News ArticlesYoung researcher awarded large grant for FTD researchThe postdoc Emma Gerrits in Jan Mulders HPA related research group at KI has recently, as the youngest person ever, received a 1.2 MSEK grant from Alzheimerfonden for research on the development of Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)...Read more TMEM253 - a "Gene Doe" of the intestineHere we want to draw some attention to one of the rather unknown but interesting genes that we have encountered, the TMEM253 gene specifically expressed in the intestine...Read more Altered plasma protein profiles in genetic FTDIn a study published in Molecular Neurodegeneration an international group of scientists including researchers from KTH have used a multiplex plasma profiling assay and a well-described genetic frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cohort collected within the GENFI study to explore potential plasma biomarkers that could reflect the pathology of this disease...Read more Image of the month - ODF4 in spermatidsHow can sperm swim? The outer dense fiber of sperm tails 4 (gene: ODF4) is one of the proteins thought to be important for sperm tail movement that propels the sperm forward. Multiplex immunohistochemistry technique enabled us to examine the expression of this protein during sperm development (spermatogenesis) in more detail than ever before...Read more HSP60 - From Stress to SuccessProper three-dimensional structure of proteins is paramount to their function, and misfolded proteins not only lead to loss of that function but to aggregates that can disrupt cellular processes. In ideal conditions, proteins fold spontaneously into their native three-dimensional structures, driven by their amino acid sequence (Ellis, 1999). However, in the crowded and stressed environment of the cell, assistance is often required to avoid misfolding and aggregation. This week we highlight heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), pictured here in the mitochondria of U2OS cells. As a member of the class 1 chaperonin family, HSP60 assists in the folding of newly translated, imported, or denatured proteins in the mitochondrial matrix, particularly under conditions of stress such as high temperatures or UV light ( Hartl, 1996)...Read more |