Scientists have discovered that cellular peptide "switches" can effectively help wound healing

Phoenix Science and technology news Beijing time may 5, according to the Science Daily report, in the experiment of concept verification, researchers from the medical school of the University of California, San Diego demonstrated the ability to adjust cell behavior medically by manipulating key centers of cell communication network In this paper, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this manipulation of communication nodes makes it possible to recode most of the cellular signal network, rather than targeting a single receptor or cell signal channel The potential clinical value of this basic scientific discovery lies in the ability to ultimately develop technologies, such as drugs or gene therapy, that may slow or reverse the development of diseases, such as cancer, driven by abnormal cell signals along multiple upstream pathways "Our study demonstrates the feasibility of targeting a center in a cellular signaling network, with the aim of resetting abnormal cellular signals for multiple channels and receptors." According to pradipta Ghosh, senior author of the study and assistant professor of medicine A team at the University of California, San Diego, designed two peptides - protein fragments - to turn on or off the activity of a family of proteins called G proteins G-protein coupled receptors are common on the surface of cells, which allow cells to sense and respond to their surroundings About 30% of prescription drugs affect cells through G-protein coupled receptors Researchers have recently found that G protein can also be activated in cells through other receptors, including a protein called giv, rather than just in the membrane Its activities are related to cancer and other disease states Both "on" and "off" polypeptides are formed using a portion of the giv protein receptor In a series of cell culture experiments, the "open" peptide showed the ability to accelerate cell movement after abrasion, which was related to wound healing In contrast, the "shut-off" peptide reduces the inclination of cancer cells and reduces collagen production with the help of cells related to liver fibrosis In mice, local administration of the "open" receptor helped skin wounds heal faster "These findings show an emerging paradigm in which we can begin to identify G protein signals." Said Gogh.