Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate as An Essential Signaling Phospholipid in the Human Malaria Parasite Research Summary Signaling lipids control multiple fundamental cellular processes, including endocytic trafficking and cell proliferation. However, our understanding of lipid-mediated cellular functions in Plasmodium parasites is still largely lacking. Among all the signaling lipids, phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P) has been recognized as crucial to parasite growth and survival. Emerging
The properties of life that plants and animals should possess include heredity and growth, homeostasis, cellular organization, metabolism and responsiveness. Merriam Webster defined the transmission of such qualities from ancestor to descendant through the genes. Therefore, heredity is the power of an organism to reach data about itself onto its young. As well, growth is included as a property of life because all living things originate and some may develop much quicker than others. Another attribute
The nucleus determines the appearance and function of a cell (Study.com 2016: para.1). The nucleus is usually a dark spot in the cell, the placement of the nucleus within the cell varies and it isn’t always in the middle of the cell. It is surrounded by cytoplasm which is fluid inside the cells (see
RAS proteins are well understood in terms of their function, molecular structure and most importantly their prevalent role in carcinogenesis. Oncogenic RAS is the single most abundant phenotype seen in cancers seen in almost 30% of human tumours screened (Stafford, Walker and Webb, 2012); with certain mutations in RAS being the single determining factor for carcinogenesis. The role of RAS in signal transduction pathways involved in cellular proliferation, apoptotic evasion and cell survival make
are very complex; it has infinitely many functions. These functions are carried out by organs; all organs in the body operate in a choreograph manner that keeps the body in a healthy state. If these functions decide to fail, life cannot be sustained. With that said, without the body’s secret ingredients the organs and the functions they carry out will cease to exist. These secret ingredient are known as cells—the fundamental unit of life. Cells are essential to sustaining life; ironically it is the
Complement system Introduction Functions of the complement system Complement activation Mechanism of action Regulation Associated Disorders Measurement Chronic inflammation Introduction: Complement system is a part of the innate immunity that functions to identify foreign materials; pathogens, apoptotic cells and cellular debris and induce immune response to eliminate these materials. It is composed of plasma and membranous proteins that complement antibody mediated immunity through activation
Abstract Despite the importance of RNA-protein interactions in essential biological processes, there is still only a small number of RNA-protein complexes with high resolution three dimensional structures compared to other biomolecules. In this study, we investigate RNA nucleotide base-amino acid residue interactions by counting contacts in the helical and backbone regions. Contact frequency data from non-redundant RNA-protein complexes is used to estimate relative potential energy of interactions
G-protein-coupled receptors, also called GPCRs, form the largest receptor family among cell surface proteins 1. This receptor family is large in size and very diverse, especially in mammalian genomes 2. In simple terms, GPCRs are used for cellular communication 1. These receptors still need extensive research since they are such a large, diverse group. More so, continued research can benefit humans when it comes to pharmaceuticals. GPCRs are key when it comes to cells converting external signals
Understanding Huntington's Disease Huntington's disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder. It is passed on to children from one or both parents (though two parents with Huntington's is extraordinarily rare) in an autosomal dominant manner. This is different from autosomal recessive disorder, which requires two altered genes (one from each parent) to inherit the disorder. So if one parent has it, and passes the gene on to a child, that child will develop Huntington's disease if they live
The Krebs cycle also known as the Citric Acid cycle, is the second part of the three steps in which cellular respiration happens. The Krebs cycle was discovered and named after Hans Krebs, a German scientist. The Krebs cycle takes place in the mitochondrial matrix of the cell, occurring between glycolysis, which breaks down glucose turning into pyruvate, and oxidative phosphorylation, which is what creates ATP. This is processes where the body harvests energy from the food we consume. The Krebs cycle