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IMAGE: An antibiotic (green), bound in the human-like yeast ribosome (gray), allows for synthesis of some proteins (represented in orange, purple, and blue) but not others (dark green). view more
Credit: Maxim Svetlov/UIC
According to researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago, the antibiotics used to treat common bacterial infections, like pneumonia and sinusitis, may also be used to treat human diseases, like cancer. Theoretically, at least.
As outlined in a new
Nature Communications study, the UIC College of Pharmacy team has shown in laboratory experiments that eukaryotic ribosomes can be modified to respond to antibiotics in the same way that prokaryotic ribosomes do.
Advancing cutting-edge research vital for region’s competitiveness
Sara Al-Mulla
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https://arab.news/6df2u
For many years, countries in the Middle East have been shifting their economies away from oil-based revenues toward knowledge-based economies fueled by technology, science, and innovation.
Current investment levels in research and development (R&D) within the region remain comparatively low and must receive more attention in order to successfully transition to advanced knowledge economies. Experts claim that an additional R&D investment of just 1 percent could boost economic growth in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries by 0.6 to 2.2 percent.
That said, a robust strategy would need to be formulated to propel R&D in the region. Spending levels would need to be increased to cater to the burgeoning local challenges that need viable innovations and solutions.
Credit: Said Sannuga, Cellscape.co.uk / ETH Zurich, The Ban Lab
Viruses require the resources of an infected cell to replicate and then infect further cells, and transfer to other individuals. One essential step in the viral life cycle is the production of new viral proteins based on the instructions in the viral RNA genome. Following these construction plans, the cell s own protein synthesis machine, called the ribosome, produces the viral proteins.
In the absence of viral infection, the ribosome moves along the RNA in strictly defined steps, reading three letters of RNA at a time. This three-letter code defines the corresponding amino acid that is being attached to the growing protein. It almost never happens that the ribosome slips one or two RNA letters forward or backward instead of following the regular three-letter steps. When such a slip of the ribosome occurs, it is called a frameshift, and it leads to an incorrect reading of the genetic code.
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IMAGE: Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant commonly known as thale cress, is often used as a laboratory model to study the molecular underpinning of plant biology. Scripps Research scientists have shown that. view more
Credit: Seyed Ali Reza Mousavi, PhD / Scripps Research
LA JOLLA, CA A family of proteins that sense mechanical force and enable our sense of touch and many other important bodily functions also are essential for proper root growth in some plants, according to a study led by scientists at Scripps Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
The discovery, published in the points to an ancient evolutionary origin for the PIEZO proteins, which until now had mainly been characterized in animals. This advance in basic biology may also lead to new strategies for improving crop yields, the researchers say.