Creative Biomart Blog

Mon, 2018/07/02

PNAS: A Key Switch in Biological Clocks Found

Multipoint phosphorylation of the PERIOD 2 (PER2) protein is a critical step in determining the mammalian clock cycle. Previous studies have suggested that the phosphorylation of PER2 by casein kinase 1 (CK1) requires the initiation of an undiscovered protein kinase. CK1 is an essential circulatory protein that is highly conserved from algae to humans. These phosphorylation processes stabilize the PER2 and delay its degradation to extend the circadian clock cycle. To find this essential protein, an international team led by Duke-NUS Medical School researchers conducted an integrated bio

Fri, 2018/06/08

Two Articles Revealed a Specific Gene That Makes the Human Brain Big—NOTCH2NL

Over the past 3 million years, the evolution of larger brains has played an important role in our ability to think, solve problems, and develop cultures. However, it has always been a mystery for us to become genetic changes in the human brain. In two papers published in Cell, two groups of researchers identified a gene family, NOTCH2NL, which appears to play an important role in the human-specific cortical development and may become a driving force for the evolution of our brain. The NOTCH2NL gene extends the differentiation of cortical stem cells into neurons, resulting in more neurons produ

Thu, 2018/05/31

Ways to Promote Durable Weight Loss in Obese Patients Found

Recently, in a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers from Charite Medical College in Berlin successfully treated obese patients due to hereditary defects. The new drugs developed by the researchers not only benefit patients, but also help them understand the basic signal pathways that regulate the satiety of this new drug. Gene mutations that encode leptin receptors induce individuals to become extremely hungry during the first few months of life. Affected individuals then progress to extreme obesity during childhood, and increasing exercise and reducing caloric intake are usually

Wed, 2018/05/30

Nature: Multiple Parkinson's Related Brain Disorders May Stem from Different Strains of α-Synuclein

Recently, in a study published in Nature, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have found that the main features of different Parkinson's-related brain disorders may be intracellular misfolded proteins; the authors found that the pathological form of α-synuclein is the culprit in the induction of many diseases. Dr. Chao Peng said that the influence of cell types on different α-synuclein variants may be able to solve the most important mystery in the study of neurodegenerative diseases. Now Researchers have not described the association between cell types and multiple disease prot

Tue, 2018/05/08

The Latest Research Progress in Cancer Resistance (II)

(Continued) Scientific Reports: New Computational Approach to Identify Chemotherapy Targets (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19284-3) One of the most important features of tumors is the methylation of deoxycytidine to form 5-methylcytosine (5mC). DNA methylation is the process by which a methyl group is added to a DNA molecule. It has been found that the occurrence and distribution of 5mC are important for gene regulation, and it can also serve as a key biomarker for diagnosis. Therefore, the study of the relationship between DNA methylation and transcription is important for revealing c

Tue, 2018/05/08

The Latest Research Progress in Cancer Resistance (I)

Drug resistance is one of the main reasons leading to the failure of cancer treatment, which greatly limits the choice and use of cancer drugs, and breaking the hopes of the cancer patients again and again. The study of drug resistance in cancer is of utmost importance. It is imminent to explore the mechanism of cancer resistance and new methods to combat drug resistance. Insulin pathways can lead to brain tumor resistance. New discoveries bring new ideas for cancer prevention! (DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-16-0616) Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the most common and highest mortali

Thu, 2018/05/03

Cell: Special Cancer Protein Brings Hope for New Targeted Cancer Therapies

Highlights The oncogenic Gαs mutation R201C allows GDP-bound Gαs to activate adenylyl cyclase GDP-bound Gαs(R201C/C237S) adopts an active state in its crystal structure The R201C mutation activates Gαs by stabilizing an intramolecular H-bond network Loss-of-function mutations R228C and R265H destabilize the GTP active state of Gαs A few days ago, researchers from Howard Houston Medical School discovered a novel protein mutation in pituitary tumors, which may subvert the traditional concept, brought hope for those who are trying to find new targets for the development of ant

Wed, 2018/03/28

JEM: Prevent Exhaustion in Immune Cells Boosts Immunotherapy

If you are an immune cell ready to fight cancer, you'd better eat some breakfast. Because the tumor microenvironment is a harsh place, and tumor cells are always ready to make you exhausted. Improvement of highly specific immune fighter in vivo: The ability of T cells to attack tumors has achieved clinically significant advances in tumor immunotherapy. However, this method is only effective in 10-30% of patients. One reason is the “T-cell exhaustion”. This is because T cells are stimulated repeatedly in the tumor microenvironment and eventually lose their ability to kill tumors. New researc