Autoimmune disease triggered if T cells miss a single protein early on
...l to recognize just one of the body's thousands of proteins as "self." The research confirms an emerging view...T cell soldiers encounter the body's full array of proteins in the thymus, and those T cells with receptors that recognize "self" proteins, or antigens, normall...More insight into Alzheimer's disease with Stanford discovery of possible cause
...isease is characterized by an excessive buildup of proteins into plaques and tangles of cellular gunk that are likely to cause brain cells to die and lose their connections to other neurons. But for the most part, scientists do not understand the underlying biological problems behind Alzheimer's, making it di...'Tribbles' protein implicated in common and aggressive form of leukemia
...on of the Tribbles gene may lead to degradation of proteins that hold cancer in check, such as tumor suppresso... our current challenges is to determine what other proteins Tribbles degrades to cause leukemia," says Pear. The findings in mice were also validated in a lar...Fresh use of targeted therapy advances treatment of early HER2-positive breast cancer
... HER2-positive, meaning that growth-promoting HER2 proteins are overly abundant on the outside of the cancer c..., in these so-called "HER2-positive" tumors, these proteins are over-expressed. But when this happens, cancer becomes aggressive. Trastuzumab is a specific typ...Sticky proteins provide new insight into drug action
...y interact with external receptors that activate G proteins roaming inside cells. "If you are going to change ...l inside," says Dr. Lambert. "It's like a relay. G proteins interact with receptors; they run into them, they collide with them. The receptor itself does not do...Targeted cancer drugs may work by disrupting balance of cellular signals
... which destroy tumors by interfering with specific proteins or protein pathways, may disrupt the balance betwe...ke these drugs reduce the activity of their target proteins in such a way that cell-death signals remain high while survival signals drop," says Jeffrey Settlem...Sports cheats beware -- new test detects previously undetectable drug
...gh its concentration is 10,000,000 less than other proteins in blood plasma. There are severe penalties for any person caught taking banned drugs. It is therefore very important that any test is able to be certain about its statement that a particular molecule is present in this case synacthen. To confirm ...Manmade protein shows promise for cancer, macular degeneration
...ing this molecule interrupts the proper folding of proteins involved in existing blood vessels, which makes them die. It's a nice result," says Dr. Ambati. Some existing anti-angiogenesis treatments target VEGF outside cells. "It is important to bind it within cells because certain cells, such as cancer and...Light-sensitive photoswitches could restore sight to those with macular degeneration
...control biological nanomolecules - in other words, proteins - with light?'" said center director and neurobiol...same photoswitch could be attached to a variety of proteins to push or pull them into various shapes, even making a protein bend in half like a tweezer. In 200...Alzheimer's alarm over anesthetics
...lso directly affect the rate at which beta amyloid proteins bind together. This could be worrying, as the formation of clumps or "plaques" of these proteins is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and may contribute to brain cell death. Last week at the a...Researchers use novel three-dimensional imaging technique
... tangle dissemination, an accumulation of diseased proteins in the brain cells. They found that three areas within the hippocampus of Alzheimer's patients show more atrophy compared with those in patients having amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a recently defined condition characterized by memory dec...New research effort to translate basic science into faster bone healing
... when injured, makes large amounts of inflammatory proteins that suppress levels of transforming growth factor (TGF-beta), a protein that regulates bone formation. Early research shows that without adequate amounts of TGF-beta, cartilage matures into bone inappropriately, worsening the damage to the joint. Wi...The dietary history locked up in strands of hair can help diagnose eating disorders
...ave an eating disorder. Hair grows by adding new proteins to the base of the strand, and pushing the strand up out of the hair follicle. The make-up of these proteins will be influenced by the nutritional state of the person at that moment. This nutritional state is ...New mechanism underlying pain found
...rol sleep and waking. Made up of glycoproteins, or proteins with sugar molecules attached, pacemaker channels -- also known as HCN channels (Hyperpolarization activated, Cyclic Nucleotide-gated cation channels) -- allow the entrance of sodium ions into the cell based on the configuration of the protein. Entry...Key to lung cancer chemo resistance revealed
...have shown that NRF2 detoxifies cells by directing proteins to absorb and pump out pollutants and chemicals. ...gger" protein which starts the production of other proteins and enzymes that sweep the cell clear of toxins. To halt the detox process, proteins manufactured b...Researchers identify new weapon to fight deadly bacterial sepsis
...till two things causing damage -- the inflammatory proteins released by the body's natural defenses, and the outer membranes of the dead bacteria, mainly composed of large toxic molecules called lipopolysaccharides, which go on inducing more inflammatory immune response even though the bacteria themselves are...Cincinnati Children's researchers publish findings on potential target for leukemia treatment
... immune and blood system and how disruption of key proteins may contribute to leukemia," said David A Williams, M.D., Director of Experimental Hematology, Cincinnati Children's. "Through a collaboration with Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, we are now focused on translating these findings i...First major study of mammalian 'disorderly' proteins
...search Hospital turned up the heat on "disorderly" proteins and confirmed that most of these unruly molecules ...tion of these so-called intrinsically unstructured proteins (IUPs), a large group of molecules that play vital roles in the daily activities of cells. The ne...UVA researchers to develop office-based cancer screening test
...itute (NCI). The grant will go towards identifying proteins in human urine, known as biomarkers. The presence... discoveries that enable automated measurements of proteins in complex biological samples like urine. The UVa program uses new chemical methods and software wri...Study identifies possible mechanism for brain damage in Huntington's disease
... of HD the conversion of genetic information into proteins and the production of energy within cells. "Our study indicates that these two pathogenic mechanisms are linked, in that disruption of gene transcription by mutant huntingtin leads to abnormal energy metabolism, which affects energy-dependent cellu...