News tagged with molecular switch

New genetic link found between normal fetal growth and cancer

Two researchers at the National Institutes of Health discovered a new genetic link between the rapid growth of healthy fetuses and the uncontrolled cell division in cancer. The findings shed light on normal development and ...

Genetics created Apr 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers find molecular switch turning on self-renewal of liver damage

The liver is one of the few organs in our body that can regenerate itself, but how it occurs is a biological mystery. New research from BRIC, University of Copenhagen and the Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet, ...

Medical research created Mar 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Flip of a single molecular switch makes an old brain young

The flip of a single molecular switch helps create the mature neuronal connections that allow the brain to bridge the gap between adolescent impressionability and adult stability. Now Yale School of Medicine ...

Neuroscience created Mar 06, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Preclinical study identifies 'master' proto-oncogene that regulates ovarian cancer metastasis

Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered the signaling pathway whereby a master regulator of cancer cell proteins – known as Src – leads to ovarian cancer progression when exposed ...

Cancer created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Team identifies molecular switch enabling immune cells to better fight disease

A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has discovered the mechanism that enables CD4 helper T cells to assume the more aggressive role of killer T cells in mounting an immune attack against ...

Immunology created Jan 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists reveal aggressive breast cancer's metastatic path

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered the molecular switch that allows aggressive triple negative breast cancer cells to grow the amoeba-like protrusions they need to crawl away from a primary tumor ...

Cancer created Jan 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New study says molecular 'switch' may play role in tumor suppression

Newly published research by Indiana University structural biologist Joel Ybe and colleagues identifies a "topology switch" in the protein clathrin, the function of which may shed light on molecular processes involved in tumor ...

Cancer created Jan 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers find new culprit in castration-resistant prostate cancer

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered a molecular switch that enables advanced prostate cancers to spread without stimulation by male hormones, which normally are needed to spur the cancer's growth. They ...

Cancer created Dec 13, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers highlight potential gene therapy approach to sickle cell disease

Researchers at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC) have taken the first preliminary steps toward developing a form of gene therapy for sickle cell disease. In an abstract presented on Dec. 10 at the 54th ...

Medical research created Dec 11, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Crag keeps the light 'fantastic' for photoreceptors

The ability of the eye of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to respond to light depends on a delicate ballet that keeps the supply of light sensors called rhodopsin constant as photoreceptors turn on and off in respon ...

Neuroscience created Dec 04, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Targeting downstream proteins in cancer-causing pathway shows promise in cell, animal model

The cancer-causing form of the gene Myc alters the metabolism of mitochondria, the cell's powerhouse, making it dependent on the amino acid glutamine for survival. In fact, 40 percent of all "hard-to-treat" cancers have a ...

Cancer created Nov 13, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

New type of molecular switch could turn up the volume on bowel cancer treatment

(Medical Xpress)—A new type of molecular switch can boost common chemotherapy drugs to destroy bowel cancer cells, according to research presented today (Monday) at the NCRI Cancer Conference in Liverpool.

Cancer created Nov 05, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists find molecular link to obesity and insulin resistance in mice

Flipping a newly discovered molecular switch in white fat cells enabled mice to eat a high-calorie diet without becoming obese or developing the inflammation that causes insulin resistance, report scientists ...

Medical research created Sep 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists discover how an out-of-tune protein leads to muscle demise in heart failure

A new Johns Hopkins study has unraveled the changes in a key cardiac protein that can lead to heart muscle malfunction and precipitate heart failure.

Cardiology created Sep 12, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers discover mechanism leading from trichomoniasis to prostate cancer

Researchers have identified a way in which men can develop prostate cancer after contracting trichomoniasis, a curable but often overlooked sexually transmitted disease.

Cancer created Aug 30, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Molecular switch

A molecular switch is a molecule that can be reversibly shifted between two or more stable states. The molecules may be shifted between the states in response to changes in e.g. pH, light, temperature, an electrical current, microenvironment, or the presence of a ligand. In some cases, a combination of stimuli are utilized. The oldest forms of synthetic molecular switches are pH indicators, which display distinct colors as a function of pH. Currently synthetic molecular switches are of interest in the field of nanotechnology for application in molecular computers. Molecular switches are also important to in biology because many biological functions are based on it, for instance allosteric regulation and vision. They are also one of the simplest examples of molecular machines.

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Related topics: cells , protein , molecules