Obesity and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, are extremely common in the United States. Tiny proteins called microproteins have long been overlooked in research, but new evidence demonstrates that they have an important role in metabolism. Salk scientists have discovered that both brown and white fat is filled with thousands of previously unknown microproteins, and … Read more
A recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server described the cell-free manufacturing of griffithsin (GRFT), a broad-spectrum antiviral protein. Study: An approach to rapid distributed manufacturing of broad spectrum anti-viral griffithsin using cell-free systems to mitigate pandemics. Image Credit: Juan Gaertner/Shutterstock Drugs and vaccines are currently manufactured in large and expensive facilities. The drug … Read more
A fundamental principle of molecular biology governs how proteins are made within the cell, which happens in two stages called transcription and translation. During transcription, information stored in DNA is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA). Then during translation, the ribosomes assemble proteins of one amino acid at a time based on the instruction specified on … Read more
Fatty foods harm our health. Prior research has established a link between the consumption of dietary fats and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which subsequently leads to inflammation and tumor formation in the liver. However, the precise effects of dietary fat composition on liver tumorigenesis remain elusive. A new study shows that dietary saturated/trans fats, but … Read more
In a recent JAMA Network Open study, researchers compare Klotho protein levels within both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples of healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with different stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Study: Association of klotho protein levels and KL-vs heterozygosity with Alzheimer’s disease and amyloid and tau burden. Image Credit: ART-ur / Shutterstock.com … Read more
In a recent JAMA Network Open study, researchers compare Klotho protein levels within both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples of healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with different stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Study: Association of klotho protein levels and KL-vs heterozygosity with Alzheimer’s disease and amyloid and tau burden. Image Credit: ART-ur / Shutterstock.com … Read more
For several years now, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors have been causing a sensation in science and medicine. This new tool of molecular biology has its origins in an ancient bacterial immune system. It protects bacteria from attack by so-called phages, ie viruses that infect bacteria. Researchers from the Institute of Structural Biology at the University … Read more
With the help of an AI, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have succeeded in designing synthetic DNA that controls the cells’ protein production. The technology can contribute to the development and production of vaccines, drugs for severe diseases, as well as alternative food proteins much faster and at significantly lower costs than today. … Read more
Genetic background has an effect on the metabolism of the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Supplementing the diet with camelina oil rich in alpha-linolenic acid, or with sunflower oil rich in linoleic acid altered the concentrations of the metabolites of these … Read more
In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers presented a functional analysis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) open reading frame 3c (ORF3c) protein. Study: The SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF3c is a mitochondrial modulator of innate immunity. Image Credit: Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock Background The genome of SARS-CoV-2 encodes a wide … Read more