Protein Associated With Many Diseases Fully Visualized For First Time
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
For the first time, researchers have observed at the molecular level how a protein associated with numerous health problems works.
Steven Mansoor, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues have identified the inner workings of the P2X7 protein receptor, which is associated with inflammation, coronary artery disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and more.
The discovery - which could one day inspire new drugs to treat inflammation, coronary artery disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and more - was published today in the journal Cell.
Oregon Health & Science University research assistant Alanna McCarthy, B.S., and OHSU researcher Steven Mansoor, M.D., Ph.D., used cryoelectron microscopy to obtain the 3D structure of a protein receptor and observe its inner workings. The protein receptor they studied is a cellular membrane protein that allows electrically charged sodium and calcium particles to enter and trigger changes in a cell.
They specifically studied the P2X7 receptor, a subtype of the ligand-gated ion channel P2X family that has been associated with inflammation, plaque buildup in arteries, cancer metastasis, neurological conditions and more.
REFERENCE: Alanna E. McCarthy, Craig Yoshioka, Steven E. Mansoor, Full-length P2X7 structures reveal how palmitoylation prevents channel desensitization[$], Cell, 11 a.m. ET Oct. 3, 2019, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.09.017.
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