Scientists deconstruct the protein-based machine responsible for SARS-CoV-2 replication
In February 2020, a trio of bio-imaging experts were sitting amiably around a dinner table at a scientific conference in Washington, D.C., when the conversation shifted to what was then a worrying viral epidemic in China. Without foreseeing the global disaster to come, they wondered aloud how they might contribute.
Nearly a year and a half later, those three scientists and their many collaborators across three national laboratories have published a comprehensive study in Biophysical Journal that - alongside other recent, complementary studies of coronavirus proteins and genetics - represents the first step toward developing treatments for that viral infection, now seared into the global consciousness as COVID-19.
Deconstructing the infectious machinery of SARS-CoV-2
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.
Deconstructing the Infectious Machinery of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus
lbl.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lbl.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
21 Apr 2021 Share:
Ever stood at your refridgerator staring into it and wishing you could switch off the hunger pangs that took you there in the first place? Now, with the help of one family s genetic disposition to suffer uncontrollable and persistent hunger, researchers have uncovered the mechanism of action of the master switch for hunger in the brain shedding new light on the way hunger is regulated. Results have uncovered a 3D structure that reveals how a unique molecular switch in our brain causes us to feel full - and may help develop improved anti-obesity drugs.
Being constantly hungry, no matter how much you eat - that s the daily struggle of people with genetic defects in the brain s appetite controls, and it often ends in severe obesity.
Photo Credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Being constantly hungry, no matter how much you eat â that’s the daily struggle of people with genetic defects in the brain’s appetite controls, and it often ends in severe obesity. In a study published in Science on April 15, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, together with colleagues from the Queen Mary University of London and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, have revealed the mechanism of action of the master switch for hunger in the brain: the melanocortin receptor 4, or MC4 receptor for short. They have also clarified how this switch is activated by setmelanotide (Imcivree), a drug recently approved for the treatment of severe obesity caused by certain genetic changes. These findings shed new light on the way hunger is regulated and may help develop improved anti-obesity medications.