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Scientists from the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, have, for the first time, discovered a family of proteins that are associated with lower blood sugar levels among obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Their research is published today in the international journal Nature Communications. The study showed that patients with type 2 diabetes who have high levels of the […]
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During a heart attack, the supply of oxygen to heart cells is decreased. This reduced oxygen level, called hypoxia, causes the cell’s powerhouses, the mitochondria, to fragment, impairing cell function and leading to heart failure. Until now, few details have been known about how this process occurs. Researchers at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Japan, have revealed how filamin […]
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A study published in Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, in partnership with colleagues in the United States and Norway, shows that the lack of muscle stimulus results in a buildup of inadequately processed proteins in muscle cells and consequently leads to muscle weakness or wasting. This is a typical muscle dysfunction condition […]
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Protein fragments, called amyloid fibrils, in human semen significantly increase Ebola virus infection and protect the virus against harsh environmental conditions such as heat and dehydration. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report these findings in a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Although Ebola is […]
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UMBC researchers report novel method to quickly make therapeutic proteins from human blood Personalized medicine has incredible potential, but current approaches are still too expensive and time-consuming to have a big impact. A new paper in Scientific Reports looks at how to extract cellular protein synthesis machinery from human blood, and, by adding recombinant DNA to the extract, to produce […]
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Researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto have discovered that epigenetic proteins promote the proliferation of mammary gland stem cells in response to the sex hormone progesterone. The study, which will be published June 19 in the Journal of Cell Biology, suggests that inhibiting these proteins with drugs could prevent the development of breast cancer in women at […]
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A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has identified a critical role for a protein called Kruppel-like factor 9 (Klf9) in the brain’s response to stress, which has implications for protecting against the effects of stress in conditions like major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In their paper published in Cell Reports, the team describes finding that […]
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The same proteins that moderate nicotine dependence in the brain may be involved in regulating metabolism by acting directly on certain types of fat cells, new research from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute shows. Previous research by LSI research assistant professor Jun Wu and others identified a new type of fat cell in mice and humans, in addition […]
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When a RAS gene operates normally, it acts as an on/off switch for cell signaling to control cell proliferation. But when the gene mutates, the switch jams into the “on” position, allowing cells to proliferate uncontrollably. This unstoppable cascade inevitably leads to cancer. “The mutation in the gene is very common in pancreatic and colon cancer,” said Neil Kelleher, the […]
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A team of researchers with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the U.S. has found that introducing an antibody into a cancerous mouse model prevented the escape of ligands from a tumor surface allowing natural killer cells to attack. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their technique and how well it […]
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