Protein form and function

Even the most drug-resistant fungi can be eradicated in multiple in vitro and in vivo models using a lethal combination of an antifungal agent and inhibition of a specific heat shock protein (Hsp90). Such findings could point to a novel approach for the development of future antifungal therapies for patients with compromised immune systems, including HIV, chemotherapy, and organ transfer patients.

Blocking a specific protein complex (mTORC2) prevents prostate tumor formation in mice with a deleted PTEN gene. Inhibition of this complex in normal prostate cells, however, appears to have no effect, suggesting that the protein complex may be a future target for drug development.

Advance offers promise for bone marrow transplants, gene therapy.

Small regions within prions help them change other proteins' shapes.

Researchers have solved the complex structure of a recently discovered protein that is found in a wide range of herpes viruses.

A well-known class of proteins may fill in the dotted lines that connect signal transduction pathways to the genes they regulate.

They repaired a key biological pathway, restoring normal neurological function.

The protein ultimately responsible for mad cow disease might be necessary for healthy brain function.

Better understanding of fat-cell hormones will help us attack the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Harvey Lodish, a Founding Whitehead Member and professor of biology at MIT, has pioneered this field.

Amyloid fibers are best known as the plaque that gunks up neurons in people with neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease—the human analog of mad cow disease. But even though amyloids are common and implicated in a host of conditions, researchers haven’t been able to identify their precise molecular structures.