Discovery of a New Step on the Road to Protein Synthesis

There are research trends which become apparent over time. One such trend has been the revelation of many intricate molecular transformations that take place between the transcription of mRNA from DNA and the synthesis of proteins based on the genetic information contained in DNA. Researchers from Rockefeller University discovered a new step in the process.

A news release titled Molecular machine turns packaged messenger RNA into a linear transcript reveals that a protein of the nuclear pore complex- nucleoportin (Nup214)- binds to a protein known as a helicase to form a molecular complex which unpacks messenger RNA (mRNA). The unpacking process enables the subsequent translation step and eventual protein synthesis.

Messenger RNA is created in the nucleus of a cell. Messenger RNA is not a very stable molecule and proteins cover it and protect it prior to the point at which it passes through the membrane of the nucleus. But the proteins need to be stripped off so that translation of mRNA can take place. The emerging linear mRNA transcript is able to travel to a ribosome where protein synthesis occurs.

Practical Impact of Legislation

Health Care and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by Robert Steinbrook, M.D., is an article which appears in The New England Journal of Medicine (10.1056/NEJMp0900665). The article discusses allotment of funds pertinent to the just passed stimulus bill which has the formal name of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The last three paragraphs are particularly noteworthy. Quoting:

Improved safeguards for the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information and the prevention of commercial exploitation are critical to the success of a nationwide network. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was enacted before many of the online entities and communications that have become a routine part of health care had even been contemplated. Under HIPAA, every person has had "a right of access to inspect and obtain a copy of protected health information," with certain exceptions, such as psychotherapy notes. However, electronic medical records have typically been printed out and given to patients in paper form. Now, patients will have the right to obtain an electronic copy of their electronic medical records and to have it transmitted directly to a physician, a hospital, or another entity that they designate.

The routing of medical records now includes the right of patients to arrange the electronic transfer of their records to a designated entity which includes hospitals and physicians.

The stimulus act also incorporates other rule changes that privacy advocates and some lawmakers had been seeking for years. For example, it allows patients to request an "audit trail" showing all electronic disclosures of their health information and mandates that they be notified about any unauthorized disclosure or use. It extends protections to personally controlled electronic health data (such as those stored by Google Health, Microsoft HealthVault, and other online data repositories), as well as to companies that do work on behalf of health care providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses (the entities covered under HIPAA). When individually identifiable health information is transmitted or physically transported, such as on a laptop computer, outside a health care entity, it must be encrypted or otherwise rendered indecipherable to unauthorized individuals. The act also includes limits on the sale of an individual patient's health information or its unauthorized use in marketing or fund-raising, increases penalties for violations, and strengthens enforcement and oversight.

Privacy protections are expanded and now encompass health data stored by Google Health, Microsoft HealthVault and other organizations. Transmission of identifiable health information, beyond a health care entity containing that information, can include requirements for encryption or other similar methods to safeguard it.

After he was named the White House chief of staff in November, Rahm Emanuel remarked, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." Clearly, the economic crisis has allowed the Obama administration to undertake far-reaching health care initiatives that it could not otherwise have launched quickly, if at all. The government will now have to determine how to spend the money promptly — and wisely.

The quoted remark indicates that the theme of a piece of legislation can be exploited to include goals not encompassed by that theme.

Survivan May Protect Malignant Cells

Small Molecules, Large Effect: How Cancer Cells Ensure Their Survival is a Science Daily article. Research into the role played by nitrogen monoxide, NO, and a protein known as survivian in head and neck tumors was discussed. People who develop cancer in the head and neck region tend to experience recurrence of the cancer following treatment as well as metastases. The biochemical basis for this may now be known.

NO is involved in many different biological functions. Researchers from the University Hospital of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz discovered that iNOS, a protein which generates NO, is responsible for inducing the synthesis of another protein called survivan. Survivan is able to repress a cellular process known as apoptosis which induces the death of cells. Apoptosis is esssential to maintaining healthy cells because it induces death in cells which develop abnormalities. Abnormalities may become cancerous or may be cancerous cells. Apoptosis, a natural cellular function, in conjunction with chemotherapy, can defeat cancer by eliminating tumors. Unfortunately survivan, in instances of head and neck and possibly ovarian cancer as well, may ensure the survival of deadly tumors. Focusing on the regulation of survivan expression may lead to breakthroughs in combating affected cancers.

Identifying Indicators of Adverse Drug Reactions

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are a considerable problem facing patients, health care providers, government regulatory bodies and pharmaceutical companies. Although only a very small percentage of patients may experience adverse reactions to particular drugs, that small percentage can incur health problems causing medical expenses. Tort claims, filed against drug manufacturers, add to the cost of making new drugs available. Therefore all parties concerned (with the possible exception of attorneys) have a vested interest in identifying people who are at risk with respect to specific medications.

Fortunately advances in genome sequencing technology may provide the means by which at risk patients can be identified by correlating genetic traits to specific drug sensitivities. Distinguishing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may yield significant payoffs in this respect.

Genome-wide approaches to identify pharmacogenetic contributions to adverse drug reactions, a paper authored by M R Nelson, S-A Bacanu, M Mosteller, L Li, C E Bowman, A D Roses, E H Lai and M G Ehm and published in The Pharmacogenomics Journal (2009, 9, 23–33; doi:10.1038/tpj.2008.4) alludes to research intended to identify ADR pharmacogenetic risk factors. Quoting the abstract:

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) have a major impact on patients, physicians, health care providers, regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies. Identifying the genetic contributions to ADR risk may lead to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms, identification of patients at risk and a decrease in the number of events. Technological advances have made the routine monitoring and investigation of the genetic basis of ADRs during clinical trials possible. We demonstrate through simulation that genome-wide genotyping, coupled with the use of clinically matched or population controls, can yield sufficient statistical power to permit the identification of strong genetic predictors of ADR risk in a prospective manner with modest numbers of ADR cases. The results of a 500 000 single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of abacavir-associated hypersensitivity reaction suggest that the known HLA-B gene region could be identified with as few as 15 cases and 200 population controls in a sequential analysis.

Another Benefit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Helps To Combat Breast Cancer, According To Spanish Scientists is an article published at Medical News Today. Quoting from the article:

UGR News Researchers of the Catalonian Institute of Oncology (Spain) and the University of Granada (Spain) have discovered that extra virgin olive oil may help to combat breast cancer, according to a paper published in the last issue of the renowned scientific journal BMC Cancer. The scientists have confirmed the bioactivity of polyphenols (natural antioxidants) present in olive oil in breast cancer cell lines.

The study has proved the anti-HER2 effect of fractions of phenolic compounds directly extracted of extra virgin olive oil in breast cancer cell lines. They have used solid-phase extraction methods of semi-preparative liquid chromatography to isolate fractions of commercial oils and, later, separation techniques (capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography connected to mass spectrometry) to check the purity and composition of the fractions.

Study findings indicate that antioxidants in olive oil called polyphenols may combat breast cancer types dubbed positive HER2 and negative HER2. It may be possible to use polyphenols as a base from which new anti-carcinogenic drugs would be designed.

Eat Cruciferous Vegetables

How Certain Vegetables Combat Cancer is a Science Daily article which notes that eating cruciferous vegetables may prevent breast cancer. Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. The article explains that broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the greatest amount of isothiocyanates; compounds known to have anti-carcinogeneic and cancer fighting properties.

Isothiocyanate compounds include a substance called sulforaphane. The Science Daily article focused on research of scientists from the UC Santa Barbara laboratories whose research paper was published in the journal Carcinogenesis. The research paper discussed sulforaphane and noted that it's already been demonstrated that sulforaphane inhibits the growth of cancerous human breast cells in cultures and induces the death of cells. Sulforaphane also has reduced the rate of chemically caused mammary tumors.

How does sulforaphane inhibit cancer? It appears to interfere with the mitosis process (cell division) by disrupting microtubule function. So by inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells and inducing the death of precancerous cells, sulforaphane performs anti-carcinogenic functions. The good news is that it does so without incurring the toxic effects of some chemicals used in chemotherapy.

A New Approach to Cancer Therapy

Implant Makes Cells Kill Cancer is a Technology Review article. The article is focused around an approach to cancer that holds much promise because, unlike chemotherapy and radiation treatments, it would avoid unpleasant side effects. The approach entails getting our immune systems to destroy cancerous growths. Cancer can be viewed as a failure of the immune system to neutralize alien and harmful cells. The immune system is a natural defense and, when effective, avoids the necessity of collateral damage to healthy tissue caused by chemical and radiation therapy. A polymer implant, developed by researchers at Harvard University, could get immunological cells to destroy cancer.

There is good news in that animal studies, utilizing the implant, have yielded very positive results. In addition the implant approach may be utilized to gear up the immune system to counter arthritis and diabetes. The polymer might also become useful in stimulating stem cells to repair damaged tissue.

A signal from the polymer activates dendritic cells through a display of cancer specific antigens which "train" dendritic cells. But the polymer also is covered with DNA fragments similar to DNA found in bacteria. The intent to signal cells of a bacterial infection is clear and the effect of this is to cause dendritic cells to become highly activated and capable of mounting a stronger response to a cancerous tumor.

The related research paper was published in Nature Materials (8, 151 - 158 (2009) doi:10.1038/nmat2357) and is titled Infection-mimicking materials to program dendritic cells in situ. It is authored by Omar A. Ali, Nathaniel Huebsch, Lan Cao, Glenn Dranoff and David J. Mooney. The following is the abstract from that paper:

Cancer vaccines typically depend on cumbersome and expensive manipulation of cells in the laboratory, and subsequent cell transplantation leads to poor lymph-node homing and limited efficacy. We propose that materials mimicking key aspects of bacterial infection may instead be used to directly control immune-cell trafficking and activation in the body. It is demonstrated that polymers can be designed to first release a cytokine to recruit and house host dendritic cells, and subsequently present cancer antigens and danger signals to activate the resident dendritic cells and markedly enhance their homing to lymph nodes. Specific and protective anti-tumour immunity was generated with these materials, as 90% survival was achieved in animals that otherwise die from cancer within 25 days. These materials show promise as cancer vaccines, and more broadly suggest that polymers may be designed to program and control the trafficking of a variety of cell types in the body.