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Ankyrin Repeat Proteins Comprise a Diverse Family of Bacterial Type IV Effectors

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:55:00 +0200

The intracellular pathogens Legionella pneumophila and Coxiella burnetii use a type IV secretion system to deliver a large number of different bacterial proteins with Anks (ankyrin repeat homology domains) into eukaryotic cells.

Conformational Switch of Syntaxin-1 Controls Synaptic Vesicle Fusion

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:53:00 +0200

The SNARE protein syntaxin-1 exists in two conformations during synaptic vesicle fusion, both of which can bind to Munc18-1: the "open" conformation in the SNARE complex and a "closed" conformation outside the SNARE complex.

Disruption of the CFTR Gene Produces a Model of Cystic Fibrosis in Newborn Pigs

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:50:00 +0200

A research group from the University of Iowa (USA) generated pigs in which both CFTR alleles were disrupted. Two decades ago CFTR was identified as the gene causing cystic fibrosis, however a cure to the disease has not been established yet.

An alternative Menaquinone Biosynthetic Pathway Operating in Microorganisms

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:06:00 +0200

A Japanese research team from the Biotechnology Research Center in Toyama performed a bioinformatic analysis of whole genome sequences in order to find orthologues of the men genes in Escherichia coli. The men genes enable microorganisms to synthesise menaquinone (vitamin K2), an essential component of the electron-transfer pathway. In E. coli it is derived from chorismate by seven enzymes.

An Inhibitor of FtsZ with Potent and Selective Anti-Staphylococcal Activity

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:38:00 +0100

The essential bacterial guanosine triphosphatase FtsZ was validated as a target for antibacterial intervention by British researchers from Prolysis in Oxfordshire and the University of Sheffield. FtsZ is a bacterial homologue of mammalian β-tubulin that initiates cell division by polymerising and then assembling into a ring.

Molecular Coupling of Xist Regulation and Pluripotency

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:35:00 +0100

Pluripotency key factors bind to Xist intron 1 in undifferentiated embryonic stem cells, report research groups from the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the University of Edinburgh, UK. During murine embryogenesis, the imprinted X chromosome inactivation can be reprogrammed in the inner cell mass of a pluripotent female blastocyst. The reversion is triggered by repression of Xist from the paternal X chromosome. The three main genetic factors underlying pluripotency, Nanog, Oct3/4 and Sox2, bind to Xist intron 1.

FBXW7 Targets mTOR for Degradation and Cooperates with PTEN in Tumor Suppression

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:31:00 +0100

The enzyme mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) is selected for ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by binding to the tumour suppressor protein FBXW7

Activation of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 Reduces Ischemic Damage to the Heart

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:15:00 +0100

Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) was identified as an enzyme whose activation correlates with reduced ischemic heart damage in rodent models by Che-Hong Chen and colleagues from the Stanford University (USA), using an unbiased proteomic search. The research team wanted to find a drug that limits the severity of ischemia-induced cardiac damage occurring after a myocardial infarction or certain cardiac surgical procedures.

Epigenetic Reprogramming by Adenovirus E1A

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:11:00 +0100

Epigenetic reprogramming by Adenovirus E1A that causes transformations of the cell were discovered by Roberto Ferrari and his co-workers from the University of California (USA).

Censoring of Autoreactive B Cell Development by the Pre-B Cell Receptor

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:31:00 +0100

The pre-B cell receptor appears to censor the development of certain autoantibody-secreting cells, as Rebecca A. Keenan and her team from The Babraham Institute in Cambridge, UK report. The pre-B cell receptor is composed of immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy and substitute light chains. It seems to be involved in the negative selection of cells expressing heavy chains bearing the potential to generate autoantibodies. It thus may be an important factor in multifactorial autoimmune diseases.

New publication: Detection of Bacteria in water samples

news@antikoerper-online.de (Tim Hiddemann) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:16:00 +0100

Anne Wolter et al. utilize a polyclonal anti-E. Coli antibody from antibodies-online for detecting E. Coli bacteria in water.

Pyogenic Bacterial Infections in Humans with MyD88 Deficiency

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:29:00 +0100

Scientists from mainly French and Spanish universities and institutes recently described an extraordinary situation within a natural setting of human infection. Nine children, carrying an autosomal recessive MyD88 deficiency, suffered from pyogenic bacterial infections. The infections were life-threatening and often recurred, among them invasive pneumococcal disease.

Sporadic Autonomic Dysregulation and Death Associated with Excessive Serotonin Autoinhibition

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:28:00 +0100

Excessive serotonin autoinhibition was found to be a risk factor for autonomic dysregulation by Enrica Audero and her colleagues from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy. It could also be a mechanism by which altered serotonin homeostasis plays a role in sudden infant death syndrome.

Germline Allele-Specific Expression of TGFBR1 Confers an Increased Risk of Colorectal Cancer

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:26:00 +0100

Germline allele-specific expression of the gene encoding TGF-β type I receptor (TGFBR1) occurs more frequently in colorectal cancer patients than in healthy controls. This was shown in a study by Laura Valle and her colleagues from The Ohio State University (USA).

Mouse embryonic stem cell–based functional assay to evaluate mutations in BRCA2

news@antikoerper-online.de (Anna Lena Marwedel) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:48:00 +0100

Researchers of the National Cancer Institute (USA) recently reported the establishment of a simple, versatile and reliable assay to test for the functional significance of mutations in the BRCA2 gene. Humans carrying mutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 have a risk of 80% to develop breast cancer by the age of 70. Reliable identification of mutation carriers can reduce mortality through preventive measures and early diagnosis. The tests available until now could only detect BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants that clearly disrupt the gene product.