The molecular structure of proteins can be read now

Russian and foreign scientists have learned to read the molecular structure of proteins through the help of X-ray and molecular sulfur atoms, which will accelerate the search for drugs and explore the etiology of rare disease development. Scientists have published the article in the journal Science Advances, which also publishes other studies on recombinant human proteins.

"When I was involved in the first receptor protein structure assay, it took about a year to obtain large-size crystals for classical X-ray diffraction, and we hope that this approach, which is currently being developed, can speed up this work," said Wajim Cherezov from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

Researchers from the University of Moscow at the University of Moscow and his University of Southern California studied the semi-helical receptor, the GCPR protein. For example, the GCPR protein plays an important role in visual, auditory, and other organ work and transmits signals from the external environment to the cells. Genetic damage associated with its work will lead to serious damage to cell life and cause serious consequences, including blindness.

To this end, scientists are actively studying the protein structure and try to understand their appearance in three-dimensional space. It is very difficult to do this - it is necessary to use astronomical time to calculate its structure on a computer or to separate the protein in pure form to freeze the protein and examine the protein with a strong X-ray laser. Such operations will take a lot of time and effort, which will slow down the GCPR protein research and search for the process of typical damage.

While the Moscow Institute of Physics and some American university scientists can simplify this task. They used free electrons with powerful X-ray lasers and special image processing methods. These images are based on the X-ray reflection and re-radiation patterns of common sulfur atoms in protein molecules.

In this way, Cherezov and his colleagues successfully recovered one of the GCPR proteins with a resolution of 0.25 nm A2A receptor structure and then increased the resolution by 0.19 nm, which is more than twice the diameter of the hydrogen atom. Scientists pointed out that high resolution can not only study the protein structure, but also can see the surrounding fat and water molecules and their interaction with the protein molecules.

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology said that in the current 800 protein receptors, scientists only know 34 molecular structures. Scientists hope that Cherezov and his colleagues will be able to significantly speed up their research and help to create new and effective drugs for the treatment of large numbers of diseases. Flarebio offers high-quality recombinant proteins and antibodies such as PODXL Monoclonal Antibody.

New treatment target of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes

A team led by researchers at the University of California School of Medicine was able to reverse diabetes insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance by eliminating protein galectin-3 (Gal3) in obese diabetic mouse models and using recombinant human proteins.

By binding to the insulin receptor on the cell, Gal3 prevents insulin from binding to the receptor-induced insulin resistance. A team led by Professor Jerrold Olefsky, professor of endocrine and metabolic medicine from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, showed that by gene deletion Gal3 or using a drug inhibitor, insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance can be restored even in older mice normal. However, obese mice remained unchanged.

"This study used Gal3 as a program target for insulin resistance and diabetes in the mouse model," said Olefsky, senior director of the study, a deputy director of scientific research. "Our findings suggest that Gal3 inhibition in the human body may be an effective treatment for diabetes."

Olefsky and other researchers have been studying how chronic tissue inflammation leads to type 2 diabetes insulin resistance. In an article published in a cell journal on November 3, the researchers explained that inflammation needs to disrupt the specific exclusive macrophages of target cells. For example, in obese adipose tissue (fat), 40% of the cells are macrophages. Macrophages also secrete lactose lectin - 3, and then as a signal protein to attract more macrophages, resulting in more Gal3 production.

In addition, the researchers identified the source of bone marrow macrophages that are the source of insulin resistance that leads to insulin resistance. More importantly, the researchers found that Gal3 is secreted by macrophages and can lead to insulin resistance independent of inflammation in the liver, adipocytes and muscle cells.

Gal3 has been linked to other diseases. Olefsky would continue to study Gal3 depletion that may serve as a target for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and heart and liver fibrosis. By the way, Flarebio offers high-quality recombinant proteins and antibodies such as PODXL Monoclonal Antibody.

The small molecule inhibitors of some biogenic enzymes are effective for gliomas

A paper published in the Journal of Cancer Research lists the results of studies on gliomas: 1) identification of biogenic enzymes associated with gliomas; 2) a mechanism for the regulation of such enzymes; 3) by using a mouse model of gliomas, it is shown that the small molecule inhibitors they develop are effective for gliomas. More research involving recombinant rat proteins should be conducted.

Such GA11 inhibitors retain a core structure similar to that of natural inhibitors of biological enzymes; however, such inhibitors have been modified to allow them to pass through the blood-brain barrier.

"In principle, these features make GA11 a candidate for treatment of gliomas," Dr. Ichiro Nakano said.

Nakano is a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and he and other researchers are further pre-clinical evaluation of GA11 and its analogues.

"Polymorphic glioblastoma (GBM) is a class of highly lethal tumors. Over the past 30 years, little progress has been made to increase the average survival of patients from five months to 15 to 16 months," Nakano said.

GBM tumors are a class of mixed cell tumors. A small amount of gliomas stem cells induce GBM tumorigenicity, so these stem cells become the primary goal of treatment. Nakano and colleagues infer that determining the regulatory mechanism of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells activity may develop new and effective treatments. Flarebio offers good-quality recombinant proteins and antibodies like PODXL Monoclonal Antibody.