Protein desulfurization: Sodium tetraethylborate makes it fast

What makes a sodium channel?

The Rockefeller University Press $30.00 J. Gen. Physiol. 2016 Vol. 148 No. 2 89–90 www.jgp.org/cgi/doi/10.1085/jgp.201611652 89 Action potentials in mammalian nerve and muscle are carried by sodium currents through voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV). These proteins are part of the larger family of voltage-gated channels that includes the well-known calcium (CaV) and potassium (KV) channels, as...

Modularizing kCFA Makes It Polyvariant

Systems biology makes it personal.

Systems biology promises to personalize medicine via network-based biomarkers that predict therapeutic effectiveness. Toward this goal, Chang et al. (2009) recently introduced a systems-based approach to break down oncogenic signaling networks into modules that predict the effectiveness of pathway-specific therapeutics.

Calcium makes a fast getaway

part of the blame for this age-related decline belongs to lazy stem cells that sit idly by rather than repair injuries. Normally, injuries to muscle tissue activate the stem cell-like satellite cells, which then multiply and differentiate into myoblasts that can fuse with and thus repair injured muscle fibers. The injury-induced proliferation is a function of the Notch pathway. But Rando's grou...

Echinacea: What Makes It Work?

Extrapolations from pharmacological research have led some authors to suggest restrictions or contraindications for the use of Echinacea. This article examines the known chemistry and pharmacology of the various Echinacea species and products, and challenges some of these popular concepts. In particular, the hypotheses that Echinacea is a T cell activator and that it will accelerate pathology i...