PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Scientists fixate on Ric-8 to understand trafficking of popular drug receptor targets

2011-12-29
(Press-News.org) Half the drugs used today target a single class of proteins – and now scientists have identified an important molecular player critical to the proper workings of those proteins critical to our health.

A protein known as Ric-8 plays a vital role, according to new results from a team led by Gregory Tall, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The work was published recently in Science Signaling.

What you see, what you smell, how you feel – molecules known as G-protein coupled receptors and their prime targets, G proteins, are key to those and many other processes that are ubiquitous in our bodies. These proteins serve as the targets of drugs used to treat conditions like cancer, diabetes, depression, allergies, and heart disease.

These receptors normally weave themselves throughout the cell membrane, with one part protruding from the outside of a cell, and the rest of the protein inside the cell. When a compound like a drug or a hormone attaches to a receptor on the cell surface, it affects the G protein bound to the portion of the receptor that is inside the cell, triggering a cascade of signals that make life possible – or improve health, in the case of a drug, or perhaps hurting health in the case of a toxin.

Previously, Tall discovered the existence of Ric-8 and learned that it binds to G proteins, which are made inside cells and have to make their way to the cell's outer edge, the membrane, to work correctly. In the new work, his team found that Ric-8 is a chaperone that G proteins need to be transported to the cell membrane. When Ric-8 is knocked out, G proteins don't work as they should and are destroyed.

"G proteins are involved in many biological processes – how we see and taste, how our heart beats, even our mood," said Tall. "It's a very important class of proteins. Ric-8 is the chaperone that gets G proteins where they need to be, to the cell membrane. Without it, many of these proteins end up destroyed within the cell."

"Understanding more precisely how this important class of proteins operates in the body can perhaps make many of the drugs we use today more effective for patients," Tall added.

To do the study, Tall and colleagues had to devise a system where they could study the molecules in action. In living animals such as mice, when Ric-8 is knocked out completely, the animals die. So the team worked to identify a stem cell line in which the Ric-8 gene was knocked out, so they could study G protein function in the absence of Ric-8.

###The first author was graduate student Meital Gabay. Other authors at the University include Mary Pinter, an undergraduate student now at the University of Colorado at Denver; technical associate Forrest Wright, now at SUNY Upstate Medical University; and graduate student PuiYee Chan. The team worked with scientists at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals who created the "knockout" mice used in the study.

Funding for the work came from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and from the Empire State Stem Cell Board.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Diet, nutrient levels linked to cognitive ability, brain shrinkage

2011-12-29
CORVALLIS, Ore. – New research has found that elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's disease – while "junk food" diets produced just the opposite result. The study was among the first of its type to specifically measure a wide range of blood nutrient levels instead of basing findings on less precise data such as food questionnaires, and found positive effects of high levels of vitamins B, C, D, E and the healthy oils ...

UT Southwestern research suggests new way to ensure effectiveness of TB treatment

2011-12-29
DALLAS – Dec. 22, 2011 – A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed. If the study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases is borne out in future investigations, it may lead to better ways to treat one of the world's major infectious diseases. Health workers worldwide currently are required to witness each administration of the combination of drugs during ...

Zoloft May Not be Safe for Pregnant Women

2011-12-29
Pregnant women often go to great lengths to provide a healthy environment for their developing babies. From avoiding sushi and alcohol to taking added vitamins and extra vegetables many recommendations abound for pregnant women. These lists can become overwhelming. Experts from the Mayo Clinic agree that some risks are more dangerous than others. Common Risks Associated with Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Research no longer supports the theory that pregnancy protects a woman from depression. Hormones associated with pregnancy may even make coping with depression ...

FDA urges parents to read infant acetaminophen labels carefully

2011-12-29
VIDEO: Dr. Jim Sears talks about smart, new changes to children's and infants' acetaminophen products. Click here for more information. IRVINGTON, NY, DECEMBER 28, 2011 – Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used pain and fever relievers for infants and children and is safe and effective when used as directed. However, with recent dosing changes to liquid acetaminophen products for infants, the FDA last week issued a press release urging parents to know the concentration ...

Turn down the iPod to save your hearing

2011-12-29
Today's ubiquitous MP3 players permit users to listen to crystal-clear tunes at high volume for hours on end — a marked improvement on the days of the Walkman. But according to Tel Aviv University research, these advances have also turned personal listening devices into a serious health hazard, with teenagers as the most at-risk group. One in four teens is in danger of early hearing loss as a direct result of these listening habits, says Prof. Chava Muchnik of TAU's Department of Communication Disorders in the Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions at the Sackler ...

Debris scatters in the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading to US

2011-12-29
VIDEO: This NOAA video shows the March 11, 2011, Japanese tsunami, the debris created by its force and that debris being carried out to sea. It incorporates a NOAA ocean model... Click here for more information. Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where it's ...

The perils of 'bite-size' science

2011-12-29
Short, fast, and frequent: Those 21st-century demands on publication have radically changed the news, politics, and culture—for the worse, many say. Now an article in January's Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, aims a critique at a similar trend in psychological research. The authors, psychologists Marco Bertamini of the University of Liverpool and Marcus Munafò of the University of Bristol, call it "bite-size science"—papers based on one or a few studies and small samples. "We're not against concision," ...

Injured at the Workplace? Don't Worry: Your Job is Protected by Law

2011-12-29
Getting injured on the job is not a pleasant experience for anyone involved. It puts an employee temporarily or permanently out of work and creates paperwork and costs for employers. These inconveniences, however, never justify an employer taking retaliatory action against an injured worker. Threatening an injured worker with job loss or actually firing an employee for making a workers' compensation claim are illegal actions. The state of Minnesota takes a tough stand against such employment practices, and employees should know that they have the support of the state ...

Not So Secret Swiss Bank Accounts

2011-12-29
In an effort to resolve a dispute with the United States government, Swiss bank Credit Suisse will lift the veil of secrecy shrouding its bank accounts. This action could result in potentially severe consequences for many Americans. Switzerland's second largest bank is being investigated by the United States government for possibly helping U.S. citizens evade taxes through "secret" accounts. The bank will turn over previously confidential account information such as client names and account information to the Swiss Federal Tax Administration, who, at its discretion, ...

SSDI a Useful Resource for Workers Disabled by Heart Disease

2011-12-29
Coronary heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, accounting for one million deaths each year. A heart disease diagnosis can be crippling to someone whose family relies on his or her income to make ends meet. Often, heart disease renders a patient unable to work due to the strain it puts on its victim's everyday life. A heart condition does not necessarily lead to economic ruin, however. There are financial resources available to people with heart disease, and one of the most beneficial is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSDI is income available ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] Scientists fixate on Ric-8 to understand trafficking of popular drug receptor targets