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The protein hERG1, which functions to control the heart beat, is also associated with cancer metastasis. This is the result of the study "The conformational state of hERG1 channels determines integrin association, downstream signaling, and cancer progression"that is published in the journal Science Signaling. (Cusabio offers a number of proteins such as Recombinant FGFR3.)

The study, led by Annarosa Arcangeli and colleagues from the University of Firenze and researchers from several other institutions in Italy and Netherlands, reveals that "the interaction of β1 integrins with hERG1 channels in cancer cells stimulated distinct signaling pathways that depended on the conformational state of hERG1 and affected different aspects of tumor progression."

The Flaviviridae are a family of positive, single-stranded, enveloped RNA viruses. Dengue virus (DENV), the West Nile virus (WNV), Zika virus (ZIKV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and several other viruses which may cause encephalitis belong to the Flaviviridae. 

Since ZIKV is still a public health concern, it appears to increase individuals who have previously infected with DENV and WNV. This is the result of a study reported in Science. 

According to findings of a new study from the Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, using antibody to inactivate GluA1 receptors in neurons can help erase fear memory in mice.

The study "Optical inactivation of synaptic GluA1 receptors erases fear memory" was published online in Nature Biotechnology on 5 December 2016.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive disease of the motor neuron system. The disease affects nerve system in the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle problems. So far, ALS is still incurable and fatal, though treatment can extend patients’ survival and improve quality of life to some extent.

ALS is difficult to diagnose early. Currently, there is no single test that can identify the disease. To determine if an individual has ALS, doctors combine clinical examination with multiples tests to rule out other diseases with similar symptoms. Additionally, there is a lack of tools that monitor treatment effectiveness.

Researchers have resolved the three-dimensional structure of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), according to a paper appearing in the journal Cell.

The CFTR protein, which is encoded by the CFTR gene, functions as a channel across the membrane of cells that produce mucus, sweat, saliva, tears, and digestive enzymes. It transports chloride ions into and out of cells. CFTR has been implicated in several human diseases, including cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is caused by the presence of mutations in both copies of CFTR gene. The mutated CFTR causes the body to produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus. This kind of mucus accumulates in various organs, mostly the lungs, causing tissue damage. Over time, cystic fibrosis can lead to difficulty breathing and frequent lung infections.

The interaction between two proteins, Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Myosin-1E (MYO1E), may help cancer cells grow and metastasize, according to a study led by researchers from Mayo Clinic, University of Tuebingen, and University of Copenhagen.

FAK has been studied intensely. It is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase involved in cellular adhesion and spreading processes. Previous studies implicated FAK in a wide range of human diseases, including cancer. However, it is not easy to target FAK therapeutically.

A paper “PI3K pathway regulates ER-dependent transcription in breast cancer through the epigenetic regulator KMT2D” published in Science now provides new insight into the mechanism of breast cancer drug resistance.

Breast cancer cells may become resistant to treatment. Sometimes, even the latest drugs fail to work. The PI3K pathway is implicated in many cancers among women, including breast cancer. So inhibiting it represents a treatment strategy for breast cancer. However, when scientists tested drugs that inhibit the PI3K pathway, they found that breast cancer cells switch to another pathway -- the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway -- to maintain the growth.

As a leading cause of food poisoning and gastroenteritis, Campylobacter has plagued the poultry industry for years. According to estimates, about two-thirds of fresh retail chicken sold is contaminated with the bacteria. Although many control measures have been used to combat with the bug, each year thousands of people are made sick by it. Until now, little is known about the immunobiology of Campylobacter infection, and no vaccines are available.

Now a study, reported in the journal Scientific Reports and conducted by researchers from University of Liverpool, Newcastle University, University of Leicester, and Swansea University, sheds light on why it is difficult to develop a poultry vaccine against Campylobacter.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks joints on both sides of the body, causing inflammation, pain, swelling and loss of joint function. The disease affects everyone differently and treatments include medicine, lifestyle changes, and surgery. In RA, antibodies are produced that impact the inflammation in the joints.

In a paper in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, a team led by researchers from Uppsala University, Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has found that antibodies against the cartilage protein collagen II may help predict prognosis and choose therapy for RA. These antibodies seem to be linked with a good prognosis.

Described in the journal "Blood", a study carried out by researchers including Alexey Revenko and Robert MacLeod from IONIS Pharmaceuticals Inc and Zu-Lin Chen, Pradeep Singh, Erin Norris and Sidney Strickland from The Rockefeller University shows that a plasma protein usually involved in blood coagulation and inflammation may also play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia among older people.

AD is a complex disease. Scientists have been studying the disease for decades, but there are still many questions to be answered. The disease is characterized by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Most efforts to develop approaches to clear amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles have ended in failure.