Arizona State University scientists have discovered an unprecedented pathway in a fungus to produce telomerase RNA (TER) from a protein-encoding messenger RNA (mRNA). Unlike in animals and other fungi, this fungal TER is transcribed by RNA polymerase III, lacks a protective 5′ cap and it is processed from the 3′-untranslated region of an mRNA transcript. This telomerase has two essential structural domains that keep it active. For now, scientists have only observed this process in the fungus Ustilago maydis, or Mexican truffle. “In animals, and even in Ascomycota, which is another fungal phylum, the telomerase RNA is transcribed by RNA polymerase II as an independent gene. This is the only case among all different kingdoms in eukaryotes that the telomerase RNA is processed from the mRNA molecule. It is a very unusual biogenesis pathway.” Julian Chen told BioWorld. Read More
Researchers have gained new insights into both genetic and nongenetic factors affecting life span, and how they differ between males and females. Several genes were correlated with longevity, according to a study by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). However, some did not affect life span until males reached a certain age. Early access to nutrients during growth also affected longevity, as they saw in their study of more than 3,000 mice and verified with human data. “This study is one of the biggest studies on mass longevity. We were looking for genetic determinants of longevity but there are non-genetic determinants affecting longevity,” the first author Maroun Bou Sleiman, researcher at EPFL, told Bioworld. Read More
It is known that triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) plays a key role, such as regulating microglial migration or phagocytosis... Read More
Intravacc BV has been awarded a contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for the development of a prophylactic intranasal vaccine against Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), the cause of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea. Read More
Dice Molecules SV LLC has divulged new integrin αv/β1 and/or integrin αv/β6 antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic nephropathy, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, primary biliary cholangitis and cancer. Read More
Latigo Biotherapeutics Inc. and Lieber Institute Inc. have synthesized new methyl-substituted pyridine and pyridazine compounds acting as sodium channel protein type 10 subunit α (Nav1.8) channel blockers reported to be useful for the treatment of pain, arthritis, atherosclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer and psychiatric, respiratory and neurological disorders, among other disorders. Read More
Blueprint Medicines Corp. has divulged new EGFR mutant inhibitors, particularly EGFR L858R mutant and EGFR del746-750 mutant, reported to be useful for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. Read More
Gilead Sciences Inc. has patented glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, obesity, prediabetes, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, stroke, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and renal disorders, among other disorders. Read More
Lifearc and Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) have presented 7-morpholino-l,6-naphthyridin-5-yl derivatives acting as DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer. Read More
Additional early-stage research and drug discovery news in brief, from: CSL, Elicio Therapeutics, Enzolytics, Innovation Pharmaceuticals, Lumen Bioscience, Nanology. Read More
