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/ Health News / 2008 / October 2008 / October 8, 2008 Newly created peptide turns cancer friend into foe |
Sack lunches may not provide adequate nutrients to preschooler
Packing lunch for your child might not be a good idea, for a new study has found that sack lunches may not regularly provide adequate nutrients for the growth and development of young children. ANI
Health-monitoring system helps maintain older adults well-being
Many older adults want to remain active and independent for as long as possible. Now, researchers from University of Missouri suggest that installing health monitoring system can help keep check on the health of the elderly and ensure their privacy. ANI
New drug shows potential to treat angina, other cardiac problems
A compound, designed to prevent chest pains in heart patients, could act as a drug to treat angina and possibly other cardiac pathologies, according to a study on animals. ANI
A team of American scientists has created a peptide that binds to Bcl-2, a protein that protects cancer cells from programmed cell death, and converts it into a cancer cell killer.
Washington, October 8 : A team of American scientists has created a peptide that binds to Bcl-2, a protein that protects cancer cells from programmed cell death, and converts it into a cancer cell killer.
The progress made by scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research takes then a step closer to creating new cancer treatments.
The Bcl-2 protein has long been implicated in protecting cancer cells from apoptosis, the process that usually keeps cancer cells in check.
The researchers have revealed that the peptide called NuBCP-9, and its mirror-image molecule work on Bcl-2 like a molecular switch, converting it into a pro-apoptotic protein, and inducing cell death in cancer cells.
"Our results provide insight into Bcl-2 conversion and identify a new direction for Bcl-2-based drug leads and cancer drug development," said Dr. Xiao-kun Zhang, who co-authored the paper with Dr. Arnold Satterthwait and others.
The researchers created the NuBCP-9 peptide from Nur77, a potent pro-apoptotic protein.
Nur77 often moves from the nucleus to mitochondria, in response to different death signals, where it binds to Bcl-2, changing its shape and function.
A report on this study has been published in the journal Cancer Cell.
ANI
