Mar. 10, 2013 ? Protein activity is strictly regulated. Incorrect or poor protein regulation can lead to uncontrolled growth and thus cancer or chronic inflammation. Members of the Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Zurich have identified enzymes that can regulate the activity of medically important proteins. Their discovery enables these proteins to be manipulated very selectively, opening up new treatment methods for inflammations and cancer.
For a healthy organism, it is crucial for proteins to be active or inactive at the right time. The corresponding regulation is often based on a chemical modification of the protein structure: Enzymes attach small molecules to particular sites on a protein or remove them, thereby activating or deactivating the protein. Members of the Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Zurich in collaboration with other Institutes have now discovered how the inactivation of a protein, which is important for medicine, can be reversed.
New group of ADP-ribosylhydrolases identified
An important protein modification is ADP-ribosylation, which is involved in certain types of breast cancer, cellular stress reactions and gene regulation. So-called ADP-ribosyltransferases attach the ADP ribose molecule to proteins, thereby altering their function. In recent years, many ADP-ribosyltransferases have been discovered that can convey single or several ADP-riboses to different proteins. Enzymes that can remove these riboses again, however, are less well known. Professor Michael Hottiger's team of researchers has now identified a new group of such ADP-ribosylhydrolases. The scientists discovered that a so-called macrodomain is responsible for removing the ADP-riboses in human proteins, but also in the bacterium Archaeoglobus fulgidus. "We therefore assume that the reversal of the modification takes place in a similar way in different species," explains Michael Hottiger.
Biomedically relevant: inactivation of the modified enzyme GSK3?
The researchers also prove that ADP-ribosylhydrolases can remove the ADP-ribose of the intensively studied enzyme GSK3?, which regulates the synthesis of storage substances and is important in the progression of various diseases. ADP-ribosylation deactivates GSK3?, which can be reversed again by the newly identified enzyme. "Our discovery enables ADP-ribose modification to be manipulated and tested selectively, and new treatment methods developed for diseases such as inflammations or cancer," concludes Michael Hottiger.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Zurich.
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Journal Reference:
Florian Rosenthal, Karla L H Feijs, Emilie Frugier, Mario Bonalli, Alexandra H Forst, Ralph Imhof, Hans C Winkler, David Fischer, Amedeo Caflisch, Paul O Hassa, Bernhard L?scher, Michael O Hottiger. Macrodomain-containing proteins are new mono-ADP-ribosylhydrolases. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2521
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Lincoln Ellis of the Strategic Financial Group says the disconnect between stocks and bonds is getting more troublesome with every uptick, creating a market tension likely to end in tears for equities.
A quick review for those who don't spend their free time studying the way markets are supposed to work. Financial assets are all priced relative to the cost of "risk-free money" as represented by U.S. debt. When rates are low investors seek better returns by buying risk assets like stocks and corporate bonds. The Fed has kept rates at essentially zero for five years and counting. Once the stimulus ends, rates will rise and investors will sell risk assets and go back into government securities.
Cut that paragraph out and pin it to your wall. Whenever you hear an economic type person fretting over the fate of stocks once Bernanke removes the punch bowl / heroin / speed or "stops the printing presses" it's that to which he or she is referring.
Of course, the inevitability of stimulus going away has kept many funds and individuals on the sidelines for a better than 100% rally. With corporations now swimming in liquidity and the Fed vowing to keep rates "accommodative" until the economy improves, the question is whether or not all this hand-wringing is justified.
The bullish case is that corporations are sitting on more cash than ever and productivity is at record highs. The problem is they aren't putting the money to work because, as Ellis puts it, they're still gun-shy about consumer end demand.
"We shouldn't be surprised if we see equity prices come off a little bit as we interest rates rise," Ellis notes, quickly adding the alternative of "simply trading sideways for the next two or three years."
I’ve seen little devices like this before, but this one apparently has a Lightning connector to work with the newest generation of iOS devices. ?The Alcohol Tester for iPhone 5, 5th-gen iPod touch, iPad 4, and the iPad mini needs no apps to work; you just plug it in to the Apple device and it’s [...]
Alongside Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., says he's putting the Obama administration "on notice" for reportedly going around Congress and sneaking the "spokesman for 911," Abu Gaith, into New York City for detainment rather than taking the alleged enemy combatant to Guantanamo Bay to await a hearing.
By Jonathan Dienst, Pete Williams and Andrea Mitchell, NBC News
Even as government officials applauded the arrest of Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Osama bin Laden's son-in-law and an al-Qaida spokesman, his transport to the United States stirred a debate among lawmakers who appeared caught by surprise by the news.
Abu Ghaith was apprehended, transported to New York and charged with conspiracy to kill Americans, according to court documents unsealed Thursday. Abu Ghaith appeared alongside his father-in-law in a 2001 video in which they took responsibility for the 9/11 attacks and warned of more.
He is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Friday.
Abu Ghaith's trial will be one of the first prosecutions of senior al-Qaida leaders in the United States. Upon taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama said more foreign terror suspects should be charged in American federal courts, as part of his goal to close Guantanamo Bay.
Since September 11, 2001, 67 foreign terror suspects have been convicted in U.S. federal courts, according to Human Rights First, a watchdog group that obtained the data from the Justice Department through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay after the terror attacks, only seven have been convicted by military tribunals held at the base in Cuba, Human Rights First said. Most of them have been sent back overseas, either for rehabilitation or continued detention and prosecution, the AP reported.?
Republicans in Congress would like to keep Guantanamo open and have strongly opposed bringing terror suspects on U.S. soil.
"We believe the administration's decision here to bring this person to New York City, if that's what's happened, without letting Congress know is a very bad precedent to set," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who held a press conference with Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H, Thursday.
"And when we find somebody like this, this close to bin Laden and the senior al-Qaida leadership, the last thing in the world we want to do, in my opinion, is put them in civilian court. This man should be in Guantanamo Bay," Ayotte said.
"So we're putting the administration on notice," said Graham. "We think that sneaking this guy into the country, clearly going around the intent of Congress when it comes to enemy combatants, will be challenged." ?
Earlier, in an interview on MSNBC, House Intelligence Chair Mike Rogers, R-Mich., strongly criticized the administration for bringing Abu Ghaith to the United States.
Rogers, a former FBI agent, said that reading "Miranda rights" to a top al-Qaida suspect and bringing him to the United States for trial creates a host of problems ? as opposed to sending him to the facility at Guantanamo Bay, which was built to handle high value prisoners.
"Al-Qaida leaders captured on the battlefield should not be brought to the United States to stand trial," Rogers said. "We should treat enemy combatants like the enemy. The U.S. court system is not the appropriate venue."
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was fine with him if Abu Ghaith is put on trial in New York, because key state and city officials had been consulted in advance, unlike in the case of terror suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
"Unlike with KSM, (Police Commissioner Ray) Kelly and others had been consulted ahead of time about this and they gave the green light to do it. As you know,? Kelly, Mayor (Michael) Bloomberg and I opposed the trial of (Mohammed) in New York and we successfully made sure that didn't happen," said Schumer.
"On issues like this, I defer to Commissioner Kelly, and I think the mayor does as well. And he thinks it's OK to do it here, and I'll go by that," he added.
NBC News' Becky Bratu and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related:
Exclusive: Iran was holding bin Laden son-in-law, US officials say
This story was originally published on Thu Mar 7, 2013 7:19 PM EST
Now that Cablevision is actually suing Viacom over channel bundling, is there a chance that major changes are coming to the pay-TV landscape? We're not entirely optimistic, and most regular listeners may already understand why but we'll lay out the obstacles as they stand (spoiler: money). Still, progress marches on with new developments from YouTube and DirecTV apparently getting ready for its inevitable 4K channels. We also take a look at F1's first 3D broadcast just as LG starts shipping its... unique new laser projector.
Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)
Study finds sexual health services for rural Latino men could be improvedPublic release date: 6-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marie Harvey marie.harvey@oregonstate.edu 541-737-3824 Oregon State University
A new study based on in-depth interviews of rural Latino men in western Oregon finds that these men need sexual health services designed for their needs, including more male health providers, more convenient clinic hours, and Spanish-speaking doctors.
Researchers at Oregon State University conducted interviews with young Latino men from rural backgrounds and asked them questions related to sexual health and use of sexual health services. The results are published in the March issue of the American Journal of Men's Health.
Marie Harvey, the study's lead author, and associate dean of research in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences, has studied women's reproductive health issues for more than 25 years. Recently, she has focused on the role of partners in sexual and reproductive health, or what she likes to call the "it takes two to tango" angle.
"We put women in the awkward position of trying to convince their partners to be active participants in pregnancy prevention and contraceptive planning," Harvey said. "Increasingly, I think it's crucial to talk to men and engage them on these issues."
Latinos in the United State experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS. These sexual health disparities have the potential to grow as Latinos continue to be the largest and fastest growing minority in the United States.
Harvey's research team interviewed 49 Latino men who have immigrated to the United States within the last 10 years. The average age was 24. The majority of the men came from rural areas of Mexico. More than half had never seen a health care provider, and 88 percent had never seen a provider specifically for sexual and reproductive health services.
Harvey said this research is important because the men not only gave reasons why they did, or did not, utilize sexual health services, but they gave context linked to their cultural background, beliefs, and experiences. Almost half of the men reported they never discussed sexual and reproductive health topics with their parents. As one man explained, "Unfortunately, we come from a country that, I don't know, they never want to talk about that. They keep it quiet and one grows up ignorant about that subject."
"Almost every man we talked with stated they didn't have enough information or knowledge about how to prevent unintended pregnancies and STIs," Harvey said. "But they very clearly stated that they wanted this information and would like to be better informed."
Many of the men suggested making informational pamphlets about sexual health services and clinics available in places they frequent, such as local laundromats or Latino grocery stores, as well as airing public service announcements on Latino radio or television stations. Men also emphasized the importance of providing information in Spanish.
In addition, terminology sometimes was confusing. In the United States, the term "family planning" is often used, but many of these single men said they had no need for such a service since they weren't planning to have a family right now.
"It's important to define terminology because we have cultural assumptions around 'family planning' that not everyone shares," Harvey said. "When we used terms like birth control, or HIV testing, it became much clearer."
Harvey said that "confianza," a Spanish word that means trust, confidence and respect, came up frequently as a need for all the men in the study.
"Privacy was very important to them, but it goes beyond that," she said. "This ability to trust their provider, and know that their information won't be shared and they would not be judged when they talk openly about their sexual behavior, all of this was crucial."
In addition, the men expressed a preference for male providers and a need for bilingual providers. Language can be a barrier. At many community clinics, the study participants said the providers did not speak Spanish and translators were sometimes offered.
"Having a third party in the room can be a barrier to trust and honesty," Harvey said. "In addition, the translators were often women, making it even more difficult to discuss sexual topics. And because these are smaller communities, the translators could even be someone they knew. "
Clinic-related factors also affected access to services. Men reported that having convenient clinic hours, reduced waiting time and living or working in close proximity to a clinic would make it easier to receive services.
Harvey said as the Latino population grows in places like Oregon, understanding factors that affect their use of the health care system will become even more critical. It is essential to begin overcoming these cultural and structural barriers, Harvey said. Communities need to come together to help prevent STIs and HIV, as well as have a better informed public.
###
OSU research assistants Meredith Branch and Deanne Hudson, and OSU alumnus Antonio Torres, assisted on this study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Population Affairs.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Study finds sexual health services for rural Latino men could be improvedPublic release date: 6-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marie Harvey marie.harvey@oregonstate.edu 541-737-3824 Oregon State University
A new study based on in-depth interviews of rural Latino men in western Oregon finds that these men need sexual health services designed for their needs, including more male health providers, more convenient clinic hours, and Spanish-speaking doctors.
Researchers at Oregon State University conducted interviews with young Latino men from rural backgrounds and asked them questions related to sexual health and use of sexual health services. The results are published in the March issue of the American Journal of Men's Health.
Marie Harvey, the study's lead author, and associate dean of research in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences, has studied women's reproductive health issues for more than 25 years. Recently, she has focused on the role of partners in sexual and reproductive health, or what she likes to call the "it takes two to tango" angle.
"We put women in the awkward position of trying to convince their partners to be active participants in pregnancy prevention and contraceptive planning," Harvey said. "Increasingly, I think it's crucial to talk to men and engage them on these issues."
Latinos in the United State experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS. These sexual health disparities have the potential to grow as Latinos continue to be the largest and fastest growing minority in the United States.
Harvey's research team interviewed 49 Latino men who have immigrated to the United States within the last 10 years. The average age was 24. The majority of the men came from rural areas of Mexico. More than half had never seen a health care provider, and 88 percent had never seen a provider specifically for sexual and reproductive health services.
Harvey said this research is important because the men not only gave reasons why they did, or did not, utilize sexual health services, but they gave context linked to their cultural background, beliefs, and experiences. Almost half of the men reported they never discussed sexual and reproductive health topics with their parents. As one man explained, "Unfortunately, we come from a country that, I don't know, they never want to talk about that. They keep it quiet and one grows up ignorant about that subject."
"Almost every man we talked with stated they didn't have enough information or knowledge about how to prevent unintended pregnancies and STIs," Harvey said. "But they very clearly stated that they wanted this information and would like to be better informed."
Many of the men suggested making informational pamphlets about sexual health services and clinics available in places they frequent, such as local laundromats or Latino grocery stores, as well as airing public service announcements on Latino radio or television stations. Men also emphasized the importance of providing information in Spanish.
In addition, terminology sometimes was confusing. In the United States, the term "family planning" is often used, but many of these single men said they had no need for such a service since they weren't planning to have a family right now.
"It's important to define terminology because we have cultural assumptions around 'family planning' that not everyone shares," Harvey said. "When we used terms like birth control, or HIV testing, it became much clearer."
Harvey said that "confianza," a Spanish word that means trust, confidence and respect, came up frequently as a need for all the men in the study.
"Privacy was very important to them, but it goes beyond that," she said. "This ability to trust their provider, and know that their information won't be shared and they would not be judged when they talk openly about their sexual behavior, all of this was crucial."
In addition, the men expressed a preference for male providers and a need for bilingual providers. Language can be a barrier. At many community clinics, the study participants said the providers did not speak Spanish and translators were sometimes offered.
"Having a third party in the room can be a barrier to trust and honesty," Harvey said. "In addition, the translators were often women, making it even more difficult to discuss sexual topics. And because these are smaller communities, the translators could even be someone they knew. "
Clinic-related factors also affected access to services. Men reported that having convenient clinic hours, reduced waiting time and living or working in close proximity to a clinic would make it easier to receive services.
Harvey said as the Latino population grows in places like Oregon, understanding factors that affect their use of the health care system will become even more critical. It is essential to begin overcoming these cultural and structural barriers, Harvey said. Communities need to come together to help prevent STIs and HIV, as well as have a better informed public.
###
OSU research assistants Meredith Branch and Deanne Hudson, and OSU alumnus Antonio Torres, assisted on this study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Population Affairs.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 6-Mar-2013
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