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Upright instead of horizontal Bochum biophysicists in collaboration with the MPI Dortmund have for the first time measured the orientation of the Ras protein bound to the cell membrane. The RUB team combined the use of three biophysical methods - infrared spectroscopy, computer simulations and fluorescence measurements - and came to the surprising conclusion that two Ras molecules form a pair to take an upright position on the membrane. It was previously assumed, based on computer...

Noonan syndrome is a relatively common genetic disorder characterized by short stature, unique facial features, and heart defects. About 10%-15% of affected individuals have mutations in their SOS1 gene. A team of researchers, led by Raju Kucherlapati, at Harvard Medical School, Boston, has now generated mice expressing a Sos1 mutation associated with Noonan syndrome and used them to identify potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of individuals with Noonan syndrome. Specifically,...