Membrane protein
hideA membrane protein is a protein molecule that is attached to, or associated with the membrane of a cell or an organelle. More than half of all proteins interact with membranes.
Biological membranes consist of a phospholipid bilayer and a variety of proteins that accomplish vital biological functions. Structural proteins are attached to microfilaments in the cytoskeleton which ensures stability of the cell. Cell recognition proteins allow cells to identify each other and interact. Such proteins are involved in immune response, for example. Membrane enzymes produce a variety of substances essential for cell function. Membrane receptor proteins serve as connection between the cell's internal and external environments. Finally, transport proteins play an important role in the maintenance of concentrations of ions. These transport proteins come in two forms: carrier proteins and channel proteins. Carrier proteins are involved in using the energy released from ATP being broken down to facilitate active transport and ion exchange. These processes ensure that useful substances are able to enter the cell and that toxic substances are pumped out of the cell.
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News tagged with membrane proteins
Control of blood clotting by platelets described; provides medical promise
Nov 24, 2009 |
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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.
Computational microscope peers into the working ribosome (w/ Video)
Nov 23, 2009 |
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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 ...
Carnegie donates landmark clones to biology
Aug 06, 2009 |
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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 ...
New Nanoparticles Could Revolutionize Therapeutic Drug Discovery
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Jul 24, 2009 |
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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 ...
How E. coli grows its 'nose'
Jul 07, 2009 |
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(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 ...
Structural biology scores with protein snapshot
Jun 25, 2009 |
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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 ...
New nanoparticles could revolutionize therapeutic drug discovery
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Jun 25, 2009 |
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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 ...
Gating the tides in yeast
Jun 16, 2009 |
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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 Univer ...
Four-in-One: Targeted Gene Suppression in Cancer Cells
May 06, 2009 |
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(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 ...
'Holy powder' ingredient makes membranes behave for better health
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Mar 06, 2009 |
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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 ...
New research identifies faster detection of viruses
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Feb 17, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
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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 ...
Major step for drug discovery and diagnostics
Feb 12, 2009 |
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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 ...
First reported video of cell's recognition of danger through its protein response
Biology /
Aug 13, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Cells are expected to respond defensively when an antigen lands on a cell membrane and prepares to cause mischief.
Discovery first step to new therapies
Biology /
Jul 14, 2008 |
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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 ...
