Category Health/Medical

The monomeric structure of ZIKV helicase. (A) Size-exclusion chromatograms of ZIKV helicase. The molecular masses of protein standards are indicated at the top. (B) The overall structure of ZIKV helicase with the three domains colored and labeled respectively. (C) A cartoon diagram illustrating of the overall fold with potential RNA binding site and NTPase active site labelled. (D) Structure-based phylogenetic tree of 8 viral helicase structures from the Flaviviradae family using the program SHP (Stuart et al., 1979) and PHYLIP (Felsenstein, 1997). The following structures with PDB ID in parentheses are included: DENV-2 (2BMF), DENV-4 (2JLQ), JEV (2Z83), KUNV (2QEQ), YFV (1YKS), MVEV (2V8O), HCV (1HEI)

A team led by researchers from Tianjin University (P.R...

When the sleep-drive neurons turn on, it puts the fruit flies to sleep. And when the sleep-drive neurons are turned off in well-rested flies, the flies awaken. Credit: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Studying fruit flies, whose sleep is remarkably similar to that in people, Johns Hopkins researchers say they’ve identified brain cells in charge of so-called sleep drive that becomes more active the longer flies are kept awake. The same mechanism also plays a role in putting the flies to sleep and keeping them that way. The findings may offer insight into human sleep disorders and open up new strategies to promote long-lasting sleep for those with chronic insomnia who don’t respond to available sleep drugs, they say.

In their search for sleep-regulating cells, Wu’s team used genetic engineering to tur...

Image: Most UVRAG complexes, multifunctional. UVRAG directly binds phosphorylated Bif, Beclin 1, Bax, CEP63 and DNA-PK, forming distinct protein complexes to regulate autophagosome formation, autophagosome maturation, endosome maturation, apoptosis, centrosome stability, DNA repair and genomic stability.

A new USC-led study identified a “sunscreen” gene that may help stave off skin cancer. The researchers found “UV radiation Resistance Associated Gene”, UVRAG, is a tumor suppressor for skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the US. Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer. In fact, melanoma rates have doubled over the last 3 decades...

A cross-section of mouse dorsal root ganglia stained for memory CD4 T cells (green) and the vascular cell adhesion molecule, VCAM-1 (red) after six days of genital herpes challenge. Credit: Norifumi Iijima

Yale scientists have solved a puzzle of the immune system – how antibodies enter the nervous system to control viral infections. Their finding may have implications for the prevention and treatment of a range of conditions, including herpes and Guillain-Barre syndrome, which has been linked to the Zika virus.

Many viruses, such as West Nile, Zika, HSV enter the nervous system, where they were thought to be beyond the reach of antibodies. Yale immunobiologists Dr...