Latest Protein Stories

Half the drugs used today target a single class of proteins – and now scientists have identified an important molecular player critical to the proper workings of those proteins critical to our health. A protein known as Ric-8 plays a vital role, according to new results from a team led by Gregory Tall, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The work was published recently in Science Signaling. What you see, what you...

A protein's function depends on both the chains of molecules it is made of and the way those chains are folded. And while figuring out the former is relatively easy, the latter represents a huge challenge with serious implications because many diseases are the result of misfolded proteins. Now, a team of chemists at the University of Pennsylvania has devised a way to watch proteins fold in "real-time," which could lead to a better understanding of protein folding and misfolding in general....

A research team led by biochemist Scott Garman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a key interaction at the heart of a promising new treatment for a rare childhood metabolic disorder known as Fabry disease. The discovery will help understanding of other protein-folding disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, as well. Findings are featured as the cover story in the current issue of Chemistry & Biology. People born with Fabry disease...

A team led by a University of Miami researcher is creating the first map of protein interactions within neurons, in a live organism University of Miami biology professor Akira Chiba is leading a multidisciplinary team to develop the first systematic survey of protein interactions within brain cells. The team is aiming to reconstruct genome-wide in situ protein-protein interaction networks (isPIN) within the neurons of a multicellular organism. Preliminary data were presented at the...

Bacteria are able to build camouflaged homes for themselves inside healthy cells - and cause disease - by manipulating a natural cellular process. Purdue University biologists led a team that revealed how a pair of proteins from the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, which causes Legionnaires disease, alters a host protein in order to divert raw materials within the cell for use in building and disguising a large structure that houses the bacteria as it replicates. Zhao-Qing Luo, the...

PARK RIDGE, Ill., Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With the New Year just around the corner, people across the country will again be making resolutions to live healthier. Unfortunately, more often than not, the determination to shape up and eat right lasts about as long as it takes the ball in Times Square to drop. Year after year, living healthfully is viewed as being arduous or costly - however, the truth is there are plenty of easy, delicious and affordable ways to...

Fans of popular fitness supplement Stemulite are being introduced to a new fitness formula, Daily Optimizer, and for a limited time the nutrition company is including 2 free protein powder tubs as a holiday special. (PRWEB) December 16, 2011 Stemulite, a popular fitness supplement was originally marketed to increase muscle mass, decrease muscle recovery time, normalize hormones and enhance the body’s own healing process. True Healthy Products, an all natural fitness and nutrition...

Clinical gene therapy may be one step closer, thanks to a new twist on an old class of molecules. A group of University of Illinois researchers, led by professors Jianjun Cheng and Fei Wang, have demonstrated that short spiral-shaped proteins can efficiently deliver DNA segments to cells. The team published its work in the journal Angewandte Chemie. "The main idea is these are new materials that could potentially be used for clinical gene therapy," said Cheng, a professor of materials...

Jamb and Jamc are essential proteins for the fusion of muscle cells Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have discovered two proteins that are essential for the fusion of muscle cells to build muscle fibers. Their discovery might help us better understand and treat illnesses such as muscle-wasting disorders and diseases of bone over-growth, in which cellular fusion is an important feature. Cellular fusion is necessary to form larger cells that have specific functions...

Interactions of biological macromolecules are the central bases of living systems. Biological macromolecules are synthesized in living cells by linking many small molecules together. Naturally occurring macromolecules include genetic materials (DNA) and proteins. A detailed understanding of the synthesis of these macromolecules in whole animals is a basic requirement for understanding biological systems, and for the development of new therapeutic strategies. To visualize the synthesis of...