(Press-News.org) Study uncovers function of mysterious disordered regions of proteins implicated in cancer
Study Title: A disordered region controls cBAF activity via condensation and partner recruitment
Publication: Cell, Monday, October 2, 2023 (https://www.dana-farber.org/newsroom/news-releases/2023/study-uncovers-function-of-mysterious-disordered-regions-of-proteins-implicated-in-cancer/)
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute author: Cigall Kadoch, PhD
Summary:
New research from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher Cigall Kadoch, PhD, along with colleagues at Princeton University and the Washington University in St. Louis, reveals a key role for intrinsically disordered proteins known as IDRs that are implicated in a wide range of human diseases, from cancer to neurodegeneration. Kadoch’s team studies large protein complexes called mSWI/SNF or BAF complexes that control which genes turn on and off in cells. BAF complexes are the most frequently mutated cellular entities, second only to TP53, a tumor suppressor. Intrigued by the fact that over half of the complex mass contains IDRs, including the ARID1A/B subunits in which a high frequency of disease-causing lesions, or mutations, accumulate, the group set out to define their contributions. They found that these IDR regions lead to two important functions: first, condensation, the tight clustering of proteins in close distance to one another in the nucleus, and second, protein-protein interactions that are required for the proper positioning and activity of BAF complexes along DNA. Kadoch and colleagues show that the right interactions depend on highly specific “sequence grammars” within the protein’s IDR amino acid code, a concept broadly useful to the burgeoning area of work in this area to understand and ultimately therapeutically target biomolecular condensates and their constituents.
Impact:
IDRs comprise a large percentage of the human proteome and are particularly important for nuclear proteins that govern our genomic architecture and gene expression. Their disruption is frequent in cancer. This study sheds light on the sequence-specific contributions of IDRs to the highly disease-relevant mSWI/SNF (BAF) chromatin remodeling complexes, which have become top therapeutic targets in oncology.
Funding:
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Mark Foundation, National Institutes of Health, United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research, St. Jude Research Collaboratives, Fujifilm, and The Wellcome Trust.
Contact: Cindy Cantrell; cindy_cantrell@dfci.harvard.edu; 781-953-5000
END
Study uncovers function of mysterious disordered regions of proteins implicated in cancer
A disordered region controls cBAF activity via condensation and partner recruitment
2023-10-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Liquid biopsy may help identify which patients with non-small cell lung cancer will benefit most from radiation
2023-10-02
SAN DIEGO, October 2, 2023 — A novel liquid biopsy test may help determine which patients with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread beyond the lungs are most likely to benefit from targeted, high-dose radiation, rather than drug-based therapy, a new study suggests. Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting and published in npj Precision Oncology.
The study found that a liquid biopsy test – which identifies tumor DNA circulating ...
Pumped for frigid weather: study pinpoints cold adaptations in nervous system of Antarctic octopus
2023-10-02
By Wynne Parry
Laden with dissolved salt, Antarctic waters can hover just above freezing and even dip below it. Temperatures this low would likely kill the animals that prosper in warmer waters further north. Yet, some creatures have found ways to live in this inhospitable cold.
In a new study described in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and their collaborators focused on how life in such a frigid habitat has altered an enzyme essential ...
Scientists identify evolutionary gateway helping pneumonia bacteria become resistant to antibiotics
2023-10-02
**Strictly embargoed until 20:00 (BST) Monday 2 October 2023**
Scientists identify evolutionary gateway helping pneumonia bacteria become resistant to antibiotics
A new study from the University of Sheffield has revealed how pneumonia cells start to become resistant to penicillin antibiotics
The effectiveness of antibiotics is increasingly under threat as the bacteria which cause pneumonia become more resistant to antibiotic treatment over time
The new research is a major step forward in helping scientists to better predict which ...
How new plant cell walls change their mechanical properties after cell division
2023-10-02
Scientists reveal new plant cell walls can have significantly different mechanical properties compared to surrounding parental cell walls, enabling cells to change their local shape and influence the growth of plant organs.
This is the first time that scientists have related mechanics to cell wall “age” and was only made possible through a new method that follows the same cells over time and through successive rounds of division.
The Cambridge researchers were able to see new walls forming and then measure their mechanical properties. This pioneering work showed that new cell walls in some plants are 1.5 times stiffer than the surrounding ...
Study shows how ‘superbacteria’ were prevented from spreading in a large tertiary hospital
2023-10-02
Rapid identification of patients contaminated by “superbacteria” known as “carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae” (CRE), with early isolation of these patients, reduces transmission in hospital emergency departments. However, keeping them in the emergency room (ER) for more than two days undermines containment because it increases the risk of infection via colonization.
These are the key findings of a study by a group at the University of São Paulo’s Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil. An article on the study is published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Enterobacteria ...
MDMA increases feelings of connection during conversation, showing promise for therapy
2023-10-02
MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, is a recreational psychedelic drug often used at parties and dance clubs because it creates feelings of closeness and social connection with others. Because of this “empathogenic” effect, researchers are also interested in its potential use as a complement to traditional talk therapy. In fact, two recent successful clinical trials support the use of MDMA-assisted therapy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Researchers at the University of Chicago published a study in Scientific Reports on September 22, 2023, that looked more closely at the pharmacological ...
Internationally recognized thoracic oncologist Dr. Taofeek K. Owonikoko named Executive Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
2023-10-02
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, and University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) President and CEO Bert W. O’Malley, MD, announced today that Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, a distinguished physician-scientist with a global reputation in thoracic oncology, has been appointed Executive Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). Dr. Owonikoko will join the UMSOM faculty as the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Professor in Oncology in the Department of Medicine and Executive Director of the UMSOM ...
Meat taxes and other livestock emissions regulations could be feasible, acceptable and effective, argue climate researchers
2023-10-02
Meat taxes and other livestock emissions regulations could be feasible, acceptable and effective, argue climate researchers.
####
Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000291
Article Title: High ‘steaks’: Building support for reducing agricultural emissions
Author Countries: Germany, UK
Funding: This work was financially supported by the Robert Bosch foundation (Junior Professorship grant to LM) The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, ...
Accelerated radiation treatment could reduce head and neck cancer patient burden in low- and middle-income countries
2023-10-02
SAN DIEGO, October 2, 2023 — A type of head and neck cancer predominantly diagnosed in people who reside in low- and middle-income countries may be treated effectively with fewer, but higher doses of radiation, a large new international study suggests.
The study – a randomized phase III clinical trial involving 10 countries across four continents – found delivering a course of radiation in 20 rather than 33 treatment sessions was just as effective at controlling cancer for patients with alcohol and tobacco-related, locally advanced disease, without increasing side ...
October issues of American Psychiatric Association journals look at factors influencing depression and PTSD, guidance on handling drugs laced with fentanyl, and more
2023-10-02
The latest issues of three of the American Psychiatric Association’s journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services and The American Journal of Psychotherapy are now available online.
The October issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry is focused on research devoted to understanding factors influencing depression, PTSD, and suicidal behavior. Highlights include:
Genetic Contribution to the Heterogeneity of Major Depressive Disorder: Evidence From a Sibling-Based Design Using Swedish National Registers.
Maternal Perinatal Stress Trajectories and Negative Affect and Amygdala Development in Offspring.
Networks of Neurodevelopmental Traits, Socioenvironmental ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Cells that die during inflammation send wound-healing messages
Risk of secondary cancers after CAR T therapy may be similar to risk after other cancer treatments
Enhance and revise for better low-light image enhancement
Multiple ways to evolve tiny knee bone could have helped humans walk upright
UBCO study explores access to psychedelics for therapeutic use
Lower diligence level linked to higher cardiovascular disease risk in type 2 diabetes
Statins cost effective and linked to better health outcomes in older people
Abdominal fat linked to widespread chronic pain, especially in women
Wearable brain imaging device shines a light on how babies respond in real-world situations
"Cuddle hormone" oxytocin may provide pain relief and help curb harmful opioid use
Study reveals mechanism that activates glucose production in the liver in response to stress
Aumolertinib maintenance after chemoradiotherapy in stage III non-small cell lung cancer improves PFS compared to placebo
Weight loss of up to 13% achieved in three months with once-a-day tablet, phase 1 trial finds
Time-restricted eating improves blood sugar control in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes regardless of time of day
Individuals with complications of diabetes are at higher risk of gum disease, Danish study finds
Weight loss drug liraglutide is safe and effective in children under 12, study finds
Chemotherapy before surgery helps patients with nose and sinus cancer avoid debilitating eye and bone removal
The glug of it all
UTA to build netted drone facility in Fort Worth
Streamlining energy regulations on Native American reservations could help alleviate poverty
UT microbiologist Wilhelm honored as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
NCCN Policy Summit explores how to build an inclusive cancer center workplace culture that better serves everybody
Games, puzzles and reading can slow cognitive decline in the elderly — even in those with mild cognitive impairment
An antidiabetic helps the immune system recognize reservoirs of HIV
Department of Energy grant advances clean energy studies
Finding the right path(way) to reduce fat accumulation in the liver
MicroDicer and MicroGrater make quick work of tumor dissection
Phase II study of taletrectinib shows clinically meaningful overall response and favorable safety in patients with ROS1+ non-small cell lung cancer
LUMINOSITY trial demonstrates telisotuzumab vedotin shows durable response in Asian patients with c-Met protein-overexpressing EGFR WT nonsquamous NSCLC
PM2.5 exposure may affect lung cancer in women who have never smoked
[Press-News.org] Study uncovers function of mysterious disordered regions of proteins implicated in cancerA disordered region controls cBAF activity via condensation and partner recruitment