Scientists Solve 3D Structure of Protein that Guides the Immune System

In a new study, researchers from The Duke University Medical Center and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveal the three-dimensional structure of a crucial ion channel. Their findings depict this channel in more detail than ever before, shedding light on the channel's possible role in immune functions such as detecting infection and inflammation.

Now, researchers have discovered the structure of a protein linked to pain and heat perception. It is an ion channel in the cell surface membrane called TRPV2. This port-like structure plays a role in a number of disparate biological processes, such as maintaining a healthy heart, helping dispose of pathogens and inducing cell death in certain cancers.

The study, published January 18, 2016 in Nature Structural Biology and Molecular Biology, is an important step toward new therapies that target pain receptors. More than 100 million Americans suffer from some sort of severe or chronic pain, a condition that is underdiagnosed and poorly treated. Read more

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