Receptor in Biological News

Study reveals a reprogrammed role for the androgen receptor

... BOSTONThe androgen receptor a protein ignition switch for prostate cancer ... of adaptability. When drug therapy deprives the receptor of androgen hormones, thereby halting cell proliferation, the receptor manages to find an alternate growth route. A new ...

Scientists link immune system's natural killer cells to infant liver disease

... to halt disease progression by blocking the Nkg2d receptor and depleting NK cells at the time biliary ... they discovered that NK cells rely on the receptor gene, Nkg2d, to make contact with and attack bile ... damage. When researchers blocked the Nkg2d receptor and depleted the number of NK cells, it prevented ...

Dual role in breast tissue for a protein involved in leukemia

... to estrogen receptor-negative. When estrogen receptor levels were overexpressed, loss of Stat5a reduced ... type of preneoplasia. However, when estrogen receptor levels were normal, loss of Stat5a not only had ... was the same or different in cells with estrogen receptor overexpression. They found that Stat5a A is ...

Breakthrough in the treatment of bacterial meningitis

... that all three pathogens target the same receptor on human cerebrovascular endothelial cells the ... this interaction of bacterial adhesins with the receptor might offer unexpectedly broad protection against ... bacterial meningitis. Identification of the human receptor and bacterial ligands is like identifying a ...

Genetic study confirms the immune system's role in narcolepsy

... unique variants of the TCRA gene, which encodes a receptor protein on the surface of T cells. T cells are ... In concert with the HLA proteins, the T cell receptor enables T cells to recognize and attack foreign ... as bacteria and viruses. Changes to the T cell receptor could increase the likelihood that the cells will ...

Synthetic chemical offers solution for crops facing drought

... His lab then used pyrabactin to fish out a receptor for ABA a highly controversial topic involving ... of papers of questionable significance. A receptor is a protein molecule in a cell to which mobile ... "Scientists have been trying to solve the ABA receptor problem for more than 20 years, and claims for ...

International team finds key gene that allows plants to survive drought

... of California, Riverside, has identified the receptor of the key hormone in stress protection called ... of papers of questionable significance. A receptor is a protein molecule in a cell to which mobile ... Usually at the top of a signaling pathway, the receptor functions like a boss relaying orders to the team ...

New findings in taste and smell

... high-resolution genomics reflects human olfactory receptor diversity and evolution Wnt/-catenin signaling ... the vomeronasal organ Emx2 stimulates odorant receptor gene expression and controls OSN axon growth ... formation Investigations of olfactory receptor internalizations ...

Newly discovered epidermal growth factor receptor active in human pancreatic cancers

... Pandey has identified an epidermal growth factor receptor aberrantly active in approximately a third of the ... Phosophorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (pEGFR), the receptor identified by Dr. Pandey, is closely related to ...

Red pandas reveal an unexpected (artificial) sweet tooth

... taste receptors. "The red panda's unique taste receptor gives us a tool to broaden our understanding of ... sweet preferences to genetic analyses of sweet receptor structure in six related species. Like the cat, ... studying the structure and function of the sweet receptor gene across species and how this relates to ...

New drug shows promise in treating drug-resistant prostate cancer

... MDV3100 and RD162, which block the androgen receptor (AR) in CRPC cells, and report results from ... as a very strong antagonist of the androgen receptor to stop the growth of any prostate cancer that ... have questioned whether blocking the androgen receptor is a wise course of action. Sawyers and his ...

New medications show promise in treating drug-resistant prostate cancer

... have questioned whether blocking the androgen receptor is a wise course of action. But Sawyers and his colleagues believe that blocking the receptor is critical to successful treatment. So they set ... generation of drugs that can block the androgen receptor without unwanted side effects, even when levels ...

MDC researchers prevent virus induced myocarditis

... have now abolished the infection by blocking the receptor which is required for virus entry. "We did not ... doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2008.10.064).* The receptor used by the Coxsackievirus to infect the heart is ... be to use CAR as a drug target and to block this receptor with a pharmacological agent. "However," Dr. ...

Targeted drug therapy prevents exercise-induced arrhythmias

... encode calcium-handling proteins, the ryanodine receptor and calsequestrin, cause the disorder. In 2006, ... heart cells, flecainide blocked the ryanodine receptor and the calcium "leak" (the underlying molecular ... it works in patients who have varying ryanodine receptor and calsequestrin mutations. Frank Fish, M.D., ...

UT Southwestern researchers identify molecule that helps the sleep-deprived to mentally rebound

... they found that a molecule called an adenosine receptor is necessary for sleep-restricted animals to ... activity, and "docking" of the molecule with its receptor is shown in this study to help promote the ... Greene and his team engineered mice that lacked a receptor to pair up with adenosine. Sleep-restricted ...

Internationally acclaimed researcher joins UH faculty thanks to $5.5 million grant

... will join two of the world's top nuclear receptor researchers, TMHRI's Drs. Willa Hsueh and John ... the world's largest center for nuclear receptor research." Gustafsson said he looks forward to ... Here's how nuclear receptors work: Each receptor in the cell's nucleus has a cavity shaped just so ...

Effectiveness of progesterone in reducing preterm births may be altered by genetic predisposition

... that genetic variation in the human progesterone receptor plays an important role in the effectiveness of ... polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human progesterone receptor gene were more or less likely to respond to 17P ... 20 SNPs in the region of the progesterone receptor gene. Two hundred and fifty-eight (66 percent) ...

Researchers may have found why women have an edge on salt-sensitive hypertension

... to female hormones and a new-found role of a cell receptor previously thought to be only harmful, he and ... excretion, Dr. Pollock says. "Normally the ETB receptor system is a decision maker about how much sodium ... As with Dr. Pollock's rats, people with ETB receptor problems are said to be salt sensitive. "We know ...

New asthma research opposes current drug treatment, says UH prof

... stimulants). The beta-2 adrenoreceptor is a receptor found in many cells, including the smooth muscle ... should be working to block or inhibit the receptor instead of the current approach of chronically ... as compared to the mouse model with the intact receptor gene. "The study indicates that, with regard ...

Study first to pinpoint why analgesic drugs may be less potent in females than in males

... most likely due to sex differences in mu-opioid receptor expression in a region of the brain called the ... pain by housing a large population of mu-opioid receptor expressing neurons. Morphine and similar drugs ... a plant-derived toxin to remove the mu-opioid receptor from the PAG, morphine no longer worked, ...

Shape changes in aroma-producing molecules determine the fragrances we detect

... Ryan and his team wanted to learn how these receptor cells respond when odorants change their shape. ... constrained into a U shape blocked the receptor and left the cell unable to sense octanal. ... receptors belong to the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) class of proteins, a family of molecules ...

Discovery of new gene associated with diabetes risk suggests link with body clock

... evidence that the gene encoding melatonin receptor 1B is associated with high fasting glucose levels ... In identifying a link between a melatonin receptor and blood sugar levels, this study provides ... descent. A variant in the gene encoding melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) showed a rise of 0.07 mmol/l in ...

Food can affect a cell in the same way hormones do

... thing is composed of cells − and, via receptor proteins on their outer surface, cells ... substances, such as medicines, can also bind to a receptor and cause a particular effect. For some time now, ... detect the presence of food via one or another receptor − but no one has known how that happens. ...

Wistar scientists find key to keeping killer T cells in prime shape for fighting infection, cancer

... recently been involved in discovering a single receptor involved in turning off T cells but this new ... virus. They had earlier found that a receptor known as programmed death-1 (PD-1) was highly ... revealed up-regulation of six other inhibitory receptor genes. They are LAG3, 2B4, CD160, CTLA-4, PIR-B ...

Inherited genetic cause, possible treatment found for complex lung disorder

... Under normal conditions, CSF2RA encodes a receptor for GM-CSF called GM-CSA-Ra. Without a normal ... the malfunction of GM-CSF in binding to another receptor (GM-CSF-RB) inhibits GM-CSF signaling and causes ... aerosol could boost the activity of the GM-CSF receptor in patients to correct surfactant levels. They ...

A double-barreled immune cell approach for neuroblastoma

... Adding an artificial tumor-specific receptor to immune system cells called T-lymphocytes that ... attempted to use T-lymphocytes with an artificial receptor directed to tumor cells proved disappointing ... cytotoxic T cells that already have a natural receptor for the Epstein-Barr virus are continually ...

'New' estrogen receptor found to be key player in tamoxifen resistance

... receptors while gaining the estrogen-related receptor gamma subtype. The study offers two new ... of the importance of the gamma estrogen-related receptor in breast cancer. "Until now, this receptor has not been viewed to be of much importance in ...

Waste from gut bacteria helps host control weight, UT Southwestern researchers report

... said. "It's quite possible that blocking this receptor molecule in the intestine might fight a certain ... short-chain fatty acids bind to and activate a receptor molecule in the gut wall called Gpr41, although ... that more nutrients can be absorbed. Thus, if the receptor cannot be activated, food is expelled more ...

Caltech scientists engineer supersensitive receptor, gain better understanding of dopamine system

... PASADENA, Calif.--Genetically modifying a receptor found on the neurons that produce the ... They genetically modified a type of brain receptor known as an "α6-containing nicotinic ... another of the brain's neurotransmitters.) The receptor in question is found primarily on neurons that ...

Caltech biologists spy on the secret inner life of a cell

... with the aid of a protein called the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), located in the plasma membrane of ... as it passes through a newborn's gut; the receptor and antibody are enclosed within a sac, called a ... on for another. "We are now studying the same receptor in different types of cells in order to see if ...

Stabilizing force for good communication between neurons and muscle cells found

... protein rapsyn is responsible for anchoring the receptor so it's properly positioned to catch the message. ... stabilizing role in forming and maintaining receptor clusters, says Dr. Shiwen Luo, postdoctoral ... lab and the study's first author. Rapsyn and the receptor apparently interact, then hsp90β comes along ...

8 National Medals of Science awardees to be honored at gala, then the White House

... versatile, and most therapeutically accessible receptor signaling system, and for describing the general ... Lefkowitz has essentially defined the field of receptor biology through his work with G protein-coupled ... in Lefkowitz's career sparked his interest in receptor biology, a field that was then in its infancy. At ...

Penn biophysicists create new model for protein-cholesterol interactions in brain and muscle tissue

... now say were incomplete. Drugs acting on the receptor have been thought to interact with the protein as ... researchers believe that drugs binding to the receptor not only interact with amino acids the building blocks of the protein receptor but also cholesterol tucked away within the ...

Variant of vitamin D receptor gene linked to melanoma risk

... Vitamin D exerts its effects by binding to a receptor located within cells. Because there are genetic differences in this vitamin D receptor among individuals, investigators suspect that ... between common variants in the vitamin D receptor and the risk of melanoma. The analysis revealed a ...

Better understanding of blood vessel constrictor needed to harness its power for patients

... Ergul, who discussed novel aspects of endothelin receptor interaction during the 62nd High Blood Pressure ... thinking in pharmacology is one hormone, one receptor equals boom: the effect. I think cells are much ... country to consider emerging evidence that usual receptor communication is likely more complex than they ...

New mechanism for cardiac arrhythmia discovered

... mechanism. The researchers demonstrated that the receptor which the virus uses to infect heart cells is ... regular heart beat in mice. Likewise, when the receptor is absent or non-functioning, arrhythmia occurs. ... and the autoimmune disease can block the receptor which, in turn, disrupts the heart's normal ...

2 beta blockers found to also protect heart tissue

... two beta blockers can actually stimulate the beta receptor to activate a pathway in the cell that promotes ... responds to the hormone adrenalin. Blocking the receptor moderates increases in heart rate and heart ... "We call these drugs biased-ligands or super receptor blockers, because they are designed to block the ...

Vaccine against HER2-positive breast cancer offers complete protection in lab

... of "naked" DNA genes that produce the HER2 receptor as well as an immune stimulant. Both are housed ... an "intracellular domain" the part of the receptor that is located just below the cell surface and ... but contained a little more of the native HER2 receptor structure. "With this vaccine, I am quite certain ...

Cocaine: How addiction develops

... drug, protein subunits are exchanged in specific receptor complexes. As a result, the modified synapse ... neurons that are integrated into the receptor complexes under the influence of cocaine. Jointly ... However, this is not true for animals whose receptor subunit GluR1 has been switched off: These mice ...

Why a common treatment for prostate cancer ultimately fails

... men. Understanding the effects of the androgen receptor gives physicians a toehold in efforts to develop ... Institute, Chang's team found that blocking the receptor indeed prevents some cells in the prostate from ... Chang's team unexpectedly found that blocking the receptor actually spurs other prostate cells to grow. ...