Protein Complex Affects Cells' Ability To Move, Respond To External Cues
In a paper published today in the journal Cell, a team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has explained for the first time how a long-studied protein complex affects cell migration and how external cues affect cell's ability to migrate. Cell migration is one of life's basic processes, from development in the womb to immune system response, to learning and brain development, wound healing and - when it goes wrong - in cancer. Jim Bear, PhD, principal investigator on the study, says, "The ARP 2/3 protein complex is - evolutionarily speaking - very old, but very little is known about what happens to cells when it is eliminated.
Discovery Of Protein That Could Switch Off Cardiovascular Disease Is A Step Closer To Prevention
Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Surrey have found a protein inside blood vessels with an ability to protect the body from substances which cause cardiovascular disease. The findings, published online in the journal Cardiovascular Research, have revealed the protein pregnane X receptor (PXR) can switch on different protective pathways in the blood vessels. Co-author Dr David Bishop-Bailey, based at Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute, said they found the protein was able to sense a wide variety of drugs, foreign chemicals and food products in the blood and switch on specific pathways to deal with them.
Link Between Red Meat Consumption And Increased Risk Of Total, Cardiovascular, And Cancer Mortality
A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has found that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. The results also showed that substituting other healthy protein sources, such as fish, poultry, nuts, and legumes, was associated with a lower risk of mortality. The study was published online in Archives of Internal Medicine on March 12, 2012. "Our study adds more evidence to the health risks of eating high amounts of red meat, which has been associated with type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers in other studies, " said lead author An Pan, research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH.