Tanpaku News Watch (TPRP)

First Structures of Serotonin Receptors (5-HT) Family

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers reported new crystal structures of 5-HT1B and of 5-HT2B, each bound to the migraine drugs ergotamine and dihydroergotamine (2 papers in Science)
March 22, 2013, Chemical & Engineering News , © 2013 ACS

Structure of Virus Causing Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers reported structure of human enterovirus 71 in complex with a capsid-binding inhibitor (PNAS)
March 21, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

A New Class of Antimalarial Drug

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers showed that quinolone-3-diarylethers are selective potent inhibitors of the parasite’s mitochondrial cytochrome bc1 complex and kill the malaria parasite in all three stages of its life cycle (Sci. Transl. Med.)
March 20, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

Fish Peptide May Inhibit Cancer Metastasis

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

TF (Thomsen-Friedenreich) antigen (CD176) exposed on the surface of many cancer cells is involved in promoting metastasis of prostate cancer cells. Researchers showed that a glycopeptide from cod (designated TFD100) binds to galectin-3 (gal3) overexpressed in prostate cancer cells and blocks its interaction with the TF antigen (PNAS)
March 20, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

New Detergents for Membrane Proteins

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

The new amphiphiles associate tightly with membrane proteins to form small complexes that enhance the crystallizability of the proteins (PNAS)
March 18, 2013, Chemical & Engineering News, © 2013 ACS

Training Immune Cells

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers reported a method that traps immune system T cells inside microscopic emulsion droplets and then exposes the cells to antigen signals that could teach them to coordinate attacks on disease targets (J. Am. Chem. Soc.)
March 18, 2013, Chemical & Engineering News, © 2013 ACS

Receptor for new coronavirus found

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers showed that a new coronavirus (hCoV-EMC: human coronavirus-Erasmus Medical Center), associated with lethal respiratory infections, binds to an evolutionarily conserved receptor DPP4 (dipeptidyl peptidase 4) on airway cells (Nature)
March 13, 2013, Nature News, © 2013 NPG

Antibiotics Don’t Kill With Reactive Oxygen Species

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Two studies showed that antibiotics kill bacteria under ROS-hostile anaerobic conditions as well as aerobic circumstances; finding casts doubt on drug development approach (2 papers in Science)
March 11, 2013, Chemical & Engineering News, © 2013 ACS

Fighting Flu With Fish Oil

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers identified the endogenous lipid mediator PD1 derived from DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) as an innate suppressor of influenza virus replication that protects against lethal influenza virus infection (Cell)
March 11, 2013, Chemical & Engineering News, © 2013 ACS

Red Wine Chemical Redeemed?

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Resveratrol, a natural product most famously present in red wine, has been in the headlines for a decade. It’s disputed link to antiaging pathway supported by new study (Science)
March 7, 2013, Chemical & Engineering News, © 2013 ACS

Plants Use Caffeine to Lure Bees

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers showed that the naturally caffeine-laced nectar of some plants enhances the learning process for bees, so that they are more likely to return to those flowers (Science)
March 7, 2013, New York Times, © 2013 The New York Times

Salt linked to autoimmune diseases

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Th17 cells (interleukin-17-producing helper T cells) are highly proinflammatory cells that are critical for clearing extracellular pathogens and for inducing multiple autoimmune diseases. In three studies researchers showed that high salt diet triggers pathogenic Th17 development and promotes tissue inflammation (3 papers in Nature)
March 6, 2013, Nature News, © 2013 NPG

How ATP Molecule Transmits sweet, bitter, and umami Tastes to the Brain

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers discovered how ATP, the body's main fuel source, is released as the neurotransmitter from sweet, bitter, and umami taste bud cells. The CALHM1 ion channel protein, which spans a taste bud cell's outer membrane, releases ATP to make a neural taste connection (Nature)
March 6, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

Unreported Side Effects of a Drug Combination Found Using Internet Search Data

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Using data drawn from queries entered into search engines, researchers were able to detect evidence of unreported prescription drug side effects before they were found by theFDA’s warning system; the combination of an antidepressant with a cholesterol lowering drug caused high blood sugar (J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc.)
March 6, 2013, New York Times, © 2013 The New York Times

Why Fish Is Better Than Fish Oil Supplements?

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers showed that Slo1 BK channels (Calcium-activated potassium channels) are receptors for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, and these fatty acids - unlike their ethyl ester derivatives in dietary supplements - activate the channels and lower blood pressure (2 papers in PNAS)
March 5, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

Nitration of Hsp90 induces cell death

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers showed that nitration of a single tyrosine residue of heat-shock protein Hsp90 is sufficient to induce motor neuron death (PNAS)
March 4, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers showed that among persons at high cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events. The clinical trial was stopped earlier because an interim analysis showed the clear benefit of the Mediterranean diet (NEJM)
March 2, 2013, New York Times, © 2013 The New York Times

Metal Ions Control Product Specificity of Enzyme

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers showed that in the horseradish leaf beetle isoprenyl diphosphate synthase can produce two completely different substances depending on whether it is regulated by cobalt, manganese or magnesium ions as a cofactor (PNAS)
February 28, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

A Series of Snapshots of Transcription Initiation

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Using cryo-electron microscopy, researchers have produced the first step-by-step snapshots of the assembly of human general transcription factors and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) into a transcription pre-initiation complex (Nature)
February 27, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily

Resurrection of 3-Billion-Year-Old Antibiotic-Resistance Enzymes

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0900

Researchers reported a sequence reconstruction analysis of several Precambrian β-lactamases , enzymes responsible for resistance to the family of antibiotics that includes penicillin, and the structural and functional characterization of their encoded proteins (J. Amer. Chem. Soc.)
February 27, 2013, Science Daily, © 2013 ScienceDaily