Scientists Solve Structure Of NMDA Receptor Unit That Could Be Drug Target For Neurological Diseases Nov 14, 2009
Of much greater interest is the location and nature of a suspected binding site of a small molecule type that is known to bind the ATD and inhibit the action of the NMDA receptor. These inhibitor molecules are members of a class of compounds called phenylethanolamines which "have high efficacy and specificity and show some promise as neuroprotective agents without side effects seen in compounds that bind at the extracellular domain of other receptors," Furukawa explains. (Science Daily)
Computers Reveal Unexpected Drug Side Effects Nov 7, 2009
Using the computational approach, Roth and colleagues found that DMT had a high affinity for serotonin receptors, including the binding site for LSD, another hallucinogen. They also showed that the substance is hallucinogenic in normal mouse models but not in ones lacking the serotonin receptor. (Science Daily)
New Method Aims To Stabilize Antibodies Sep 15, 2009
The light and heavy chain each has a variable domain, which come together to form the antigen binding site. Because of the great diversity of amino acids in the variable domains, different antibodies are capable of interacting with an effectively unlimited number of targets. (Science Daily)
Intrinsic Changes In Protein Shape Influence Drug Binding Aug 24, 2009
"If we know the rules, we can make better predictions about which binding sites to target to make more effective drugs." ... 8, 2008) Hoping to piece together the intricate series of interactions that lead to Huntington's disease, scientists have determined the shape and structure of a binding site that may prove useful in. (Science Daily)
The Flu Hunters: Racing to Outsmart a Pandemic Aug 11, 2009
"I got back to the lab, and as soon as we saw a sequence of the hemagglutinin, we looked at the receptor binding site and found indications of an alpha-2,6 binding specificity," Daniels, 54, recalls. "I knew then we have a problem.". (Time.com)
'Swiss Army Knife' Nanoparticle For Nanomedicine Aug 6, 2009
All-in-One Nanoparticle: A 'Swiss Army Knife' For Nanomedicine. All-in-One Nanoparticle: A 'Swiss Army Knife' For Nanomedicine. (Science Daily)
Prostate Cancer 'Homing Device' Delivers Drugs Jul 7, 2009
The team created an area on the molecule that would link to various imaging or therapeutic agents to bring them along as cargo and created a spacer that would stretch the molecule so that its cargo would not keep it from properly fitting into the binding site. The spacer also was designed to improve binding of the targeting molecule to PSMA.. (Science Daily)
Existing Parkinson's Disease Drug May Fight Drug-resistant TB Jul 5, 2009
The team extended the scope of this concept across gene families by extracting the binding site of commercially available drugs, then identifying off-targets with similar ligand binding sites using an accurate, functional site search algorithm. Subsequently, working with the TB bacterium itself, they found that the active component in Comtan tablets (entacapone) is effective at inhibiting M.tuberculosis in concentrations well below a level that is toxic to cells. (Science Daily)
Alcohol-binding site in brain identified Jun 30, 2009
The researchers say that they have identified a binding site for alcohol in an ion channel that plays a key role in several brain functions associated with drugs of abuse and seizures ... The researchers say that the identification of the location of a physical alcohol-binding site important for GIRK channel activation could point to new strategies for treating related brain diseases ... "(Alternatively) If we could find a novel drug that fits the alcohol-binding site and then activate GIRK... (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Site For Alcohol's Action In Brain Found Jun 29, 2009
Having the location of a physical alcohol-binding site important for GIRK channel activation could point to new strategies for treating related brain diseases ... Alternatively, "If we could find a novel drug that fits the alcohol-binding site and then activate GIRK channels, this would dampen overall neuronal excitability in the brain and perhaps provide a new tool for treating epilepsy," says Slesinger ... The Salk researchers noted the similarity of these candidate alcohol-binding sites with... (Science Daily)
Different levels of humoral immunoreactivity to different wheat cultivars gliadin are present in patients with celiac disease and in patients with multiple myeloma. Jun 1, 2009
Anti-gliadin IgA and IgG immunoreactivity of patients' sera in (IU/ml) was firstly determined by commercial diagnostic Binding Site ELISA test, and then additionally by non-commercial ELISA tests, using standardized ethanol wheat extracts -gliadin as the antigen. In both patients groups IgA immunoreactivity to gliadin from different cultivars was almost homogenous and in correlation with results from commercial test (except for one patient with IgA(lambda) myeloma, they were more then five times... (BioMed Central)
Molecular characterisation and genetic mapping of candidate genes for qualitative disease resistance in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) May 19, 2009
Qualitative pathogen resistance in both dicotyledenous and monocotyledonous plants has been attributed to the action of resistance (R) genes, including those encoding nucleotide binding site - leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) proteins and receptor-like kinase enzymes. This study describes the large-scale isolation and characterisation of candidate R genes from perennial ryegrass. (BioMed Central)
Even In Our Genome, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors May 16, 2009
When Witcher extended his search further upstream, however, he discovered a binding site for CTCF, short for CCCTC-binding factor, which forms the centerpiece of the molecular fence posts that separate heterochromatin from the rest of the genome. "We found that the binding of this protein is lost from several binding sites in numerous types of cancer cells, leading to the collapse of the molecular boundary," he says. (Science Daily)
Systematic identification of transcription factors associated with patient survival in cancers May 15, 2009
In this paper, we propose a computational approach that integrates microarray expression data with the transcription factor binding site information to systematically identify transcription factors associated with patient survival given a specific cancer type. This approach was applied to two gene expression data sets for breast cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. (BioMed Central)
New Technique For Modifying Plant Genes Developed May 5, 2009
Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are engineered enzymes that bind to specific DNA sequences and introduce modifications at or near the binding site. The standard way to genetically modify an organism is to introduce foreign genes into a genome without knowing where they will be incorporated. (Science Daily)
Avian Flu Research Sheds Light On Swine Flu Apr 30, 2009
"Because the binding site of the mutant virus is different from the virus upon which the vaccine is modeled, it may mean that current vaccine stocks would not be as effective against the H9N2 mutant strain as previously anticipated," said Perez. "We should keep this in mind when designing vaccines for an avian flu pandemic in humans.". (Science Daily)
Genetic switch potential key to new class of antibiotics Apr 18, 2009
The mRNA's ribosome binding site is instead locked up by the preQ1 riboswitch, like putting a hand in a pocket ... Because preQ1 is a modified form of an RNA base, it stacks on the RNA bases in the riboswitch binding pocket with high affinity, adding stability to the switch that tightly locks up the mRNA's ribosome binding site ... The study further detailed how the first base of the mRNA's ribosome binding site binds to a loop of the riboswitch, the "lever" by which the ribosome-binding site is... (EurekAlert!)
Scorpion Venom With Nanoparticles Slows Spread Of Brain Cancer Apr 18, 2009
The MMP-2 on the cell's surface, which is the binding site for chlorotoxin, is hyperactive in highly invasive tumors such as brain cancer. Researchers believe MMP-2 helps the cancerous cell break through the protective matrix to invade new regions of the body. (Science Daily)
Penn biologists discover how 'silent' mutations influence protein production Apr 10, 2009
The stability of mRNA folding near the ribosomal binding site explained more than half the variation in protein levels. To understand this observation, the researchers simulated the spatial arrangement of the messenger RNA molecule that carries the information from genes to proteins. (EurekAlert!)
New scoring schema for finding motifs in DNA Sequences Mar 21, 2009
Pattern discovery in DNA sequences is one of the most fundamental problems in molecular biology with important applications in finding regulatory signals and transcription factor binding sites. An important task in this problem is to search for (or predict) known binding sites in a new DNA sequence ... Most of the available tools for known binding site prediction are designed by assuming no dependency between the binding site base position. (BioMed Central)
Functional and genetic analysis in type 2 diabetes of Liver X receptor alleles - a cohort study Mar 18, 2009
rs17373080 overlapped, according to in silico analysis, with a binding site for Nuclear factor 1 (NF1). Promoter alleles were tested for interaction with NF1 using direct DNA binding and transactivation assays. (BioMed Central)
Heavy Metal Toxicity Mar 17, 2009
Once at the target site, they can displace an important mineral from its binding site and pretend to be this mineral. This is called molecular mimicry ; however, they cannot perform the mineral s function and so inhibit any activity at the binding site, affecting cellular function. (Suite101.com)
CRG buys Genomatix' Next Generation Sequencing analysis solution Mar 5, 2009
GGA delivers annotation of genomic coordinates from GMS or any other mapping procedure, clustering and peak finding, analysis for phylogenetic conservation, large scale correlation analysis with any annotated genomic elements, meta-analysis of data correlation between different experiments, pathway mining for groups of identified genes, transcription factor binding site (TFBS) analysis (identification, over-representation, binding partner analysis, framework identification, phylogenetic... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Compounds Protect Against Cerebral Palsy Feb 28, 2009
"This made me think that the three enzymes must be very similar in structure. We decided to look for differences away from the normal binding site to get selectivity for only the brain enzyme.". This approach paid off. (Science Daily)
Getting Closer to a Flu Supervaccine Feb 24, 2009
So not only can these antibodies potentially treat an infection once it has already occurred by disabling the viruses and preventing them from infecting additional healthy cells they can also position themselves into the binding site of the cells themselves, blocking the virus at the receiving end too. One more advantage of this viral weak spot. (Time.com)
Using cell fate attractors to uncover transcriptional regulation of HL60 neutrophil differentiation Feb 18, 2009
By employing promoter based transcription factor binding site analysis, we found enrichment in the set of divergent genes, of transcription factors functionally linked to tumor progression, cell cycle, and development. Conclusions. (BioMed Central)
Long-sought Protein Structure May Help Reveal How 'Gene Switch' Works Feb 10, 2009
CRP is the "binding site" (attachment point) for cAMP, a small molecule that, once attached, serves as the signal to throw the switch. This "on" state of CRP then turns on the genes that help a microbe survive in a human host. (Science Daily)
EMBL GeneCore purchases Genomatix's next generation sequencing data analysis solution Feb 7, 2009
Clustering and peak finding, analysis for phylogenetic conservation, large scale correlation analysis with annotated genomic elements, meta-analysis of data correlation between different experiments, pathway mining for groups of identified genes, transcription factor binding site (TFBS) analysis ( identification, over-representation, binding partner analysis, framework identification, phylogenetic conservation, regulatory SNP effects) and much more are all processes carried out on the GGA..... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
