Navigation Links
Unweaving amyloid fibers to solve prion puzzles

Amyloid fibers are best known as the plaque that gunks up neurons in people with neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease--the human analog of mad cow disease. But even though amyloids are common and implicated in a host of conditions, researchers haven't been able to identify their precise molecular structures. Conventional techniques used to image proteins, such as X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, don't work with fibrous structures such as amyloids. And scientists depend on these high resolution images of molecules in order to study their function.

Now, researchers have found a way to work around these limitations, illuminating the configuration of these sometimes pernicious molecules. And even though this work was done in yeast, the results provide hints as to why mad-cow type diseases tend to have a difficult time jumping species.

"These findings give us some fundamental insights in how amyloid fibers form," says Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist, lead scientist in the research team whose results will be published in the June 9 issue of the journal Nature. "They solve the important problem of identifying the intermolecular contacts that hold the amyloid fiber together."

Amyloid fibers are often composed of prions--proteins that misfold and recruit neighboring proteins to misfold as well, a process that Lindquist calls a "conformational cascade." When such a cascade occurs, the prions join and form amyloid fibers. (While not all amyloids are composed of prions, all known prions, in their transmissible states, form amyloid fibers.) But still, many scientists have been frustrated by their inability to gain anything more than a limited understanding of an amyloid's architecture.

Rajaraman Krishnan, a postdoctoral researcher in Lindquist's lab, found a way around that problem using strains of yeast. Rather than develop a single high-tech method for solving the amyloid stru
'"/>

Source:Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Cerebral navigation: How do nerve fibers know what direction to grow in?
2. Virginia Tech scientists develop process for creating biocompatible fibers
3. Formation of cellulose fibers tracked for the first time
4. Biodegradable napkin -- featuring sensitive nanofibers -- may quickly detect biohazards
5. Lungs try to repair damaged elastic fibers
6. Tiny particles could solve billion-dollar problem
7. Scientists solve structure of key protein in innate immune response
8. Could microbes solve Russias chemical weapons conundrum?
9. Brown-Harvard team solves mobile DNAs surgical sleight-of-hand
10. Scripps research scientists solve structure of a critical innate immune system protein
11. Sperm trading can resolve hermaphrodite mating conflicts
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Unweaving amyloid fibers solve prion puzzles

(Date:5/17/2013)... Ill. An international team of ... structure and cell movement inside a living frog embryo ... a new method to advance biological research and the ... Northwestern University and the Karlsruher Institut fr Technologie in ... the U.S. Department of Energy,s Argonne National Laboratory, released ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Program has ... for Developmental Biology (SDB) 72nd Annual Meeting in ... are meant to promote the entry of students, ... mainstream of the basic science community and to ... SDB 2013 Annual Meeting. , Awards are given ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... scientists have shown a gene involved in neurodegenerative disease ... of the circadian clock. , In a study ... gene, called Ataxin-2, keeps the clock responsible for sleeping ... the rhythm of the fruit fly,s sleep-wake cycle is ... for the fly. , The discovery is particularly ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New X-ray method shows how frog embryos could help thwart disease 2Gene involved in neurodegeneration keeps clock running 2
... (mAbs) increases their toxicity to cancer cells, potentially improving ... conducted at Xencor, which will be published in the ... National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). , Monoclonal antibodies ... treatments for cancer, such as their specificity in targeting ...
... The cholesterol-lowering medications called statins do not appear to ... to a meta-analysis of previous studies in the January ... that statins reduce the risk of developing cancer, the ... "Statins have been studied in numerous large-scale, randomized, ...
... protein "watchdog" on high alert to stop hereditary cancers from ... a leash of just the right length. , In a ... M. Mendrysa has found that one of the proteins found ... of intestinal tumors that arise from genetic predisposition. When the ...
Cached Biology News:Data published in PNAS show antibodies can be made 10 times more toxic to cancer cells 2Statins have neutral effect on risk of cancer 2Loosen leash on cancer protein 'watchdog,' researchers say 2Loosen leash on cancer protein 'watchdog,' researchers say 3Loosen leash on cancer protein 'watchdog,' researchers say 4
(Date:5/20/2013)... Maryland (PRWEB) May 20, 2013 In ... in the field of biotoxin related illnesses , announced ... the country able to advance his protocol for treating ... Patel became the third physician to achieve certification in ... Certified Physicians, able to practice the Shoemaker Protocol in ...
(Date:5/19/2013)... York, NY (PRWEB) May 19, 2013 ... solar boat, today announced a new speed record for ... left from Las Palmas, Spain, on April 25, 2013, ... the Atlantic Ocean at the average speed of 5.3 ... West Indies on May 18, 2013. The first-of-its-kind catamaran ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... 2013 Topricin Pain Relief and ... been listed among nationally recommended over-the-counter (OTC) health ... by "U.S. News" Health in collaboration with "Pharmacy ... “No. 1 Pharmacists Recommended designation” in the “Topical ... brands, and is the only homeopathic formula to ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... 2013 Oven Industries Inc. announces a ... temperature controller has many user-friendly benefits. Contained all in ... wall as a self-contained temperature control system, ... makes the device unique, as well as highly convenient ... be used universally, which allows the user to use ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker Certifies Third Physician in His Treatment Protocol for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) 2MS Tûranor PlanetSolar Sets World Speed Record for Transatlantic Crossing by Solar Electric Vessel 2MS Tûranor PlanetSolar Sets World Speed Record for Transatlantic Crossing by Solar Electric Vessel 3MS Tûranor PlanetSolar Sets World Speed Record for Transatlantic Crossing by Solar Electric Vessel 4MS Tûranor PlanetSolar Sets World Speed Record for Transatlantic Crossing by Solar Electric Vessel 5MS Tûranor PlanetSolar Sets World Speed Record for Transatlantic Crossing by Solar Electric Vessel 6Pharmacists' Picks: Topical BioMedics' Topricin Listed on Top Recommended OTC Health Products 2New Temperature Control Products Announced by Oven Industries Inc. 2
... Western Pennsylvania Earn Designation, PITTSBURGH, March 11 ... General Hospital, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside and UPMC,Passavant as ... Complex and rare cancers comprise approximately 15 ... difficult for patients to locate or,research facilities with ...
... SAN DIEGO, March 11 Cardium Therapeutics,(Amex: ... study being,conducted by researchers at Emory University, which ... ischemic myocardium,(heart muscle lacking sufficient blood flow as ... study employed an occlusion and reperfusion model,analogous to ...
... Passed Laws in 2007, but 26 Still Earn D,s or F,s on ... Legislation Report Card, ... population is now covered by state laws that,require insurance providers to cover the ... a coalition of 11 leading,public health groups. The enactment of new coverage laws ...
Cached Biology Technology:Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and National Association Name Area Hospitals as Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers 2Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and National Association Name Area Hospitals as Blue Distinction Centers for Complex and Rare Cancers 3Cardium's Corgentin Preclinical Program Shows High Levels of Targeting to Acutely Ischemic Heart Muscle Following Intracoronary Infusion 2Cardium's Corgentin Preclinical Program Shows High Levels of Targeting to Acutely Ischemic Heart Muscle Following Intracoronary Infusion 3Cardium's Corgentin Preclinical Program Shows High Levels of Targeting to Acutely Ischemic Heart Muscle Following Intracoronary Infusion 4Cardium's Corgentin Preclinical Program Shows High Levels of Targeting to Acutely Ischemic Heart Muscle Following Intracoronary Infusion 5Cardium's Corgentin Preclinical Program Shows High Levels of Targeting to Acutely Ischemic Heart Muscle Following Intracoronary Infusion 6Cardium's Corgentin Preclinical Program Shows High Levels of Targeting to Acutely Ischemic Heart Muscle Following Intracoronary Infusion 7Colon Cancer Screening Laws Now Cover Half of U.S. Population 2Colon Cancer Screening Laws Now Cover Half of U.S. Population 3Colon Cancer Screening Laws Now Cover Half of U.S. Population 4Colon Cancer Screening Laws Now Cover Half of U.S. Population 5
... specifically for pulsed field separations of DNA larger than 2, ... megabase pairs. This agarose has the highest gel strength ... ... Grade, ...
Anti-human VEGFR-2/KDR (Protein-A Purified) Polyclonal Antibody...
AVOID FREEZE/THAW CYCLES. Recognizes the UCP-2 protein....
... new Vivaspin 2 bridges the gap between ... concentrators. This device combines the speed of ... surface and membrane area for superior recoveries ... a choice of PES, Cellulose Triacetate membranes, ...
Biology Products: