The Three-Dimensional Structure of Type A GABA Receptors in Natural State

Sat, 2023/11/04

The Three-Dimensional Structure of Type A GABA Receptors in Natural State

In a new study, researchers from the University of Health and Science of Oregon in the United States revealed the molecular structure of a receptor crucial for brain development and function - the Type A GABA receptor. The relevant research results were published online in Nature titled “Cryo-EM structures reveal native GABAA receptor assemblies and pharmacology”. The A-type GABA receptor has become a target for drug anesthetics, sedatives, and antidepressants due to its important role in brain function. These authors have revealed the main combinations and states of this GABA receptor, which
Read More
Virus ADP Ribotransferase Couples RNA with Host Protein

Mon, 2023/09/25

Virus ADP Ribotransferase Couples RNA with Host Protein

Prior to this, people had always believed that RNA and protein only interacted briefly during cellular processes. In a new study, researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Land Microbiology in Germany found that this is not the case: bacterial viruses, also known as bacteriophages, “bind” specific RNA to host proteins during the developmental cycle. This chemical modification, called RNAylation, may open up new avenues for phage therapy or drug development. The relevant research results were published in Nature, with the title “A viral ADP-ribosyltransferase attaches RNA chains to host prot
Read More
Synaxin-6 Promotes the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Activating the USF2/LC3B Axis

Sun, 2023/09/24

Synaxin-6 Promotes the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Activating the USF2/LC3B Axis

Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for over 80% of all primary liver cancers and is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The five-year survival rate of hepatocellular carcinoma is only 18%, and the mortality rate is second only to pancreatic cancer. Despite recent progress in radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, current treatment for liver cancer cannot effectively improve the prognosis of patients. In addition, the characteristic of proliferative hepatocellular carcinoma is the activation of signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation. Therefore, finding an ef
Read More
ACSS2 - A Promising New Anticancer Target

Sun, 2023/09/24

ACSS2 - A Promising New Anticancer Target

A recent study published in Nature Cancer shows that intervening in the metabolism of acetic acid by cancer cells through ACSS2 is not only an effective approach, but also an unexpected gain! The research team of the Wistar Institute in the United States found that inhibiting ACSS2 in cancer cells can transform cancer cells from consumers of acetic acid to producers, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), mainly composed of T cells, will accept this acetic acid, significantly enhancing their own effector function and proliferative activity, thereby effectively enhancing the anti-tumor i
Read More
In Situ PEG Modification of CAR-T Cells Can Alleviate Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurotoxicity

Fri, 2023/09/22

In Situ PEG Modification of CAR-T Cells Can Alleviate Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurotoxicity

In recent years, cancer researchers have cheered the arrival of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which has achieved encouraging results and changed the treatment methods of various cancers. CAR-T cell therapy targets cancer cells through genetically modified patients' T cells, thereby achieving a significant cure rate for previously incurable cancers. Currently, six CAR-T cell therapies have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and several are under development. However, these cell therapies also have serious potential fatal side effects, namely cytokin
Read More
Scientists have found 32 proteins related to dementia in the blood of middle-aged people based on 25 years of data!

Thu, 2023/08/17

Scientists have found 32 proteins related to dementia in the blood of middle-aged people based on 25 years of data!

Genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer's disease (AD) have shown that its biological process is very complex and not limited to the accumulation of β Amyloid protein (Aβ)and tau protein. Systemic factors and biological processes outside the central nervous system may also affect the risk of dementia and AD. Proteins, as systemic circulating factors, may be driving factors for complex central nervous system diseases, and researchers have been searching for biomarkers in plasma that can represent pathological progression. However, currently, large-scale proteomic analysis of dementia is
Read More
Host Limiting Factor ProtΑ can Inhibit HIV Infection in the Body

Thu, 2023/08/17

Host Limiting Factor ProtΑ can Inhibit HIV Infection in the Body

In a new study, researchers from research institutions such as the Walter Reed Army Research Institute in the United States confirmed previous research on host limiting factors for HIV-1. They detailed how omics reveal correlations when searching for treatment strategies. The relevant research results were published in the issue of the Science Translational Medicine journal, with the title “Single-cell transcriptomics identifies prothymosin α restriction of HIV-1 in vivo.” These authors used single-cell transcriptomics to identify proteins active in the cells of 14 HIV-1 infected individual
Read More
Drugs Targeting the Protein Cypa Have the Potential to Treat a Range of Poxviruses, Including Monkeypox and Smallpox Viruses

Thu, 2023/08/17

Drugs Targeting the Protein Cypa Have the Potential to Treat a Range of Poxviruses, Including Monkeypox and Smallpox Viruses

In a new study, researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, and the Pierbright Institute in the UK have discovered a new treatment method that may be more durable than current methods when studying how the pox virus evades the natural defense function of human cells. Prior to this, they discovered how the pox virus hijacks a cellular protein to evade the host cell's defense, thereby effectively replicating and spreading. The relevant research results were published online in the journal Nature, with the title “TRIM5α restricts poxviruses and is antagonized by CypA a
Read More