides clue to diabetes
...gnificant effect on GLUT4, acting as a tether that binds GLUT4 inside the cell. When insulin reaches the cell surface, it signals TUG to release GLUT4, which then moves to the cell surface to allow glucose absorption. These study results suggest that excess tethering may somehow contribute to insulin resis...Sugar coupled to protein causes kidneys to save water
...protein from a mouse kidney, AQP2-BP that directly binds to AQP2. Up until now no proteins capable of binding to AQP2 were known. By inserting both proteins in kidney cells, Hendriks discovered that AQP2-BP is important for the production of the useful protein AQP2....Gene expression tied to social behavior in honey bees
...which reflect levels of protein activity. The mRNA binds to specific sites on the array, allowing for the measurement of expression from thousands of genes. Robinson, who also holds the G. William Arends Professorship in Integrative Biology at Illinois, and colleagues generated mRNA profiles from 60 differ......sitely specific toxin isolated from scorpion venom binds to the fly Shaker channel and mammalian potassium channels just as tightly as it does to the bacterial potassium channel. Because scorpion toxins are known to fit the channels they block exactly, like a lock and key, this suggests that the bacterial,...