Amino Acid News and Research

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Amino Acid is one of several molecules that join together to form proteins. There are 20 common amino acids found in proteins.

Zika's Enzyme Cascade Holds the Key to Viral Replication

Viruses operate with limited genetic material and a sparse protein repertoire, requiring efficient utilization of their components. The Zika virus serves as an illustrative case, producing only 10 proteins.

11 Dec 2023

Researchers Redesign Future mRNA Therapeutics to Prevent Potentially Harmful Immune Responses

Researchers have discovered that misreading of therapeutic mRNAs by the cell’s decoding machinery can cause an unintended immune response in the body.

5 Dec 2023

New Irreversible Inhibitor Overcomes Drug Resistance in Cancer Cells

The concept of irreversible inhibitors binding permanently to a target protein has garnered growing interest for potential applications in drug development.

30 Nov 2023

Gene Splicing Affects CD20 Expression and Response to Cancer Immunotherapy

Immunotherapies that target the CD20 antigen have revolutionized how patients with a variety of blood cancers and hematologic disorders have been treated.

17 Nov 2023

Prime Editing and Base Editing Could Revolutionize Treatment for Phenylketonuria

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare newborn genetic disease that impacts between 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 20,000 people, depending on the individuals' genetic ancestry. PKU causes an amino acid-;called phenylalanine (Phe)-;to build up in the bloodstream.

3 Nov 2023

Study Identifies Significant Changes in Peptides During Pyroglutamination

Peptides are biomolecules formed when two or more amino acids that perform key functions in the human organism, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, painkillers and antibiotics, bind together. For this reason, they are much studied and used by the pharmaceutical industry, for example.

2 Nov 2023

Bacteriophages as Unexpected Allies in Mammalian Health

In a research study, Jeremy J. Barr, along with colleagues from Monash University in Victoria, Australia, present findings indicating that mammalian cells may uptake phages as a means to enhance cellular growth and survival.

27 Oct 2023

MIT Chemists Discover Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Ion Channel in Open State

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.

16 Oct 2023

Fruit Fly Model Provides Insights into Pathogenesis of New Genetic Disorder

Research conducted in the laboratory of Dr Hugo J. Bellen, a Distinguished Service Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and a principal investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, has identified a novel disorder linked to gain-of-function variants in the DOT1L gene.

16 Oct 2023

Researchers Target Pancreatic Cancer’s Metabolic Switch

In a recent study, a novel combination of treatments was discovered to effectively reduce the growth of pancreatic cancer in mice by inhibiting cancer cells from seeking fuel sources.

11 Oct 2023

Small Chemical Change to Boost Bioavailability of Drug Molecules

The effectiveness of any drug molecule depends on how well it interacts with the internal environment inside our body.

11 Oct 2023

$1.1 Million Grant to Fund Research on Molecular Response of Plants to Environmental Stress

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.1 million grant to Purdue University’s Gyeong Mee Yoon to research how plants acclimate to environmental stress. Her findings could have implications for food security in an era of climate change.

9 Oct 2023

The Distinct Divergence in the Genetic Code

A protist’s genome revealed an apparently unusual divergence in the DNA coding signaling the end of a gene, indicating the need for more research to better comprehend this varied group of creatures.

6 Oct 2023

New Insights into the Role of Intrinsically Disordered Regions in Chromatin Biology

According to textbooks, proteins work by folding into stable 3D shapes that, like Lego blocks, precisely fit with other biomolecules.

3 Oct 2023

The Impact of Taurine-Degrading Bacteria on Intestinal Microbiome

An international team of scientists led by University of Vienna microbiologist Alexander Loy identified a novel intestinal microbe that feeds only on taurine and creates the foul-smelling gas hydrogen sulfide.

19 Sep 2023

Increasing Milk Yield in Cattle with Low-Protein Diet

Histidine is crucial to maintaining milk production and milk protein content when cows are fed diets with low protein concentrations, according to an array of research that was published in the Journal of Dairy Science

8 Sep 2023

MAGE Technology Helps Reveal the Potency of Antibiotics

By substituting each of the 20 amino acid alternatives found in nature for one of the 38 amino acid components that make up the rifampicin binding site on E. coli, the study authors were able to produce 760 distinct RNAP mutants. The development of this mutant pool was then examined under various circumstances, including rifampicin therapy.

31 Aug 2023

Versatile, Language-Based Approach Aids in the Design of New Proteins

Researchers discovered a new type of marine bacteria with distinct traits on the ocean floor.

30 Aug 2023

The Prevalence of Fibrinogen Aα-Chain Amyloidosis in Japanese Squirrels

Fibrinogen Aα-chain amyloidosis, a condition previously unknown in animals other than humans, has been shown to be extremely common in Japanese squirrels (Sciurus lis), according to a study conducted by Dr Tomoaki Murakami of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

21 Aug 2023

Animal Protein More Metabolically Responsive Than Plant Protein in Young and Older Adults, Study Finds

Protein from two ounce-equivalents (oz-eq) of animal-based protein foods provides greater essential amino acids (EAA) bioavailability than an equal two oz-eq of plant-based protein foods, according to scientists at Purdue University.

16 Aug 2023