News tagged with molecular switch

Structure of vital protein complex, G protein-coupled receptors, described in unprecedented detail

Three international teams of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California San Diego, University of Michigan and Stanford University, have published a trio of papers describing in unprecedented ...

Medical research created Sep 28, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | 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

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

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

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

Molecular 'on-off' switch for Parkinson's disease discovered

(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation Unit at the University of Dundee have discovered a new molecular switch that acts to protect the brain from developing Parkinson's ...

Parkinson's & Movement disorders created May 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discovery of insulin switches in pancreas could lead to new diabetes drugs

Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered how a hormone turns on a series of molecular switches inside the pancreas that increases production of insulin.

Medical research created Sep 26, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | 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

Molecular switch identified that controls key cellular process

The body has a built-in system known as autophagy, or 'self-eating,' that controls how cells live or die. Deregulation of autophagy is linked to the development of human diseases, including neural degeneration and cancer.

Medical research created Aug 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists establish a new class of anti-diabetic compound

In a joint study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and Harvard University's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have established a new class of anti-diabetic compound that targets a unique molecular switch.

Medical research created Sep 04, 2011 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers discover faulty molecular switch that cause infertility, miscarriage

Scientists have discovered an enzyme that acts as a 'fertility switch', in a study published in Nature Medicine today. High levels of the protein are associated with infertility, while low levels make a woman more likely ...

Medical research created Oct 16, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | 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

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

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

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

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