Harmless virus helps slow HIV by boosting immune proteins
...s the same molecular docking site favored by HIV-a receptor called CCR5-and thus keeps the AIDS virus from binding to white blood cells and gaining a foothold in the body. Drugs are under development that mimic the effect of these chemokines. However, Stapleton believes GBV-C itself should be seen as a poten...Researchers make promiscuous animals monogamous by manipulating genes
...ed to determine whether differences in vasopressin receptor levels between prairie and meadow voles could expl... used a harmless virus to transfer the vasopressin receptor gene from prairie voles into the ventral pallidum of meadow voles, which increased vasopressin recep...Lupus Research Institute awards $3 million in novel research grants to further new science in lupus
...s study, researchers will examine how this protein receptor binds with DNA and whether dysfunctional DNA binding is an important factor in triggering lupus. Elahna Paul, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston IMMUNO/RENAL INTERFACE IN MURINE LUPUS GLOMERULONEPHRITIS. B...Study investigates breast cancer resistance to tamoxifen and possible way to reverse it
...umors that express the drug's target, the estrogen receptor (ER)--only 40% to 50% actually benefit. Studies ha...when the breast cancer cells were treated with the receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib, tamoxifen once again acted as an estrogen antagonist and tumor ...UNC scientists uncover crucial mechanism for blood vessel development
... result of the interactions of VEGFA with two cell receptor molecules, VEGFR1 (also called flt-1) and VEGFR2 (...the complexity of this pathway. We think the flt-1 receptor actually regulates the amount of VEGFA required for proper vessel formation. So having the right amo...Scientists characterize new breast tumor subtypes with poor clinical outcomes
...terize a biologically distinct subtype of estrogen receptor negative breast tumor. Because this tumor subtype ...nly two defined targets for chemotherapy (estrogen receptor and HER2 protein), the roughly 15 percent of women with this type of breast cancer have a poorer pro...Fat cells could provide the key to a longer life
...encodes the worms' equivalent of the human insulin receptor and as such form part of the IIS pathway. As animals on restricted diets are far less likely to get diabetes and related disorders, this suggests that genes involved in glucose metabolism might be linked to the genes involved in ageing." Previous stu...Drunken worms reveal a genetic basis of alcohol response
... they do know that it appears to act as a neuronal receptor -- a molecular "socket" in brain cells into which plug proteins that affect signaling between brain cells. The human relative of NPR-1, Neuropeptide Y (NPY), has been investigated as a potential genetic link to alcoholism but the data have ...When combining new oral anti-cancer agents with standard chemotherapy, timing may be crucial
...gues focused on a new oral epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor known as erlotinib. Recently, several large clinical trials have compared standard chemotherapy alone to standard chemotherapy plus an oral EGFR inhibitor like erlotinib in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Little if any benefit ...Avastin-Tarceva combo provides 'one-two' punch against lung cancer
...ad. Erlotinib inhibits the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr), a key player in delivery of signals that prompt the runaway cell growth that characterizes cancers. Increased activity of the EGFr pathway, as well as increased number of tumor blood vessels resulting from VEGF expression, are associated wit...Gene expression ratio identifies risk of recurrence in breast cancer patients receiving tamoxifen
...e interaction between the hormone estrogen and its receptor protein, is used to treat breast cancers that expr...r. Cells from most breast tumors contain estrogen receptor molecules, indicating that the tumor's growth is likely to be sensitive to the hormone's action. Es...Tamoxifen stimulates breast cancer growth following alteration of estrogen receptor
...ough a unique mechanism. PKA modified the estrogen receptor in such a way that although tamoxifen could still bind, it could no longer convert the receptor to an inactive form. Instead, it acted as an estrogen receptor activator and encouraged tamoxifen-re...UNC scientists block cellular enzyme activity involved in cancer progression
... sense and respond to their environment is through receptor molecules called integrins, which are located on the cell's outer surface. FAK relays signals from integrins to other molecules inside the cell that ultimately control the growth, survival and movement of the cell. Because unrestrained growth, surviv...RNAi delivery system crosses blood-brain barrier to target brain cancer
...me-embedded antibodies seeks out the human insulin receptor found in the membranes of brain cancer cells. The insulin receptor antibody latches on to the tumor's insulin receptors. The liposome, and its contents, uses the insul...JCI table of contents, 1 June 2004
...s/20373.pdf RAGE Against An Immune Response The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is invo...elberg, to study the function of this cell-surface receptor in these different immune response pathways. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was use...Fox Chase discovery may help physicians diagnose, treat devastating childhood disease
...egulatory region affecting the gene for endothelin receptor B (EDNRB), one of the primary genes known to be mutated in Hirschsprung disease"Now it appears that mutations in genomic sequences involved in regulating EDNRB could explain Hirschsprung disease as well," said Shin. "Our results in mice strongly sug...Genes appear to play a role in development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
...found that a variation of the macrophage scavenger receptor gene (MSR-1) is related to the development of airways obstruction in some patients who smoke cigarettes. "We found a significant association between sequence variations in the MSR-1 gene and the presence of airways obstruction in smokers that may acc...Insight into transplant rejection might lead to novel prevention therapies
...nors for the genetic makeup of TLR4, or "toll-like receptor 4," a key component of innate immunity. Two variants of the gene had earlier been linked to a reduced lung response to bacterial toxins. Recipients with a single copy of either of those two TLR4 variants exhibited a reduced rate of acute rejection du...Small trial shows daclizumab add-on therapy improves MS outcome
...eered human antibody that blocks the interleukin-2 receptor on immune cells) administered intravenously at 2-week, and later, 4-week intervals. Ten patients showed a reduction in both the severity and number of brain lesions as demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging. The decrease in new lesions, as well ...Discovery in parasite movement may offer insights into malaria
...his." Thus, the new protein is a specific membrane receptor for what the researchers say is a "myosin motor." Toxoplasma motility may be a result of the myosin moving along the length of actin filaments in the parasite, Beckers said.Alternatively, it may be caused by the myosin holding onto the end of a growi...