Other highlights in the October 2 issue of JNCI
... components: 1 integrin, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and/or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). All three cell lines showed a partial reversion to cells that appear normal after treatment with a single inhibitor. Combined inhibition of 1 integrin and either PI3K or MAPK led to a nearly comple...Blocking enzyme found to ease anxiety without causing sedation
...researchers reported. The enzyme, known as protein kinase C epsilon (PKC epsilon), is present in many neurons in the brain, but its role is not well known. Its ability to affect anxiety but not sedation may stem from indirect, rather than direct action, the researchers found. When the neurotransmitter GABA...Researchers find promising new target for anxiety-reducing drugs
...und that mice lacking a form of the enzyme protein kinase C (PKC-epsilon) are extremely sensitive to their brains' own calming neurosteroid compounds and show significantly less anxiety than normal mice with PKC-epsilon, he said. The scientists conclude that inhibitors of PKC therefore may be useful in trea...Researchers discover target for new anxiety-reducing drugs
...train of mouse that lacks an enzyme called protein kinase Ce (PKCe)," said Raber. "Earlier work showed that this enzyme interacts with GABA A receptors in the brain. As activation of GABA A receptors reduces anxiety, we tested whether PKCe deficiency reduces anxiety. This research demonstrated that a comple...Prostate cancer program at UCLAs Jonsson Cancer Center designated a site of research excellence
...tor receptor (EGFR). The EGFR is a part of the HER kinase family of proteins that regulate cell growth and can stimulate the spread of tumors when over-expressed on cancer cells. Ultimately, these studies will lead to an understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the growth and treatment of prost...Imatinib shows early promise against Ewings sarcoma
... tumor shrinkage in mice. Imatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has produced high response rates in...oma, overactivation of the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase contributes to tumor growth and tumor cell proliferation. Melinda S. Merchant, M.D., Ph.D., of the ...Enzyme found in blood vessels likely target to treat lung injury
...n identified a molecule, called myosin light chain kinase 210 (MLCK 210), that makes endothelial cells in the lung susceptible to injury during periods of inflammation. Wainwright is assistant professor of pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and a researcher at the Chi...Chemical turns stem cells into neurons say scientists at Scripps Research Institute
... in detail, they found that it binds to a cellular kinase enzyme called glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta). This is a multifunctional "signaling" enzyme involved in a number of physiological signaling processes whereby it modulates other enzymes by attaching a phosphate group to them. The fact that......ptor (EGFR) proteins-a family of receptor tyrosine kinase enzymes involved in cell signaling that promotes growth. The EGFR family of proteins includes EGFR, HER2/neu, HER3 and HER4. The antibody-based drug Herceptin targets HER2/neu. These receptors trigger a rich signaling network that leads to intense ...Northwestern widens 'treatment window' for brain injury and stroke
...ivity of an enzyme called death-associated protein kinase (DAPK), known to be an early player in the chain of molecular events leading to apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Earlier studies showed that levels of DAPK increase markedly prior to neuron death and that apoptosis increases rapidly hours after t...Sphingosine kinase inhibitors may hold key to halting growth of some tumors
...Penn State College of Medicine. "Since sphingosine kinase is involved in growth regulation and certain other...tute. Previous studies have shown that sphingosine kinase (SK) plays a pivotal role in regulating cell growth. Cell membranes contain sphingomyelin, a precurs...Jefferson scientists find anemia drug may help lessen effects of heart attack
...er treatment with EPO that appeared to involve the kinase Akt, which plays a role in cell survival, or more specifically, preventing cells from succumbing to programmed cell death. "This is consistent with EPO stimulating these pro-survival pathways to protect myocytes (a type of heart cell)," he says. They...More than $34 Million in SPORE Grants
...the first in a new class of drugs known as protein kinase inhibitors that is designed to selectively inhibit an enzyme involved in the development of the disease. M. D. Anderson was a leader in clinical trials for this drug. Still, much more needs to be done to care for those individuals with other forms of...Enigmatic role for NF-kappaB in the hardening of arteries
...eficient in the LDL receptor and the enzyme IkappB kinase 2, which is essential for NF-kappaB activation. The authors showed that NF-kappaBdefective macrophages enhance, rather than inhibit, atherosclerosis. Lesions were larger in size, more advanced, and contained more necrosis, and early lesions contained......as farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTI), tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), signal transduction inhibitors (...ug acts. Tantalizing benefit Iressa, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, came to the attention of M. D. Anderson researchers in the late 1990s when news of the fl...New mouse model of Alzheimer's, other diseases may clarify steps of brain degeneration
...e two proteins are dubbed p25 and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5). "This is an excellent animal model for any therapeutic approach toward p25 and its link to Alzheimer's and similar neurodegenerative diseases," says Li-Huei Tsai, HMS professor of pathology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute associate inve...Radically new anti-rejection drug shown to offer safe control of immune system in Stanford study
...ccurs through a signal from an enzyme called janus kinase 3, or JAK3. Knowing that a lack of JAK3 caused the same symptoms as seen in X-SCID patients, the Pfizer team screened thousands of compounds to look for inhibitors of that enzyme. They identified a promising molecule and then chemically modified it t...Memory-enhancing drugs for elderly may impair high-level brain function
... increase the activity of an enzyme called protein kinase A(PKA) improve long-term hippocampal-dependent memory in aged mice and havebeen proposed as possible therapeutics for memory deficits in elderlyhumans. Because aging impairs both hippocampal-dependent and prefrontalmemory function, Dr. Amy F.T. Arnst...Researchers identify enzyme that may turn fleeting experience into lasting memory
... process that involves the enzyme known as protein kinase C. "One of the hallmarks of memories that last ve...s. Their research suggests that the enzyme protein kinase C plays a fundamental role in turning the female's experience of mating into a long-term memory of h...Jefferson scientists use gene therapy to restore function of damaged heart cells in laboratory
...e researchers' target has been the beta-adrenergic kinase (ARK1), an enzyme that is elevated in human heart failure. One of its functions is to turn off beta-adrenergic receptors. "In heart failure, beta adrenergic receptor density is decreased, ARK is increased and both together cause dysfunctional beta re...