In today's Science, proteins rule. A paper out of Jonathan Lin's lab at UCSF looks at the unfolded protein response as a result of stress at the endoplasmic reticulum. Of the three intracellular signaling branches, IRE1 plays a key role in promoting cell survival; and it, along with ATF6, another signaling branch, are turned off after prolonged ER stress.
Researchers at Pitt's Biomedical Science Tower have determined the functional link between Rheb and mTOR, which has implications in signaling disregulation in cancers. Finding that Rheb regulates mTOR through FKBP38, they conclude that FKBP38 is an endogenous inhibitor of mTOR, which is antagonized by Rheb in response to growth factor stimulation and nutrient availability.
Cold Spring Harbor and SUNY Stony Brook researchers used proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify and characterize a metabolic biomarker that allows the detection and quantification of neural progenitor or stem cells in the human brain in vivo. An in-depth news piece focuses on the benefits for research of human brain disorders.
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