Study Finds Tar-Like Peptides Block Nucleic Acids, Leading to Motor Neuron Death in Familial ALS
May 12, 2021
Share
Research by scientists at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has uncovered a mechanism that may explain what causes neuronal cell death in cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that are associated with mutations in a gene known as C9ORF72. The findings suggest that the C9ORF72 gene mutations are toxic because they induce the cell to produce small proteins or peptides that are very rich in arginine, an amino acid that, due to its positive charge and chemical nature, binds very avidly to nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA. The resulting peptides stick to the DNA “like a kind of tar,” effectively blocking them from their normal interactions with other proteins, and disrupting fundamental cell processes.
By Megan Molteni May 3, 2021Reprints
Adobe
Six patients with dementia traveled to Mexico last year to be injected with a gene therapy not authorized for use in the U.S., according to the CEO of a Seattle-area startup that wants to accelerate testing of unproven anti-aging medicines and views U.S. drug safety regulations as a hindrance.
At the heart of the project is a controversial biotech called BioViva, whose CEO had herself injected with an experimental gene therapy in Colombia and whose advisory board includes renowned Harvard geneticist George Church. It is part of a growing ecosystem of entrepreneurs and scientists, dreamers and schemers, who believe aging is not inevitable and aim to develop treatments to extend the human life span.
Massachusetts General Hospital president Peter Slavin stepping down after 18 years
Updated 10:03 AM;
Massachusetts General Hospital president Peter Slavin announced he will be stepping down and that it is time to “call upon a new captain for the ship.”
“This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” he wrote in an email obtained by MassLive. “After months of both reflecting and looking ahead, I have concluded there will never be a right time to leave.”
Slavin became president of Massachusetts General Hospital in 2003. The email stated he will remain president until his replacement is found, as requested by Jonathan Kraft, chair of the MGH Board of Trustees, and Anne Klibanski, MD, president and CEO of Mass General Brigham.
Scientific American (США): когда во вселенной зародилась жизнь? inosmi.ru - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inosmi.ru Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pondering the unknowable eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.