Researchers identify new anti-tumor gene

piggy submitted, created time 3 weeks 13 hours (www.eurekalert.org)

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University have identified a new anti-tumor gene called SARI that can interact with and suppress a key protein that is overexpressed in ninety percent of human cancers. The discovery could one day lead to an effective gene therapy for cancer.

According to Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: cancer treatments interferon gene therapy tumors cancer cancer cells SARI anti-tumor gene

Bayer drug delays MS in half of patients-MRI study

sea-maid submitted, created time 1 month 3 weeks (www.alertnet.org)

A long-term study of brain scans in multiple sclerosis patients showed only about half of the patients who took the drug interferon beta 1-b got a long-lasting benefit, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Patients in the small, three-year study were treated with the Bayer drug, which is sold under the trade name Betaseron in the United States or Betaferon elsewhere.

The drug is designed to reduce the number of disease flareups.

Multiple sclerosis occurs when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath protecting nerve cells. It affects 2

2 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: Betaferon Betaseron interferon beta interferon interferon beta 1-b neuroscience multiple sclerosis MS MRI

A transcription factor for making plasmacytoid dendritic cells

jerry submitted, created time 2 months 3 weeks (www.cell.com)

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) represent a unique immune cell type specialized in type I interferon (IFN) secretion in response to viral nucleic acids. The molecular control of PDC lineage specification has been poorly understood. We report that basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor (E protein) E2-2/Tcf4 is preferentially expressed in murine and human PDCs. Constitutive or inducible deletion of murine E2-2 blocked the development of PDCs but not of other lineages and abolished IFN response to unmethylated DNA

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: pitt-hopkins syndrome interferon transcription factors E protein PDCs Plasmacytoid dendritic cells

Elevated level of SUMOylated IRF-1 in tumor cells interferes with IRF-1-mediated apoptosis

stephen submitted, created time 1 year 2 months (www.pnas.org)

SUMOylation of transcription factors often attenuates transcription activity. This regulation of protein activity allows more diversity in the control of gene expression. Interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) was originally identified as a regulator of IFN-α/β, and its expression is induced by viral infection or IFN stimulation.

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Veterinary scientists explore poultry virus as cancer killer

amanda submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (www.biologynews.net)

"Virologists in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) at Virginia Tech are looking at how a genetically modified variant of Avian Newcastle disease virus (NDV) can treat human prostate cancer."

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Using or abusing: viruses and the cellular DNA damage response

fiona submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.sciencedirect.com)

"During infection, viruses attempt to hijack the cell while the host responds with various defense systems. Traditional defenses include the interferon response and apoptosis, but recent work suggests that this antiviral arsenal also includes the cellular DNA damage response machinery. The observation of interactions between viruses and cellular DNA repair proteins has not only uncovered new complexities of the virus–host interaction but is also reinforcing the view that viruses can reveal key regulators of cellular pathways through the proteins they target. "

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