Small infections can be fatal: Millions of people die each year from sepsis, an overreaction of the immune system. A new immune signaling molecule, designed by a research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), now provides the basis for potential new approaches in sepsis therapy. IMAGE: THIS THE MODIFIED HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-27-ALPHA. INSPIRED BY...
Category: <span>Proteomics</span>
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A muscle protein promotes nerve healing
Injuries or diseases of nerves in the central nervous system result in lifelong disabilities, such as paraplegia caused by a damage to the spinal cord or blindness following the injury of the optic nerve. “Nerve regeneration therapies for clinical applications are not available yet,” points out Dietmar Fischer. This is because nerve fibres – so-called...
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Designer protein delivers signal of choice
A computational strategy has delivered a redesigned, more stable version of a cytokine protein that mimics the natural protein’s interactions with receptors, opening the way for designer cytokine-based therapeutics. Messenger proteins called cytokines are secreted from cells and travel throughout the body. In the immune system, a cytokine called interleukin-2 (IL-2) delivers signals to receptors...
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Researchers discover new binding partner for amyloid precursor protein
An international team of researchers has discovered a new binding partner for amyloid precursor protein (APP)—a neurotransmitter called GABABR1a. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their study of a non-pathogenic version of APP and what they found. Martin Korte with Technische Universität Braunschweig has written a Perspective piece on the...
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HIV protein function that slows migration of T cells also improves viral survival
Patch’ of Nef protein amino acids appears to help virus evade the immune response in animal model MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL A study from a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team has identified the specific function of a protein found in HIV and related viruses that appears to slow down viral spread in the earliest stages of infection. But they also found that, after initially slowing down the...
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Hearing loss announced by protein boom in blood
Blood levels of a special protein found only in the inner ear spike after exposure to loud noise, UConn Health researchers report. The findings point the way to blood tests that could warn people at risk of hearing loss before they suffer serious damage. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Hearing loss can sneak up on people, slowly muffling the world, but only noticeable once the damage...
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Scientists design protein that prods cancer-fighting T-cells
The new immunotherapy drug is designed to fight cancer while avoiding common side effects. This illustration depicts how the new protein, in red, binds only to the beta and gamma receptors, and not to cells with a third kind of receptor. (version with labels) Credit: Institute for Protein Design Scientists at UW Medicine’s Institute for...
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Synaptic protein regulates anxiety behaviour
Anxiety disorders are severe mental disorders in which patients suffer from intense fears and anxiety or from sudden, inexplicable panic attacks. In extreme cases, the affected individuals barely leave their homes, which can have serious consequences for their relationships with family and friends as well as for their professional lives. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental...
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Research reviews role of protein tyrosine phosphatase in molecular biology
As the proteomics technology develops and human genomic analysis becomes easier to execute, molecules involved in the regulation of biochemical signaling pathways have become interesting subjects for researchers. Earlier research was based on assumptions that metabolic cascades such as phosphorylation was linear. However, current studies indicate a multi-network signaling cascade. The interlinked signals performing in...
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New mouse model reminiscent of Leigh syndrome sheds light on mechanisms of neurodegeneration
Leuven researchers led by professor Bart De Strooper (VIB-KU Leuven) have identified a new role for PARL, a protein that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. In this week’s edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, they report that mice lacking PARL display specific problems in the nervous system reminiscent of Leigh...