Articles tagged with Skin Cells
A protein called Wnt-10b appears to help prevent fat formation by quieting two molecules that promote it. The discovery offers fundamental new information on obesity and may suggest targets for anti-obesity drugs.
A new study finds that the 'cell crisis' theory explains why certain cancers become more common with age. Genetic mutations cause cells to divide uncontrollably after telomeres shorten, leading to cancer development.
A newly identified protein called palladin is being explored for its influence on biological processes including cancer spread and wound healing. Palladin appears to play a critical role in determining cell shape via the actin cytoskeleton, with different forms of the protein involved in tight adhesion and movement.
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have charted the chain of events by which estrogen receptor-negative (ER-negative) breast cancer cells are formed. By understanding this process, scientists can identify potential targets for specific therapies to stop ER-negative tumors from growing.
Researchers discovered that three fruit fly genes Scribble, Lethal giant larvae, and Discs-large are crucial for orderly epithelial cell growth. Mutations in these genes cause cells to become overgrown and form solid, tumor-like masses, similar to human malignant tumors.
Scientists have discovered that the bone marrow is a source of mature liver cells, which could be used to develop new treatments for liver diseases. The findings suggest that healthy genes can be inserted into these stem cells to correct metabolic abnormalities.
A new study reveals that reprogrammed adult neural stem cells can differentiate into various cell types, including heart, liver, muscle, and intestine cells. This breakthrough adds to the growing evidence suggesting that adult stem cells may be more versatile than previously thought.
Researchers will grow functional human heart tissue, aiming for a fully functional heart in 10 years. They'll use scaffolding, stem cells, and patented technology to engineer cardiac muscle and valves.
Scientists have successfully cloned calves from old cells, showing a return to a more youthful state and longer lifespan. The study's findings could lead to effective cloning methods in medicine and agriculture.
Researchers have successfully engineered cancer cells that can suppress growth at secondary sites, a breakthrough with implications for the treatment of cancers that metastasize. By inhibiting cell growth at the site of metastasis, these cells may be able to treat existing tumors by blocking their ability to grow.
Researchers have identified a crucial gene defect that hinders the ability of cells to repair DNA damage caused by oxidative stress. This deficiency may lead to diseases such as Cockayne's syndrome and increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
A University of California, Berkeley scientist challenges the central tenet of cancer research that genetic mutations drive cancer. Instead, he proposes that aneuploidy, chromosomal duplication, is the primary cause of cancer. Experimental evidence supports this theory, showing cancer cells exhibit massive protein expression changes.
Charlottesville chemist Donald F. Hunt has developed a technique to identify fragments of proteins that stimulate the immune system to attack and kill melanoma, or skin cancer. His method uses mass spectrometry to analyze amino acid chains and could lead to the development of cancer vaccines.
Researchers discussed various molecular pathways that lead to cancer, including cellular senescence and oncogenic signaling. The symposium addressed the role of genetic instability and signaling pathways in cancer progression.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a new line of transgenic mice that spontaneously develop skin tumors resembling human basal cell carcinomas. The mice produce abnormally large amounts of Gli2 protein, which plays a key role in the development of these common skin tumors.
University of Florida researchers have reversed diabetes in mice by injecting cells that produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels effectively. The cells were grown into small, insulin-secreting organs and implanted just beneath the skin, allowing them to function like an endocrine pancreas within days.
Scientists discover a new way cells can relay messages to affect gene activity through a protein-processing program that dismantles proteins into fragments acting as messengers. The study reveals a fragment of the developmental protein Notch serves as a messenger determining a cell's fate, influencing gene activity and cell behavior.
A study by Ohio State University researchers has found that microtubules harbor important proteins the cells need for signaling, gene expression and cell division. This link could provide clinicians with important potential targets for new drugs against diverse diseases like cancer, heart disease and certain inflammatory ailments.
Researchers found a gene, gata5, that can reprogram embryonic cells to become beating heart cells. The discovery suggests using this technique to cultivate and transplant genetically modified heart cells into people with failing hearts.
The matrilysin enzyme plays a key role in activating defensins to combat bacterial infections in the intestine. The researchers found that matrilysin is essential for regulating antimicrobial activity and protecting the epithelial lining from bacterial invasion.
A new method uses silicon capsules with precise holes to implant healthy transplant cells, eliminating the need for immunosuppression and reducing organ transplantation.
University of Rochester scientists use the herpes virus to modify brain cells, making them more resistant to death after a stroke. The study aims to provide a new way to save patients from years of disability caused by strokes.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have converted dendritic cells into cells that deliver death signals, potentially preventing and treating inflammatory diseases. This technology could lead to the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers have discovered that plakin proteins bind to all three components of the cytoskeleton, providing an integrated bracing system that gives cells their strength and flexibility. This finding sheds new light on how nerve axons maintain their rigidity and allow for the transport of neurotransmitter-filled vesicles.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered that calcium channels help regulate cell movement by opening to admit more calcium ions when cells are stretched. This boost in motility enables cells to move forward again, which could lead to breakthroughs in wound healing and cancer treatment.
Researchers at UCSF have identified a transcription factor, human Cdc5 (hCdc5), that regulates the cell cycle and may help stimulate heart muscle cell repair after damage. The discovery could lead to new treatments for children with heart abnormalities and potentially benefit 900,000 American adults affected by heart attacks each year.
Researchers demonstrate that human cells grown in the laboratory and immortalized by telomerase are not transformed into cancer cells, exhibiting normal behavior despite extended lifespan. The findings hold promise for new therapies for age-related diseases and cancer.
Researchers found a genetic variation that increases collagenase production, potentially facilitating cancer invasion and spread. This discovery offers clues to molecular switches controlling cancer progression and provides tools for detection and treatment.
A new study at Johns Hopkins suggests a safe and effective way to detect left-over thyroid cells using PCR technology. The test relies on detecting genes for thyroglobulin in patients' blood, allowing them to stay on their thyroid hormone medication while reducing the risk of false results.
Researchers at Jefferson Medical College successfully used a gene repair technique to change the color of white albino mice cells to black, restoring melanin production and correcting a genetic mutation. The breakthrough holds promise as a potential treatment for some hereditary diseases by correcting the underlying genetic defect.
Scientists at the University of Chicago have discovered a substance that can induce hair follicle formation in mature skin cells, offering new possibilities for treating premature baldness. By manipulating the beta-catenin molecule, researchers were able to create new hair follicles from adult skin cells, paving the way for potential t...
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine successfully isolated and cultured human embryonic stem cells, a long-sought achievement. The versatile cells have the potential to rapidly study human processes and develop new therapies for various diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and muscular dystrophies.
Hydralazine improves cell health by decreasing free radicals, a chemical byproduct of normal aerobic activities. The medication has been used for decades to treat high blood pressure and appears to have a positive side effect.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison research team has developed a gene therapy vaccine that helps the animal's immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. The vaccine was tested on 16 dogs with advanced stages of melanoma and showed promise, with some animals living longer and tumor shrinkage in about 20 percent of cases.
The device, called a fibrous-bed bioreactor (FBB), allows cells to grow in three dimensions and produces large quantities of Developmental Endothelial Locus-1 Protein (Del-1) for cancer research. The FBB's unique design enables high cell densities, making it suitable for growing replacement human organs.
Researchers at Virginia Tech have discovered a protein called Replication Protein A (RPA) that plays a crucial role in regulating cell differentiation and proliferation. The study's findings suggest that RPA could be a potential target for therapeutic intervention in cancer treatment, offering new hope for gene therapy.
A new protein called HveC has been discovered that allows both Herpes Simplex-1 and -2, as well as animal herpesviruses, to infect human cells. This receptor has the broadest activity among the identified co-receptors, enabling entry of multiple strains of herpesviruses into various cell types.
Fetal cells may be linked to an immune system reaction in women with systemic sclerosis, a form of scleroderma. The study found that 46% of women with the condition had male DNA in their blood and skin biopsies.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have found that a mysterious protein in a nematode worm plays a pivotal role in cell division and differentiation. The study validates earlier cell culture experiments on viral cancer-causing proteins.
Scientists at Ohio University and Progenitor Inc. use a nonviral gene expression system to eliminate human cancer cells in animals, achieving a 60 percent tumor regression rate. The T7 system allows for transient gene expression and has been shown to be effective against various types of cancers.
Researchers found that women with scleroderma have higher levels of non-self fetal cells circulating in their blood decades after pregnancy, which may indirectly dysregulate the immune system. The study's findings raise new questions about the nature of autoimmune diseases and their relationship to chimerism.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a green tea compound, can induce programmed cell death in cancer cells without harming healthy cells. This finding offers new hope for cancer prevention and treatment, and may lead to the development of purified polyphenolic derivatives.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have used glowing jellyfish protein to study how cells transform from embryos to larvae in fruit flies. The studies shed light on how cells cinch shut during dorsal closure, a process comparable to neural tube closure in developing mammalian fetuses.
Researchers developed a molecular radar system to track signaling enzymes inside cells, allowing them to map the exact progress of intercellular messengers during embryonic development. This achievement has valuable implications for understanding how signals are transferred inside cells and how they go awry in diseases like cancer.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have found a natural antimicrobial compound called hTAP that appears to be disabled in CF patients, increasing their vulnerability to lung infections. The researchers believe mass-producing similar compounds could help fight lung infections in both CF patients and the general population.
A new study reveals that a key signaling mechanism can turn healthy cells into tumors and lead to colon cancer. The researchers identified the role of beta-catenin in this process and found that it is involved in essentially all cases of colon cancer.
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have successfully treated deadly skin cancer melanoma in mice using a human skin pigment protein. The immune system mistakenly attacks both melanoma cells and the patient's own skin cells, leading to tumor rejection.
An international team of researchers has cloned the human gene responsible for basal cell carcinoma, a common skin cancer. The discovery could lead to novel approaches in preventing and treating the disease, including a potential ointment that controls growth.
Researchers suggest that cells are programmed to self-destruct when isolated from their neighbors, potentially providing a key to fighting cancer and autoimmune diseases. This discovery could lead to new treatments by understanding how to disrupt the cell's suicidal tendencies.
A new DNA polymerase, dubbed zeta, allows yeast cells to replicate damaged DNA, increasing their odds of survival but also the risk of mutations. This enzyme is a last-gasp option for cells when all attempts to fix damaged DNA have failed, and its discovery sheds light on how organisms cope with this constant problem.