Tag Archives: protein
Atomic classification of cancer cells
Cancer cells have molecules, known as receptors, on their surface that distinguish them from healthy cells. Knowing receptors that are present on malignant cells can help to detect and/or classify the disease. Here, we developed a method
Upregulation of a protein in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases due to its altered membrane binding
The proteins of the Neuronal Calcium Sensor (NCS) family act as calcium dependent molecular switches in order to maintain the communication between the brain cells. Most of NCS proteins are involved in neurodegenerative diseases resulting from calcium
Tuberculosis in ancient bones can also be identified by a protein of the pathogen
As we all know, DNA is the matrix for the proteins and the proteins are the molecules which are involved in every step of the metabolism of all living organisms inside and outside of cells. Without proteins
Folding proteins with a pich of salt
The slow but unstoppable progress of evolution has enabled, step-by-step, mutation after mutation, the conquest of almost every possible environment on Earth. Even in those places where conditions are far from “standard”, where the presence of organisms
How plant virus hides from the host cellular degradation machinery
The main goal of obligatory viral parasites is to create the perfect environment for its multiplication. Therefore, the first step is to avoid degradation by the host cellular degradation. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is not
How do chaperones save protein folding?
Protein folding both in vitro and in vivo goes via formation of intermediate states. These “molten globule”-like states fluctuate, expose their hydrophobic sites and therefore easily aggregate. This retards or even inhibits formation of protein native structures,
With a little help from friends: how plastids aid the ER to deal with misfolded proteins
Almost a third of all proteins in eukaryotic cells are synthesized and folded in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) before being secreted and redistributed to other organelles, such as the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, and the plasma membrane. To
Key elements of proteins involved in the bacterial production of the toxin methylmercury
Mercury is a prevalent global pollutant that has adverse effects on human health. This toxin is present in the environment not only as a result of releases during natural events, such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires and
Do Bucentaur family proteins represent true monsters in the fight against stress?
The BCNT (Bucentaur) protein family, which is conserved from fungi to humans, is classified by the presence of an ~80 amino acid sequence at the C-terminus called BCNT-C. Family members in fungi, flies, fish, and chicken play
Arrestin-enolase protein complex as a new auto antigen in heart disease
Over the past two decades, evidence of a pathogenic relevance of autoimmunity in human heart disease has increased significantly. A central role for autoimmunity in a significant proportion of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients is supported by the
Yarrowia lipolytica: how a yeast becomes a workhorse for biotechnology
Yarrowia lipolytica is a yeast species belonging to the Ascomycota fungi phylum (like the well-known baker’s and brewer’s yeasts, both from Saccharomyces cerevisiae species). This innocuous yeast can be found in a large range of ecosystems (soils,
Targeted ion therapy using nanoparticles – a new direction
A living body is made of the smallest building block, called ‘cell’. It gives us a shape, helps us to perform physiological and biological activities, and so on. A eukaryotic cell contains a nucleus, buried in the
Antibodies at your pipette tips
Antibodies are essential in our immune system to fight against all sorts of diseases that we could encounter every day. The technological developments over the decade has allowed scientist to isolate target or disease-specific antibodies in the
Advancing medicine and agriculture using proteins that control energy and sugar production
Except for bacteria , most living organisms contain specialized cellular compartments termed mitochondria , that are responsible for breaking down sugars to produce energy for the cell. Plant cells possess a second compartment called chloroplasts , which
Dissecting how cells communicate to prevent cancer relapse
Protein kinases are a class of enzymes that are responsible for the transfer of phosphates onto other proteins. These phosphate groups, although small, can change the behaviour of the protein itself, or the behaviour of those it
Biodiesel synthesis in response to individual short chain fatty acids during mixotrophic mode of microalgal cultivation
Growing concern over fuel crisis and global climate change has led to substantial investment and research into alternative fuel sources. In this prospect, photosynthetic organisms have huge potential for biofuels production in a carbon neutral way with
Small or big, brain cells don’t like protein gunk that lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s
An interdisiciplinary study by scientists at Trinity College Dublin (TCD, Ireland) have answered a hotly debated question in the neurodegenerative diseases research area: “Which protein aggregate form is the primary pathogenic agent in neurodegenerative diseases – (i) the prefibrillar oligomeric
Punching above their weight: how the smallest RNAs offer great promise for cancer biology
In recent decades, scientists have witnessed transformative developments in the field of RNA biology. RNA molecules are similar in composition to their more famous DNA counterparts (they are both nucleic acids), but are present in a variety
Computational refinement and validation protocol for proteins
HIV protects itself using a membrane layer of lipids which covers all proteins which could potentially be targeted by drugs. The only exposed proteins, gp120 and gp41 form spikes that protrude out of the lipid membrane. These
How to know transcription factors by the company they keep
The ENCODE project is a massive data-collection effort set out to understand the function of the human genome. The collection comprises many types of genomic data, including the localization of transcription factors onto DNA. Transcription factors are
