JBC News

Pan-kinase inhibitor for head and neck cancer enters clinical trials
A drug targeting the scaffolding function of multiple related kinases halts tumor progression.

Ten interesting quotes from the JBC archives
Older papers include archaic quirks and long-abandoned biological concepts. Some show flashes of ideas that grew into their own fields, and others show that some things never change.

From the JBC archives: Madness, indoles and mercury-based cathartics
A 1907 paper sought to resolve an ongoing question of whether indole, a bacterial molecule in the gut, could cause insanity if overproduced.

From the journals: JBC
Linking modified cysteines to cell migration. Recognizing protein tags for degradation. Disrupting C. difficile toxin production. Read about recent JBC papers on these topics.

Mutant RNA exosome protein linked to neurodevelopmental defects
Researchers at Emory University find that a missense mutation impairs RNA exosome assembly and translation and causes neurological disease.

Breaking through limits in kinase inhibition
Paul Shapiro, the first speaker on ASBMB Breakthroughs, a new webinar series highlighting research from ASBMB journals, discussed taking ideas and discoveries from basic science research toward clinical applications.

Liver enzyme holds key to adjusting to high-protein diets
Researchers at the University of Geneva show that glutamate dehydrogenase controls blood alkalinity during fasting.

From the journals: JBC
Histone demethylase inhibited by own sequence. MicroRNA reduces cell cycle–related apoptosis. Multipurpose antibiotic takes on staph infections. Read about recent JBC papers on these topics.

Toxoplasma gondii parasite uses unconventional method to make proteins for evasion of drug treatment
This recent study by a team from Bill Sullivan’s lab at the Indiana University School of Medicine was named a Journal of Biological Chemistry Editor’s Pick.