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本帖最后由 StephenW 于 2011-8-5 10:40 编辑
On-off protein switch a Newcastle breakthrough
BY JACQUI JONES
05 Aug, 2011 12:00 AM
DISCOVERY: Professor Adam McCluskey yesterday. - Picture by Max Mason-Hubers
A Newcastle breakthrough in human cell research is set to aid development of new drugs to treat cancer, hepatitis and other diseases.The University of Newcastle's Centre for Chemical Biology director Adam McCluskey, with Australian and German colleagues, has developed a technique to stop viruses and bacteria multiplying in the body.
Their work will be published today in scientific journal Cell.
The researchers created two molecular compounds that inhibit the function of the protein clathrin.
Clathrin is responsible for the body taking in signalling molecules, which stimulate cell growth and division and spread infections.
The compounds the researchers developed inhibit the function of clathrin, preventing the body from taking in the molecules.
Professor McCluskey said about 70 per cent of viruses used clathrin to enter cells.
"Basically what we've discovered is a means of stopping cells taking up some of the bad guys," he said.
"So when you actually look at how the body functions, you need to get material from the outside of a cell into the cell for it to be used.
"And one of the proteins that's crucial to this is this protein clathrin.
"We've found a way of down-regulating its activity.
"In layman's terms, we've almost got an on-off switch."
Professor McCluskey said attention would turn to refining the research and developing drugs to treat diseases such as cancer and hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, and neurological disorders.
"The hope is in three to five years' time to get sufficient data . . . to attract pharmaceutical interest so we can get it into the clinic," he said.
Professor McCluskey said the project was one of the most high profile to come out of his lab, which had a team of Newcastle researchers.
"It's local research on an international stage," he said.
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