Inhibition in Biological News

Caltech researchers explore how cells reconcile mixed messages in decisions about growth

... the body keeps cell growth in check. When contact inhibition is disrupted, you get uncontrolled growth and the ... and colleagues have found is that contact inhibition is not a "master switch" that overrides all other ... And in that complex environment, contact inhibition doesn'tcan'twork by itself. It is instead part of ...

Mollusks taste memories to build shells

... by areas of inhibition. Local activation/lateral inhibition applies to many types of neuronal activity and ... showed in 1952 how local activation/lateral inhibition could work chemically, and biologist Hans ... a mathematical necessity because the size of the inhibition area remains the same as the shell's edge grows. ...

Impaired energy metabolism linked with initiation of plaques in Alzheimer's brain

... of Medicine has explored the link between energy inhibition and AD pathogenesis. "We have shown previously, using a pharmacological model of energy metabolism inhibition in pre-plaque transgenic mice with an excess of ... levels and enhanced Aβ production while inhibition of eIF2? phosphorylation prevented ...

Mitochondrial dysfunction and redox signaling in atrial tachyarrhythmia

... blockade of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor, inhibition of L-type calcium channels, inhibition of NADPH oxidase, applications of antioxidants, and inhibition of NF-B activation were all found to ...

Stopping unwanted cell death: Implications for drug discovery

... step, then, was to look for the target of the inhibition by necrostatins to understand how they inhibit ... necrostatin-1, to see if loss of the RIP1 kinase inhibition resulted in the inability of the necrostatin-1 ... forward the model describing mechanisms of RIP1 inhibition by necrostatin-1. Next, research needs to ...

Soy isoflavone may inhibit common gastrointestinal illness in infants

... That was the concentration at which rotavirus inhibition began to occur and then leveled off, indicating ... range, and beyond that, there is no additional inhibition or toxicity. We then exposed the cells to ... would still be as effective, she said. The inhibition held up across a 16-fold range of rotavirus ...

Protein identified as critical to insulating the body's wiring could also become treatment target

... receptor, ErbB4, help keep a healthy balance between excitation and inhibition of brain cells. Their studies published in Neuron in 2007 showed neuregulin-1 and ErbB4, promote inhibition at the site of inhibitory synapses in the brain by increasing release of ...

When cells reach out and touch

... when they touch each other. Cancer cells, on the other hand, lose contact inhibition and continue to proliferate even when they're touching. The researchers suspected that microRNAs might play a role in contact inhibition because whenever they studied these enigmatic bits -- only about 20 or so ...

The secret to chimp strength

... fibers at once," Walker writes. "So there might be a degree of cerebral inhibition in people that prevents them from damaging their muscular system that is ... However, he concedes that testing whether humans have increased muscle inhibition could be a bit more problematic. ...

UC Davis bench-to-bedside research: Promising treatment in clinical trials

... and the first study designed to establish proof of concept that s-EH inhibition modulates glucose metabolism or blood pressure in patients with impaired ... of disease and lay the groundwork for further exploration of s-EH inhibition in treating a broad range of serious diseases including type 2 diabetes, ...

Researchers identify gene linked to aggressive progression of liver cancer

... mRNA and protein production. siRNAs may be used in the future for targeted inhibition of AEG-1 in patients, Sarkar said. According to Sarkar, the team found ... non-tumorigenic human HCC cells into highly aggressive vascular tumors and inhibition of AEG-1 abrogates tumorigenesis by aggressive HCC cells," he said. ...

Stowers Institute's Baumann Lab identifies key step in maturation pathway of telomerase

... Telomerase is viewed as a promising cancer treatment target because its inhibition selectively kills cancer cells. In order to identify small molecules that ... for telomerase processing, we could have new targets for telomerase inhibition in cancer cells," said Peter Baumann, Ph.D., Assistant Investigator and ...

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- Sept. 24, 2008

... substances to an enzyme that controls blood flow to the penis and whose inhibition results in an erection. Of the extracts tested, "horny goat weed" was the ... than sildenafil. MTS ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE "Potent inhibition of Human Phosphodiesterase-5 by Icariin Derivatives" DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ...

Photonic crystal biosensors detect protein-DNA interactions

... inhibitor of AIF. "Aurin tricarboxylic acid displayed about 80 percent inhibition of AIF-DNA binding," Hergenrother said. "Aurin tricarboxylic acid was the only compound to exhibit significant inhibition out of approximately 1,000 compounds screened." While the photonic ...

NYU Langone Medical Center's tip sheet to the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2008

... toxic forms of the tau protein. Presentation # O4-04-04 Enzyme inhibition modulates Alzheimer's pathology in mice Jose Morales-Corraliza, Ph.D, ... NYU Langone Medical Center and the Nathan Kline Institute found that the inhibition of the calpain enzyme, which is involved in various cellular processes, ...

Biomarkers allow doctors to match therapy to patient

... predictor of death from this disease. Researchers report that ODC1 inhibition delayed or prevented the development of neuroblastoma in a clinically ... of the gene, contribute to the aggressive biology of this tumor, and that inhibition of this gene may lead to an important new therapeutic avenue for this ...

Neuronal circuits able to rewire on the fly to sharpen senses

... project, Urban and colleagues specifically examine the process of lateral inhibition in an area of the brain called the olfactory bulb, which is responsible ... The researchers showed that dynamic connectivity allows lateral inhibition to be enhanced when a large number of neurons initially respond to a ...

Ultra-low-dose aspirin might decrease bleeding severity in portal hypertension

... The antithrombotic properties of low-dose aspirin are achieved by the inhibition of COX 1 in platelets. Aspirin is the most widely used antithrombotic ... Argentina. Further research should explain the consequences of COX 2 inhibition produced by ultra-low doses of aspirin. ...

Bursts of waves drive immune system 'soldiers' toward invaders

... because of the self-activation, and in one direction, because of the inhibition it leaves in its wake," he says. The scientists observed the Hem-1 activation of actin assembly and actin's inhibition of Hem-1 accumulation. The "recruitment" component was not directly ...

Navigating in the ocean of molecules

... virtual scaffolds. The researchers immediately demonstrated how efficiently the program works by discovering new inhibitors of pyruvate kinase. The inhibition of this enzyme is seen as a promising approach to the treatment of cancer and malaria. An even more detailed search can be carried out if the ...

Abnormal brain circuits may prevent movement disorder

... the effects of the first lesion. Normally, the cerebellum (a region that controls movement) puts the breaks on the motor cortex by potentiating inhibition at the cortical level. It is likely that mutation carriers have a developmental problem in the flow of neural signals along this circuit such that ...

Funxional successfully completes initial clinical trial of FX125L, an anti-inflammatory drug with a novel mechanism of action

... with an entirely novel mechanism of action that involves the selective interaction with a well-characterized receptor, resulting in a potent inhibition of inflammatory cell migration. The compounds are anticipated to have broad applicability in inflammatory diseases. BSCIs are one of the three ...

Pitt team finds molecule that regulates heart size by using zebrafish screening model

... that would otherwise have tamped down the enhanced FGF signal. Knowing that, BCI could then be used as a tool to find out what effect Dusp6 inhibition would have on heart development. Zebrafish treated with BCI had a greater number of cardiac progenitor cells and, ultimately, larger hearts, Dr. ...

A thirst for blood sparks toxic algal blooms

... production of the toxin must be explained by other factors. Kills competators Marine ecologist Per Jonsson and his colleagues suggest that the inhibition of competitors that previous research had found is only a side-effect of a considerably more aggressive behaviour: toxic algae injure or kill ...

Neural stem cell differentiation factor discovered

... stem cells while it suppresses the formation of neurons and the maturation of oligodendrocytes" explains Mirko Schmidt at the Institute of Neurology. inhibition of Notch signaling reverses the situation and more neural stem cells differentiate into neurons. This is exactly what happened upon the addition of ...

Purple sweet potato means increased amount of anti-cancer components

... concentrations of the pigment derivatives and also studied the effects on the cell cycles. Cyanidin and peonidin showed significant cell growth inhibition for the cancer cells, but there were no significant changes in the cell cycle. Lim said a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms in the ...

MicroRNAs help control HIV life cycle

... (P-bodies), where they are stored or destroyed. This results in a reduction of viral replication and infectivity. The study also showed that inhibition of miR29 enhances viral replication and infectivity. The scientists further demonstrated that strains of HIV-1 with mutations in the region of the ...

Stress puts double whammy on reproductive system, fertility

... husbandry and captive breeding programs for endangered species. "There is a growing body of work that points to GnIH as being a big player in the inhibition of reproduction in mammals," said co-author George Bentley, UC Berkeley assistant professor of integrative biology. "We didn't have any hint of this ...

Newly discovered reactions from an old drug may lead to new antibiotics

... already established that stannous salts are more effective at preventing tooth decay and inhibiting growth of T. denticola, but the mechanism of this inhibition of growth was not yet known. These findings could lead to new approaches to preventing gum disease. "No one has tried to block the metabolism of ...

Caffeic acid inhibits colitis in a mouse model -- is a drug-metabolizing gene crucial?

... . Researchers at Iowa State University have found that increased expression of a form of cytochrome P-450 (CYP4B1) is a key marker of inhibition of colitis in mice by caffeic acid, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant compound widely distributed in foods. The results, which appear in the June ...

International team tracks clues to HIV

... rational drug design," the team wrote. "A long time ago, people noticed that C-60 fits perfectly into the hydrophobic pocket in HIV, and it has an inhibition effect," Barron said. "It's not particularly strong, but there's potentially a very strong binding effect. The problem is, it's not the perfect ...

Hebrew University researchers neutralize tumor growth in embryonic stem cell therapy

... the undifferentiated cells as well as in the tumors, the researchers were able to initiate programmed cell death (apoptosis) in those cells. This inhibition of this gene just before or after transplantation of the cells could minimize the chances of tumor formation, but the researchers caution that a ...

Small molecules might block mutant protein production in Huntington's disease

... animals or humans, it does not indicate how much of the abnormal proteins must be blocked to treat the disease effectively, he said. "Fifty percent inhibition might be enough, but that remains to be determined," Dr. Corey said. In future studies, the researchers plan to try these RNA mimics in whole ...

Researchers identify a molecule that increases the risk of cardiac insufficiency

... are less commonly used, do have these beneficial qualities. "Our work opens new possibilities for treating patients with heart disease through the inhibition of the enzyme. The development of cardiac insufficiency could thus be impeded," said Begoa Lpez. ...

Microparticle immune response modifier shows broad effects against recurrent or metastatic cancer

... immune response without the reintroduction of previously harvested tumor antigens. This successful induction of adaptive immunity correlated with inhibition of tumor growth. "On the basis of these findings, MIS416 appears to be a good candidate for clinical evaluation as an adjunct to existing cancer ...

New hope for treatment of neurodegenerative disorder

... (calcineurin) or by activating an enzyme (Akt). "Our findings point to increased phosphorylation of mutant Huntington through calcineurin inhibition as the likely mechanism by which RCAN1-1L may be protective against the mutant Huntington," Ermak said. As Davies explained: "RCAN1-1L may ...

TGen researchers discover possible way to block the spread of deadly brain tumors

... migration of glioma brain cancer cells, she said. "These results suggest that NHERF-1 plays an important role in tumor biology, and that targeted inhibition of this factor may have significant effects on patient treatment and survival.'' ...

Computer simulations explain the limitations of working memory

... simultaneously. As working memory load rises, the active neurons in the parietal lobe increasingly inhibit the activity of surrounding cells. The inhibition of the inter-neuronal impulses eventually becomes so strong that it prevents the storage of additional visual input, although it can be partly offset ...

Scripps research team identifies key molecules that inhibit viral production

... as a new El Dorado for finding novel drug targets," says Strosberg, "but few conclusive studies have emerged, except in the virus-host area." inhibition of HCV Production The new research, however, led to the discovery of two peptides that inhibited HCV production by 68 percent and 63 percent, ...

New and unexpected mechanism identified how the brain responds to stress

... the neuroendocrine stress response was activated by external stressors. Bains' work shows a complex, yet elegant solution, involving a switch from inhibition to excitation." says Jane Stewart, PhD a behavioural neuroscientist from Concordia University, "these findings may lead to a better understanding of ...