Cell Discovery Opens New Chapter In Drug Development Sep 9, 2009
Researchers at The University of Manchester in England have now developed a technique that will allow scientists to understand how these signals pass from the cell membrane into the cell itself, triggering a complex set of biological processes that have never been fully understood. The research, published in the prestigious journal Science Signaling, will spark intense interest among the global scientific community, as they will hopefully lead to better drug design and faster drug delivery... (Science Daily)
Team reveals molecular mechanism underlying a form of diabetes Sep 9, 2009
Ankyrins also play critical roles for ion channel regulation in other excitable cells, such as neurons and heart cells called cardiomyocytes," said the paper's senior author, Peter Mohler, Ph.D., University of Iowa associate professor of internal medicine and a Pew Scholar. Specifically, the team found that the gene mutation prevents most KATP channels from binding with ankyrin, which typically acts as a cellular chaperone. This failure prevents the KATP channels from reaching their normal... (EurekAlert!)
* Some researchers seeking a stalemate, not a cure, for cancer Aug 30, 2009
For example, to cope with toxic drugs, a cancer cell may increase its rate of DNA repair, or actively pump the drug out across the cell membrane. In targeted therapies, in which drugs interfere with the molecular signaling needed for proliferation and survival, a cell might adapt by activating or following alternative pathways. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Gene Assay To Help To Predict Lung Cancer Treatment Resistance Aug 28, 2009
28, 2009) The genes that may contribute to drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be predicted. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer found good correlation between genes believed to be involved in drug sensitivity and resistance and actual in vitro chemosensitivity. (Science Daily)
Researchers identify new, cancer-causing role for protein Aug 28, 2009
Akt resides in the cell's cytoplasm and must be recruited to the cell membrane in order to be activated by attachment of phosphate groups to specific locations on the protein, Lin explained ... Subsequent experiments showed that Akt ubiquitination is required to move Akt to the cell membrane, and leads to Akt's phosphorylation and activation. (EurekAlert!)
Newly Discovered Mechanism In Cell Division Has Implications For Chromosome's Role In Cancer Aug 27, 2009
The cell condenses the chromosomes, arranges them at the midpoint of the dividing cell, sends half to either end of the cell, and then forms a new cell membrane around each pool. Anaphase is the step in cellular division during which the chromosomes physically separate and are dragged to either end of the cell. (Science Daily)
Disrupting A Destructive Duo: Researchers Inhibit Cancer Proteins Aug 25, 2009
When the team used more complex cancer cell models, they found the inhibitors survived the passage across the cell membrane and still targeted the Stat3 cancer proteins inside. Gunning and his colleagues are working to make the new inhibitors even more effective, as well as more metabolically stable, meaning that they can survive the chemical defense mechanisms within the cell. (Science Daily)
Breakthrough Uses Light To Manipulate Cell Movement Aug 21, 2009
The new technology is an advance over previous light-directed methods of cellular control that used toxic wavelengths of life, disrupted the cell membrane or could switch proteins 'on' but not 'off. The research in Hahn's lab was carried out by Yi Wu, PhD, research assistant professor of pharmacology, in collaboration with a team led by Brian Kuhlman, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC and a team led by Ilme Schlichting, PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Medical... (Science Daily)
Hepatitis C Virus Channels Efforts Into Cell Survival Aug 19, 2009
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows that the virus blocks the actions of a specific ion channel in the cell membrane that would usually trigger apoptosis - the cell's self-destruct programme - and in doing so, has evolved another way of protecting itself from being eliminated from the body ... This can happen when the cell is exposed to oxidative stress that activates a specific ion channel (which acts as a pore in the cell membrane) causing it... (Science Daily)
GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab Announce Results From a Study of Arzerra in Rituximab Refractory Follicular NHL Aug 18, 2009
Ofatumumab is an investigational, fully human monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to the small and large extracellular loops of the CD20 molecule proximal to the cell membrane. The CD20 molecule is a key target in B-cell malignancy therapy because it is expressed on most B-cells. (Primezone Releases)
Shaking Hands—Neuroscience of Tremors Aug 11, 2009
The protein, which straddles the cell membrane, is thought to govern interactions among cells and to thereby influence neuronal integrity as well as function. LINGO1 also has been implicated in multiple sclerosis and Parkinson s disease, but its precise role in these disorders and in ET is unclear. (Scientific American)
New Computer Simulation Helps Explain Folding In Important Cellular Protein Aug 11, 2009
GpA is a 131-amino acid protein that spans the human red-blood cell membrane and is crucial in cell procedures. Because it has been studied in depth for many years, it also serves as an important model system for how similar systems work. (Science Daily)
How to Measure Osmolarity Aug 11, 2009
Cells, however, generally don t pass larger molecules or ions as freely through the cell membrane. Some sodium channels leak but sodium/potassium pumps work nonstop to keep a diffusion gradient across the cell membrane. (Suite101.com)
Receptor Also Active Inside The Cell Aug 4, 2009
However, it cannot enter the cells to reach the receptor as it is unable to pass the cell membrane ... These are small proteins that are present in the cell membrane, allowing water entry from the pro-urine into the cell ... Now it is known that mutant receptors can be activated inside the cell, hormone-like drugs can be developed that are able to pass the cell membrane to activate their respective receptors inside the cell. (Science Daily)
cmdABCDEF, a cluster of genes encoding membrane proteins for differentiation and antibiotic production in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) Aug 4, 2009
The other, CmdB, a predicted ATP/GTP-binding protein with an ABC-transporter-ATPase domain shown here to be essential for its function, was also located on the cell membrane. These results indicate that CmdABCDEF proteins mainly affect Streptomyces differentiation at an early stage of aerial hyphae formation, and suggest that these proteins may form a complex on cell membrane for proper segregation of chromosomes. (BioMed Central)
Invigorated Muscle Structure Allows Geese To Brave The Himalayas Aug 1, 2009
The team also found that the bar-headed geese's mitochondria the cell's power sources are distributed closer to the cell membrane and therefore closer to capillaries. "These traits allow oxygen to be carried and diffused more effectively to the flight muscles," says Scott. (Science Daily)
Researchers Rapidly Turn Bacteria Into Biotech Factories Jul 29, 2009
(June 8, 2006) Bacteria have a complicated immune system that helps them recognize and isolate foreign DNA trying to invade their cell membrane, according to a University of Washington-led study in the June 8 issue. (Nov. (Science Daily)
How the pathology of Parkinson's disease spreads Jul 28, 2009
Using specific inhibitors, the research team also discovered that alpha-synuclein is transmitted via endocytosis, the normal process by which cells absorb proteins from the extracellular media by engulfing them within their cell membrane. Blockage of the endocytic pathway resulted in lesser accumulation of alpha-synuclein. (EurekAlert!)
Chasing Tiny Vehicles: Microscope Shows How Nanoferries Invade Cells Jul 23, 2009
In doing so, the research team could even define separate phases: how the particles reached the cell membrane, came to rest there and then ultimately enclosed in a membrane vesicle invaded the cells. The vesicles move randomly, often downright erratically inside the cell, until a so-called motor protein binds them and quickly transports them towards the cell nucleus the ultimate target for the gene. (Science Daily)
Cystic Fibrosis - Liposomal Tobramycin Receives Second Orphan Drug Designation Within Weeks Jul 16, 2009
Dr. Helmut Brunar, CEO of Axentis Pharma explains: "Once at the site of infection, tobramycin-containing liposomes seem to fuse with the cell membrane of the pathogen. In this way, the entire load of tobramycin contained in the Fluidosomes(TM) is released into the bacterial cell. Additionally, our data indicate that bacterial rescue mechanisms that pump tobramycin out of the cell are inhibited by the fusion process. The efficient delivery and maximum release of tobramycin into the bacterial cell... (PR Newswire)
Structural Biology Scores With Protein Snapshot Jul 13, 2009
Although NMR methods are routinely used to "take molecular pictures" of small proteins, large proteins and particularly those that reside within the cell membrane have been reluctant to smile for the camera ... They release poison -- toxins -- into your body, and these attach to ion channels in cell membranes. (Science Daily)
How Mitochondria Get Their Membranes Bent Jul 10, 2009
In the cell membrane there are thousands of membrane proteins that transport nutritional substances, ions, and water through the membrane. (Dec. (Science Daily)
How Proteins Assemble Into Complex Patterns Jul 9, 2009
The E.coli chemotaxis network is one of the best-understood of all biological signaling systems and is a model for studying bacterial spatial organization because its components display a nonrandom, periodic distribution in the cell membrane ... In the cell membrane there are thousands of membrane proteins that transport nutritional substances, ions, and water through the membrane. (Science Daily)
Cells Use Import Machinery To Export Their Goods As Well Jul 9, 2009
ScienceDaily (July 9, 2009) In the bustling economy of the cell, little bubbles called vesicles serve as container ships, ferrying cargo to and from the port - the cell membrane. Some of these vesicles, called post-Golgi vesicles, export cargo made by the cell's protein factory. (Science Daily)
High-Tech 'Smart' Face Mask Helps Hong Kong Families Combat Swine Flu Jul 8, 2009
Many viruses, including influenza viruses, are known to bind to a terminal sialic acid residue on the surface of the human cell membrane. The binding agent in the BioFriend(TM) textile mimics the binding action of sialic acid on influenza viruses. (PR Newswire)
New Actions Of Neurochemicals Discovered Jul 4, 2009
By allowing the passage of negatively charged chloride ions across the cell membrane, chloride channels can rapidly inactivate nerve cells. "These results underscore the importance of determining whether, as in the C. elegans nervous system, a diversity of biogenic amine-gated chloride channels function in the human brain," said H. Robert Horvitz of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and senior author of the study. (Science Daily)
Nano-Sized Assassins Kill Bacteria on Body Implants Jun 27, 2009
0 Using a polymer coating designed to resemble the outer surface of a cell membrane, a team of investigators led by Steve Armes, Ph. D., of the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, has created a highly stable, biocompatible. (Newsmax)
Researchers Zero In On Ozone With Fluorescent Solution That Detects Harmful Molecule In The Air And Body Jun 24, 2009
With a microscope, they observed the fluorescent glow expand within the cell, illustrating that ozone indeed penetrated the cell membrane. The probe's successful use in biological samples could help unravel certain medical questions regarding ozone. (Science Daily)
Glutamate Receptor Believed Dead Comes To Life Jun 22, 2009
Via a sophisticated joint mechanism, this closing movement is transmitted to the channel that traverses the cell membrane and causes the channel to open. Positive ions that have accumulated outside the cell can now flow into it and thereby generate an electrical signal. (Science Daily)
How Long Can You Keep a Deadly Virus on Ice? Jun 19, 2009
Fortunately, most bacteria have natural cryoprotectants that make those crystals smaller and less destructive to the cell membrane. This storage technique is being used around the world. (Slate)
Debate over using anti-microbials in livestock Jun 16, 2009
" At a glance Anti-microbial According to the Food and Drug Administration, an anti-microbial is an umbrella for microbe-killing products that include antibiotics. Antibiotics are produced from living micro-organisms such as fungi, while anti-microbials also include synthetic products. Ionophore A compound usually synthesized by micro-organisms that disrupts the cell membrane function of other micro-organisms. Different ionophore antibiotic formulations can be used to treat or prevent... (San Francisco Chronicle)
China makes breakthrough in creating pig stem cells Jun 3, 2009
"We can introduce this gene to the pig via pluripotent stem cells -- a process known as gene 'knock-in'. Alternatively, because the swine flu virus needs to bind with a receptor on the cell membrane of the pig to enter the cells and proliferate, we could knock out this receptor in the pig via gene targeting in the pig induced pluripotent stem cell. If the receptor is missing, the virus will not infect the pig.". Xiao said the discovery could also be used to improve animal farming, not only by... (Xinhuanet, China)
World First: Chinese Scientists Create Pluripotent Stem Cells From Pigs Jun 3, 2009
"To combat swine flu, for instance, we could make a precise, gene-modified pig to improve the animal's resistance to the disease. We would do this by first, finding a gene that has anti-swine flu activity, or inhibits the proliferation of the swine flu virus; second, we can introduce this gene to the pig via pluripotent stem cells a process known as gene 'knock-in'. Alternatively, because the swine flu virus needs to bind with a receptor on the cell membrane of the pig to enter the cells and... (Science Daily)
Why the thumb of the right hand is on the left hand side May 23, 2009
The fish showed a genetic alteration at the so-called Smoothened (Smo) protein, which is located at the cell membrane and transfers the Hedgehog signal into the cell. In 2005, Aanstad and her colleagues published a paper in the renowned journal Nature, in which they showed that Smo is concentrated at cilia (cellular projections) and also functions at the cilium. (EurekAlert!)
Parkinson's damage under scrutiny May 22, 2009
" They observed that aSyn at low levels in the cell appeared to play a perfectly legitimate role - heading for the cell membrane and regulating the processing of fats. But as the levels of aSyn rose, problems began to arise. Some of the proteins "misfolded", forming the wrong shape, and caused other nearby proteins to do the same thing. These proteins gathered into clusters, and the cell began to die. Redressing the balance Professor Susan Lindquist, another Whitehead researcher, said the... (Yahoo News -- Parkinson's Disease)
Cerebral Neurons Assist Adjacent Neurons May 20, 2009
To this end, a dye is incorporated in the cell membrane and releases photons proportional to the voltage via the cell membranes. A high-resolution camera system detects these light signals, which can be visualized by subsequent computing. (Science Daily)
Saffron helps fight blindness May 18, 2009
"For example it appears to affect genes which regulate the fatty acid content of the cell membrane, and this makes the vision cells tougher and more resilient. "Secondly we have shown in animal models that a saffron diet will protect the eye from the damaging effects of bright light, something we all suffer whenever we go out in the sun," she said. Bisti said a third line of research has found that saffron is active in affecting genetic diseases of the eye, such as retinitis pigmentosa, which... (India Times, India)
Smoking Interferes With Recovery From Alcohol-related Brain Damage May 16, 2009
Mon added that these findings are consistent with their earlier neuroimaging studies which found chronic smoking in ALC patients was associated with significantly diminished recovery of markers of neuronal, or nerve cell, and cell membrane integrity in multiple brain regions over the same period as this present study. "These results suggest that patients who want to stop drinking should be offered an option to stop smoking," said Graeme Mason, associate professor of diagnostic radiology and... (Science Daily)
Molecular Defect Involved In Hearing Loss Discovered May 15, 2009
The right stimulus can throw a channel open, allowing ions to pass through; the surge of ions across the cell membrane generates tiny electrical currents that enable a multitude of bodily functions. "Many different diseases are related to mechanical phenomena," Mueller says. (Science Daily)
Closer To An Effective Treatment For Gum Disease In Smokers May 14, 2009
As a result, the expression of a number of the proteins in the cell membrane is changed. This affects important characteristics of the bacterial cells themselves and how the immune system recognizes this pathogen. (Science Daily)
Kelsey cum laude: 14-year-old graduates from University of Kentucky with honors May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Breaking News/Updates. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Researchers uncover genetic clues to blood pressure May 11, 2009
The blood pressure genes include ATP2B1 which encodes PMCA1, a cell membrane enzyme that is involved in calcium transport; CACNB2, which encodes part of a calcium channel protein; and CYP17A1 which encodes an enzyme that is necessary for steroid production. One detected variant is within the gene SH2B3 and has been associated with autoimmune diseases, hinting that pathways involved with the immune response may influence blood pressure. (EurekAlert!)
What Is Western Blotting? May 10, 2009
To best understand how and when and where a specific protein performs its specific functions (whether that be as an enzyme, a structural protein, or even a cell membrane receptor molecule), and what might make that protein change its behavior, requires the ability to identify that one protein in a complex mixture of other proteins. The ability to specifically detect a given protein has become nearly routine because of techniques that allow for the generation and purification of antibody... (Suite101.com)
Murad Founder Addresses LiveWell Women's Conference May 8, 2009
To a packed room, Dr. Murad shared the results of his breakthrough research demonstrating that the fundamental marker of good health and true age is the ability of the cell membrane to hold water. His discoveries in The Science of Cellular Water are at the heart of Murads regimen for internal, external and emotional self-care which improves appearance by improving health from the cellular level up. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Preserving Eggs For Reproduction: Drugs Needed To Be Given In Stages To Improve Chances For Later Fertilization May 7, 2009
Increasingly added to the mix of manmade cryoprotectants are sugars, which are used by a variety of species, such as brine shrimp and eight-legged tardigrades, a microscopic water-dweller also known as water bears," to survive drought conditions. Scientists like Dr. Eroglu, are showing that these sugars, such as trehalose used by tardigrades, also can help humans, monkeys and other species that don't naturally produce them. With human egg preservation, the sugars currently are placed in the... (Science Daily)
New View Of HIV Entry May Lead To Next-generation Of Inhibitors May 6, 2009
"In order to efficiently block intracellular fusion events, the next generation of HIV entry inhibitors must be able to permeate the cell membrane," he continued ... Endosomes form in a process known as endocytosis by which cells take in material by engulfing and pinching off a portion of the cell membrane to form a smaller vesicle. (Science Daily)
Details Of Bacterial 'Injection' System Revealed Apr 30, 2009
The secretion system is a complex protein structure that traverses the bacterial cell membrane and acts as a biological syringe to inject deadly proteins into intestinal cells. These proteins rupture the cell's innards, leading to bloody diarrhea and sometimes death. (Science Daily)
Sanuvox UV Air Sterilization Systems Ability to Destroy Airborne Type A Influenza including Swine Flu (H1N1) Apr 30, 2009
The UV system delivers the optimal UV dosage penetrating the cell membrane destroying the DNA structure of the virus. The Sanuvox In-Duct Air Sterilizer has been tested by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) against biological warfare agents. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Novel Once Daily Anti-Epileptic Zebinix(R) Approved in the European Union Apr 28, 2009
Nerve impulses are triggered via voltage-gated sodium channels in the nerve cell membrane. Treatment of partial-onset seizures, the most common type of epilepsy, presents a constant challenge - up to 40% of patients with partial-onset seizures do not achieve seizure control with current anti-epileptic drugs. (PR Newswire)
Novel role of protein in generating amyloid-beta peptide Apr 28, 2009
In order for cleavage to occur, the APP needs to travel to cholesterol-enriched sites within the cell membrane called RAFTS, where APP interacts with the two enzymes. It is this contact that the researchers sought to block. (EurekAlert!)
RNA Used To Reprogram One Cell Type Into Another Apr 18, 2009
The scientists put in an excess of astrocyte messenger RNAs into the neuron cell body using phototransfection, a method they created a few years ago that creates temporary pores in the cell membrane ... Essentially the team extracted and produced mRNA from an astrocyte, then used phototransfection to create pores in the neuron cell membrane to flood it with an excess of astrocyte mRNAs, which reside in the neuron host cell cytoplasm. (Science Daily)
Virus-Induced Myocarditis Prevented In Mice Apr 14, 2009
It can be found in the cell membrane of myocardial fibers. Ulrike Lisewski, Dr. Shi, Michael Radke, and Prof. (Science Daily)
Scientists Closer To Creating Safe Embryonic-like Stem Cells Apr 14, 2009
The transfection involved a simple process in which the tiny microRNA molecules were mixed with a lipid, allowing them to pass through the cell membrane. By labeling the fibroblast cells, they showed that the treated cells could be incorporated into a mouse embryo and become every cell type in the adult animal -- including germline cells that would produce the next generation of mice. (Science Daily)
What is a Resting Potential? Apr 13, 2009
The cell membrane of neurons has charged particles (ions) on either side ... The reason that the resting potential can exist is because cell membranes are impermeable and do not allow the flow of ions in and out of the cell except through ion-specific channels ... When they are open, particular ions can diffuse through them in response to the concentration gradient that exists between the inside and the outside of the cell membrane. (Suite101.com)
Seeing Single RNA Molecules Inside Living Cells: Researchers Develop New Method Apr 7, 2009
The toxin created several tiny holes in the cell membrane that allowed the probes to enter the cell's cytoplasm. The researchers tested the sensitivity of conventional fluorescence microscopy to image individual probes inside a cell. (Science Daily)
Prestige Oil Spill Caused Changes In Cell Structure Of Mussels Apr 4, 2009
Up to 2004 it could be seen that the lysosomes organs responsible for cellular digestion suffered drastic changes in size and the cell membrane had destabilised. From 2004 on the situation showed signs of recovery and the size of the lysosomes had returned to their reference values, although in 2006, the stability of the cell membrane in some samples were still not high. (Science Daily)
Discovery Of Mechanism That Processes 'THC' Type Brain Compound May Lead To New Medicines For Pain, Addiction Apr 1, 2009
D.) are the first to successfully identify two known fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) that carry the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), a neurotransmitter, from the cell membrane to interior of the cell where it is destroyed. This identification enabled the research team to inhibit FABPs in various laboratory experiments and thereby reduce AEA breakdown inside cells. (Science Daily)
Nanoparticles In Cosmetics, Personal Care Products May Have Adverse Environmental Effects Mar 28, 2009
Gruden's method for pinpointing damage from nanoparticles uses fluorescence to identify when the cell membrane in microbes undergo damage. When membranes a crucial part of the microbe are damaged, the cells emit a faint red glow. (Science Daily)
Microbes digest, detoxify dangerous metals Mar 28, 2009
But the minerals in metals are insoluble, which means they can't easily penetrate a cell membrane. Shewanella gets around this problem by putting their metal-digesting enzymes outward. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Scripps scientists find structure of a protein that makes cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy Mar 27, 2009
The top part of the tipi resides inside the cell membrane and has two openings for substances to enter; the bottom portion sticks out inside the cell, ending in two dumbbell-shaped arms. This overall shape is strikingly similar to that of another protein, MsbA, that transports lipids out of bacteria. (EurekAlert!)
Special gold nanoparticles show promise for 'cooking' cancer cells Mar 23, 2009
"They can go through the cell membrane, but only at certain angles. Our spheres allow a smoother, more efficient flow through the membranes.". The gold nanoshells, which are nearly perfect spheres, range in size from 30 to 50 nanometers thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair. (EurekAlert!)
New Measure For Malignancy Of Melanoma Mar 21, 2009
Melanoma cells were really found to produce both soluble Ang2 and the matching receptor, Tie2, on their own cell membrane. As a result, they are theoretically capable of activating themselves. (Science Daily)
How Soil Bacteria 'Breathe' Toxic Metals Mar 19, 2009
The microscope detected OmcA all around the edges of the bacteria, wherever the cell membrane contacted the hematite -- which suggests that the protein does indeed enable the bacteria to breathe hematite. The protein was even present in a gelatinous ooze that was seeping from the bacteria. (Science Daily)
How Mosquitoes Could Teach Us A Trick In The Fight Against Malaria Mar 14, 2009
These two 'intruder detection' proteins then activate a third protein in the mosquito's blood called TEP1, which seeks out the parasitic invader, binds to its surface and orchestrates its destruction by punching holes in its cell membrane. The Imperial College London team behind the new discovery say this knowledge could be used to develop new genetic or chemical techniques to improve on the mosquito's natural detection success rate, so that 100 percent of the parasites can be killed inside the... (Science Daily)
Brain Tumor Treatment May Increase Number Of Cancer Stem-like Cells Mar 13, 2009
"ABC proteins are transporters that participate in tumor resistance by actively transporting drugs across the cell membrane, serving to protect cells from chemotherapeutic agents," offers Dr. Holland. Dr. Holland and colleagues employed a method that allowed visualization of ABC-mediated efflux of fluorescent dye to identify and isolate "side population" (SP) cells from mouse and human glioblastomas. (Science Daily)
