SIRT2 Isoforms in Neurodegenerative Diseases & Cancer

SIRT2 Affects Neurodegenerative Diseases
Silent information regulator type 2 (Sirtuin 2 or SIRT2) is a highly evolutionarily conserved NAD+ dependent deacetylase. SIRT2 is the only Sirtuin that acts in the cytosol. It expresses in almost all tissues, but most abundantly in the central nervous system. While SIRT2 is classified as a type III histone deacetylase, it is also capable
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Can WRN Helicase Inhibitors Treat MSI-H Cancers?

Patient With WRN Helicase Syndrome
Over 100 years ago, Otto Werner first characterized a recessive autosomal disorder that caused premature, but largely typical, aging in adults, starting by the 3rd decade and resulting in death by the 6th decade via myocardial infarction or cancer. This disease, now known as Werner syndrome, is caused by specific alterations in the 162 KDa
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NSP16 Shows Promise for Anti-Viral Therapeutics

NSP16 Target for COVID-19 Therapeutics
SARS-CoV-2 virus (Covid-19) possesses one of the largest genomes of any RNA virus. While it naturally encodes structural proteins among its 29 genes, it also produces non-structural proteins that are necessary to perpetuate infection. Non-structural protein 16 (NSP16) is one such protein.1 NSP16 Camouflages Viral mRNA NSP16 is an m7GpppA-specific, S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent 2’-O-methyltransferase (2’-O-MTase) that “caps”
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Looking Ahead: POLQ in the Future of Immuno-Oncology

POLQ Involved in DNA Repair
The most well-known and widely studied mechanisms of double-stranded DNA break (DSB) repairs are homologous recombination (HR) and classical non-homologous end joining (C-NHEJ). HR is almost error-free due to formatting by the homologous sister chromosome. C-NHEJ relies on direct ligation of double-stranded DNA ends and only ever presents errors at the junction points. Recently, a
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Discovering the Emerging Importance of PARG in Immunity

PARG in Human Immunity
Poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG), along with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) are the principal elements of the DNA damage response (DDR). When single-strand breaks occur in cellular DNA, PARP1 mediates the poly ADP ribosylation of itself and target proteins, such as histones, promoting the decompaction of chromatin and recruiting relevant enzymes to initiate DNA repair.
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RAF1 & Immunity: A Future Model For Cancer Research?

Info book on cancer and RAFK1's relation
RAF1, also known as c-Raf, is a member of the Raf family of ubiquitous serine/threonine kinases that regulate several critical biological processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and metabolism. It functions as an activator of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ ERK kinase (MEK) signaling pathway and a key effector of the small G protein Ras.
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OAS1: The Cost of Host Defense

OAS1 The Cost of Host Defense
OAS1 (Oligoadenylate synthetase 1) is induced by type 1 interferon signaling. It recognizes 18 bp (or longer) double stranded RNA segments from invading viruses in the cytosol and catalyzes the production of 2’-5’ linked oligoadenylate (2-5A) from ATP. The 2-5A then, at the expense of yet more ATP, exclusively activates endoribonclease L (RNase L) by
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TYK2 Inhibition Finally Comes of Age

TYK2 Inhibition Discovery
Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) was the first of the Janus family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases to be discovered. For three decades, the other members of this family, JAK1, JAK2, and JAK3, have dominated the research for inhibitors of autoimmune disease, largely because the effect upon them was more pronounced. They are called “Janus kinases” because
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NSP14 – A Promising SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutic Target

NSP14 - Coronavirus Target
Non-Structural Proteins of Coronaviruses Coronaviruses have complex RNA-synthesizing machinery composed of many non-structural proteins (NSPs). While one-third of the viral genome encodes for structural proteins such as the spike, envelope, and nucleocapsid proteins, the remaining two-thirds encodes for NSPs. NSP genes are located within the 5’-region of the genome and studies have revealed that NSPs
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MDA5, A Nucleic Acid Sensor Critical for Immune Response

MDA5 Innate Immunity
RLR Family of Proteins Melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), also known as interferon-induced helicase-1 (IFH1), is one of the three members of the RIG-like receptors (RLRs) family of proteins. The RLR family of proteins share similar protein domains essential for their functions – namely the N-terminal caspase activation and recruit domains (CARDs), DExD/H box RNA
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