PROTEINS

Sebastián Yepes Arenas – III semester – UPB – 2015

Teacher: Lina M. Martínez. - Biología Molecular

• Proteins work as enzimes, antibodies, channels, receptors.

INTRODUCTION

Proteins are drug targets, for example the AMPK enzyme is a target for the metformin in the diabetes treatment

NEW ROLE FOR AN OLD PROTEIN: CANCER CAUSER

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

WHITEHEAD INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

• The RAB35 protein is a protein that activates the PI3k/AKT proteins for the cell normal protein transport.

NEW ROLE FOR AN OLD PROTEIN: CANCER CAUSER

Image taken from the article.

• The researchers used RNAi screen to find the genes implicated in the regulation of the protein transporters.

NEW ROLE FOR AN OLD PROTEIN: CANCER CAUSER

• They discovered that the RAB35 controls the activity of PI3K/AKT in protein traffiking. So, they discovered its role in the oncogenesis.

NEW ROLE FOR AN OLD PROTEIN: CANCER CAUSER

• I think that the mechanism of oncogenesis is very interesting, and that this study gives some answers about how the cancer cells are formed. Even though it’s a rare mutation, it can lead to other studies to find a better therapy without so many terrible consequences.

NEW ROLE FOR AN OLD PROTEIN: CANCER CAUSER

STUDENT’S OPINION

SCIENTISTS UNRAVEL ELUSIVE STRUCTURE OF HIV PROTEIN

JULY 1, 2015

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA

• The researchers were looking for the structure of a capsid protein which is very important for the HIV life, because it’s the one who acts like a shell to protect and hide the HIV RNA when it is being copied.

SCIENTISTS UNRAVEL ELUSIVE STRUCTURE OF HIV PROTEIN

Image taken from the article

• The team used X-Ray cristalography to find the structure. But they had to make a lot of copies of the protein for that purpose. The result was a scaffold of various proteins

SCIENTISTS UNRAVEL ELUSIVE STRUCTURE OF HIV PROTEIN

• They made an atomic model for the protein and found a lot of water molecules that are important for the caspid scaffold structure and stability.They confirmed it with a dehydration reaction

SCIENTISTS UNRAVEL ELUSIVE STRUCTURE OF HIV PROTEIN

• This accurate structure can lead to a lot of knowledge about the HIV disease and its possible cure. I believe it can lead other researchers to a very important pharmacological advance in the antiviral drugs for the HIV.

SCIENTISTS UNRAVEL ELUSIVE STRUCTURE OF HIV PROTEIN

STUDENT’S OPINION

MEDICAL UTILITY

• The proteins can be used to develop vaccines against pathogenic things.

MEDICAL UTILITY

• The protein structure studies are very important to develop the right medicine for all the infectious illnes.

MEDICAL UTILITY

Proteins can be studied in a patient to know how’s his or her health condition.

MEDICAL UTILITY

• A. T. Gres, K. A. Kirby, V. N. KewalRamani, J. J. Tanner, O. Pornillos, S. G. Sarafianos. X-ray crystal structures of native HIV-1 capsid protein reveal conformational variability. Science, 2015; 349 (6243): 99

• Douglas B. Wheeler, Roberto Zoncu, David E. Root, David M. Sabatini, and Charles L. Sawyers. Identification of an oncogenic RAB protein.Science, September

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