Category Health/Medical

Knocking out the Spop protein in developing mouse limb leads to brachydactyly, a shortening of the fingers and toes (left) and reduced bone density (right). Credit: Liu Laboratory, Penn State University

Loss of a key protein leads to defects in skeletal development including reduced bone density and a shortening of the fingers and toes – brachydactyly. The discovery was made by researchers at Penn State University who knocked out the Speckle-type POZ Protein (Spop) in the mouse and characterized the impact on bone development. The research redefines the role of Spop during bone development and provides a new potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

“The Spop protein is involved in Hedgehog signaling – a well-studied cell-to-cell communicatio...

Crystal structure of the PodA protein complex with three molecules of 1-hydroxyphenazine, the reaction product, bound in the active sites. Credit: Kyle Costa/Caltech

Many infectious pathogens are difficult to treat because they develop into biofilms, layers of metabolically active but slowly growing bacteria embedded in a protective layer of slime, which are inherently more resistant to antibiotics. Now, researchers at Caltech and University of Oxford have made progress in the fight against biofilms. Led by Dianne Newman, the Gordon M. Binder/Amgen Professor of Biology and Geobiology, the group identified a protein that degrades and inhibits biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the primary pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF) infections.

“Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic infections that ar...

Images: 1. RHEB, Ras homolog enriched in brain  2. BACE1

TSRI Florida scientists have made an important discovery toward the development of drugs to treat age-related memory loss in diseases like Alzheimer’s. They found that reduced levels of a protein called Rheb result in spontaneous symptoms of memory loss in animal models and are linked to increased levels of another protein known to be elevated in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Subramaniam’s group investigated the link between Rheb and an important enzyme called BACE1, which is elevated in older adults and people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“We know that Rheb regulates BACE1, which is a major drug target in Alzheimer’s disease,” Subramaniam said...

Targeting metastasis-initiating cells through the fatty acid receptor CD36

A specific protein, CD36 found in the cell membranes of tumour cells, is responsible for taking up fatty acids. This unique CD36 activity and dependence on fatty acids distinguishes metastasis-initiating cells from other tumour cells. The work was published today in the journal Nature. Professor Benitah’s team found CD36 was present on metastatic cancer cells from patients with a range of different tumours including oral tumours, melanoma skin cancer, ovarian, bladder, lung and breast cancer. To confirm its essential role in cancer spread, they added CD36 to non-metastatic cancer cells which then caused the cells to become metastatic.

“Although we have not yet tested this in all tumour types, we can state that CD36 ...