http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientists have designed a synthetic protein that is both a structural model and a functional model of a native protein, nitric-oxide reductase. http://www.physorg.com/news179667132.html Chemistry Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:34:48 EST news179667132 Cell fragments called platelets are essential to promote blood clotting. Virginia Tech faculty members and students have discovered novel molecular interactions at the surface of platelets that control blood clotting. http://www.physorg.com/news178267111.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:39:45 EST news178267111 Two new studies reveal in unprecedented detail how the ribosome interacts with other molecules to assemble new proteins and guide them toward their destination in biological cells. The studies used molecular dynamics flexible fitting (MDFF) to examine the interaction of the ribosome with two prominent molecular partners. http://www.physorg.com/news178207518.html Biology Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:20:41 EST news178207518 With the information explosion, it's remarkable that so little is known about the interactions that proteins have with each other and the protective membrane that surrounds a cell. These interactive, so-called membrane proteins regulate nutrients and water fluxes, sense environmental threats, and are the communications interface with neighboring cells and within the cell. http://www.physorg.com/news168788988.html Chemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:50:21 EST news168788988 Understanding the structure of proteins is a vital first step in developing new drugs, but to date, researchers have had difficulty studying the large number of proteins that are normally embedded in the cell membrane, a family of proteins that includes those involved in cancer-related signaling processes. However, using nanoparticles, scientists from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom have found a way to preserve membrane proteins intact, enabling detailed analysis of their structure, molecular functions, and interaction with potential anticancer agents. http://www.physorg.com/news167412954.html Nanotechnology Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:40:01 EST news167412954 (PhysOrg.com) -- Self-assembling and self-organizing systems are the Holy Grails of nanotechnology, but nature has been producing such systems for millions of years. A team of scientists has taken a unique look at how thousands of bacterial membrane proteins are able to assemble into clusters that direct cell movement to select chemicals in their environment. Their results provide valuable insight into how complex periodic patterns in biological systems can be generated and repaired. http://www.physorg.com/news166199996.html Biology Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:43:15 EST news166199996 In a landmark technical achievement, investigators in the Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology have used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods to determine the structure of the largest membrane-spanning protein to date. http://www.physorg.com/news165158481.html Biology Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:10:02 EST news165158481 A revolutionary new protein stabilisation technique has been developed by scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council which could lead to 30 per cent more proteins being available as potential targets for drug development - opening up exciting possibilities in drug discovery. http://www.physorg.com/news165148787.html Nanotechnology Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:40:17 EST news165148787 Water is a crucial ingredient for life, but its level inside cells must be carefully regulated to maintain proper cell shape and size. In this week's issue of the open access journal PLoS Biology, scientists from the University of Gothenburg describe the highest resolution three-dimensional structure yet of a membrane protein, in this case of a protein channel known as an aquaporin that regulates water flow into and out of yeast cells. Virtually all living organisms use aquaporins to regulate water flow between the cell and its surroundings. http://www.physorg.com/news164338349.html Biology Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:40:01 EST news164338349 (PhysOrg.com) -- Diagnosis and treatment in one go: Korean researchers led by Tae Gwan Park and Jinwoo Cheon have developed the basis for a four-in-one agent that can detect, target, and disable tumor cells while also making them macroscopically and microscopically visible. http://www.physorg.com/news160820306.html Chemistry Wed, 06 May 2009 09:19:25 EST news160820306 Revered in India as "holy powder," the marigold-colored spice known as turmeric has been used for centuries to treat wounds, infections and other health problems. In recent years, research into the healing powers of turmeric's main ingredient, curcumin, has burgeoned, as its astonishing array of antioxidant, anti-cancer, antibiotic, antiviral and other properties has been revealed. http://www.physorg.com/news155588406.html Chemistry Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:00:41 EST news155588406 A more specific and faster detection of viruses has been identified in new research by Trinity College Dublin's Professor of Physics, Martin Hegner at Trinity College's Centre of Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) and an international team of researchers. These findings have been published online in Nature News and will be published in the international peer-reviewed journal Nature Nanotechnology in March. http://www.physorg.com/news154097460.html Nanotechnology Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:51:34 EST news154097460 Researchers from Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen and National Centre for Scientific Research, France have developed a general method to study membrane proteins. This method can be used to screen several thousand proteins, and it will reduce the way from development to useful drugs substantially. Already now the pharmaceutical industry is interested and participate in a European consortium that is under construction. The research results are published in the prestigious scientific journal, PNAS. http://www.physorg.com/news153673414.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:05:39 EST news153673414 (PhysOrg.com) -- Cells are expected to respond defensively when an antigen lands on a cell membrane and prepares to cause mischief. http://www.physorg.com/news137857161.html Biology Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:39:21 EST news137857161 In an Australian first, scientists at Sydney's Centenary Institute have mapped the anatomy of a membrane protein. This exciting discovery has the potential to turn the way we discover new drugs on its head and reduce the development time for new treatments. http://www.physorg.com/news135252356.html Biology Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:05:56 EST news135252356