STING Is Involved in the Occurrence of Motor Neurological Diseases

Fri, 2020/10/09

STING Is Involved in the Occurrence of Motor Neurological Diseases

In a recent study, researchers from the University of Melbourne revealed the mechanism of inflammation that slows the onset of motor neuron disease (MND), thereby providing hope for people suffering from this debilitating and incurable disease. They found that by blocking immune receptor STING, they can significantly prevent inflammation in cells of MND patients, paving the way for the development of new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases such as MND. The discovery was recently published in the journal Cell and was led by Associate Professor Seth Masters and Yulan Dr, researchers a
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Research Reveals Cross-species Transmission of Primate Lentivirus

Fri, 2020/10/09

Research Reveals Cross-species Transmission of Primate Lentivirus

Humans continue to be threatened by viral diseases such as Ebola, Zika, and Coronavirus. Such emerging/re-emerging virus outbreaks may be caused by cross-species viruses transmitted from wild animals to humans. In order to achieve cross-species transmission, the new host must be exposed to the virus in the old host. Next, the virus acquires certain mutations that may be beneficial for replication in the new host. Finally, by continuing to spread in the new host, these viruses can adapt to the environment in the new host. However, at the beginning of this process, the virus must overcome the
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New Treatment for KRAS Mutant Lung Cancer

Mon, 2020/09/14

New Treatment for KRAS Mutant Lung Cancer

KRAS is a common type of oncogene and is involved in at least one-fifth of all human cancers. KRAS mutations cause 32% of lung tumors and 96% of pancreatic tumors. However, after more than 30 years of research, there is still no effective treatment strategy for this oncogene. For this reason, many studies have been conducted to try to identify other molecules that show therapeutic activity along the KRAS signaling pathway. Faced with this challenge, researchers from the Experimental Tumor Group of the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) found that the inactivation of CDK4 and RAF1 g
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New Regulation Mechanism of Interferon Signaling Pathway

Mon, 2020/09/14

New Regulation Mechanism of Interferon Signaling Pathway

The interferon (IFN) signaling pathway is the main component of innate immunity and plays an important role in the host’s resistance to pathogens; the production of IFN and the activation of downstream pathways are precisely regulated. The transcription factor STAT1 is a key effector of the IFN pathway. When the IFN signaling pathway is activated, the STAT1 protein is phosphorylated and modified by its kinase JAK1 to form heterologous or homodimers and transfer into the nucleus to regulate the transcriptional activation of downstream target genes. RNF220 is a member of the RING ubiquitin ligas
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Identify a Key Protein that Can Regulate the Female Body's Estrogen Cycle - RSK2

Sat, 2020/08/15

Identify a Key Protein that Can Regulate the Female Body's Estrogen Cycle - RSK2

Recently, in a research report titled “RSK2 Maintains Adult Estrogen Homeostasis by Inhibiting ERK1/2-Mediated Degradation of Estrogen Receptor Alpha” published in the Cell Reports, scientists from Vanderbilt University and other institutions found a key regulatory protein through research that can regulate the body's estrogen cycle. Oral contraceptives will moderately increase the risk of breast cancer in women, and birth control methods will use estrogen, a hormone that binds to estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) to change the reproductive cycle, although scientists know a lot about estrogen
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A Special Protein May Help SARS-CoV-2 to Spread Rapidly in Host Cells!

Fri, 2020/08/14

A Special Protein May Help SARS-CoV-2 to Spread Rapidly in Host Cells!

Recently, in a research report published in The FASEB Journal, scientists from Colorado State University and other institutions discovered that a special kind of virus-encoded by SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that induces COVID-19) protein may be directly related to the rapid spread of viruses in the human body. Now scientists have begun to reveal the key features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the use of basic research tools and bioinformatics analysis, and these features are expected to help scientists develop new therapies for COVID-19 in the future. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, these research
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The Use of Activin/GDF Fusion Protein Is Expected to Treat Pulmonary Hypertension

Thu, 2020/07/23

The Use of Activin/GDF Fusion Protein Is Expected to Treat Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PAH) is an insidious disease. Its symptoms may start slowly, and even before the symptoms appear, extensive damage has caused the blockage of small arteries, resulting in increased blood pressure in the lungs. When the symptoms—the most obvious being shortness of breath—are severe enough for PAH patients to seek treatment and obtain a definite diagnosis, based on currently available treatments, the patient’s chance of survival within five years is slightly higher than 50%. Dr. Paul B. Yu, an expert in cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the Uni
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Inhibition of the STING Protein Pathway Can Prevent Patients from Developing Graft-versus-host Disease

Thu, 2020/07/23

Inhibition of the STING Protein Pathway Can Prevent Patients from Developing Graft-versus-host Disease

In a new study, researchers found that inhibiting the STING protein pathway can protect some patients from graft versus host disease (GVHD), among which, GVHD is the most serious complication of bone marrow (stem cell) transplantation. The relevant research results were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The title of the paper is “STING differentially regulates experimental GVHD mediated by CD8 versus CD4 T cell subsets”. Dr. Levy said, “This pathway plays a very important role in allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplantation. In a preclinical model that simulates trans
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