Preventing protein unfolding

When the body loses its ability to fold proteins into the correct shapes, the result can be irreversible and tragic. The accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the brain causes many devastating neurodegenerative ...

Mapping the folding process of a single membrane protein

Proteins are huge molecules containing hundreds to thousands of atoms that adopt a unique three dimensional structure, placing chemical groups in just the right place to catalyze reactions or build cellular structures. How ...

Solving the next step in the mystery of prions

Working towards the ultimate goal to develop therapeutics to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and BSE (Mad Cow Disease), University of Alberta scientists Michael Woodside, Hao Yu, and Derek Dee are investigating ...

A tale of two roads into protein unfolding

You are taking a class on origami and Mr. Otaki asks you to fold that little red piece of paper into a very elaborate design. You have to do it in a very short time. You try your best but you fail. Your origami sucks!

Protein determines life or death fate of stressed cells

Researchers discovered a new protein involved in the process that determines the fate of cells under stress and whether they fight to survive or sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

Now researchers can see how unfolded proteins move in the cell

When a large protein unfolds in transit through a cell, it slows down and can get stuck in traffic. Using a specialized microscope—a sort of cellular traffic camera—University of Illinois chemists now can watch the way ...

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