Modifying proteins to combat disease

Thursday, January 24, 2013 - 09:00 in Biology & Nature

Transmitting from one generation to the next the genetic message encoded in DNA is a well-understood concept in biology. There is now increasing awareness that chemical modifications of DNA and associated proteins are also transmitted across generations, and these changes are critical in determining the way the genetic message is read. Detailed understanding of the structures of the proteins that effect these changes is therefore highly coveted information. Thanks to the efforts of a research team from Eli Lilly and Company, with the help of the Lilly Research Laboratories Collaborative Access Team (LRL-CAT) beamline 31-ID at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's Advanced Photon Source, the structure of an important methylation enzyme is now known. The results of this research can be utilized to provide new direction and focus in the race to create drugs to combat disease, especially cancer.

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