Message Number: FHL4281 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2008-03-10 18:34:23 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] new inflammatory disease discovery
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

This work was not specifically in ferrets but is at a level where it=20
could generalize, and ferrets get a large range of their own types of=20
inflammatory diseases.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/uocf-urd031008.php

BEGIN PRESS RELEASE

Public release date: 10-Mar-2008
UCF researchers discover a new protein family implicated in=20
inflammatory diseases

A University of Central Florida research team has discovered a new=20
protein family that may play an important role in preventing=20
inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, some forms of cancer and even=20
heart disease.

The findings that in the future may aid the body=92s defense system are =

published in the March 7 edition of the Journal of Biological=20
Chemistry. The research is partially funded by the National Institutes=20
of Health.

=93What we found is a family of proteins that control macrophage=20
activation,=94 researcher Mingui Fu said from a laboratory in the=20
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at UCF.

Macrophages are the body=92s self-cleaners. They live in the bloodstream =

and are called to action when bacteria or other foreign objects=20
attack. Scientists have been studying what triggers them, but no one=20
has come up with a step-by-step process yet. Once triggered,=20
macrophages travel to the infection site and gobble up the invader,=20
helping the body heal. The attack is manifested by inflammation at the=20
infection site.

When everything works right, the inflammation goes away and the=20
person=92s health improves. But when macrophages go awry, they can cause =

more harm than good. Sometimes the macrophages mistake the body=92s own =

organs for invaders and attack, and that can cause arthritis or some=20
forms of cancer. Sometimes the cleaners fail to detect threats, such=20
as malignant cancer cells, which then go unregulated and can turn into=20
fatal tumors.

When Fu arrived at UCF in 2007, he teamed up with Pappachan=20
Kolattukudy, the director of the Burnett School of Biomedical=20
Sciences. Kolattukudy=92s laboratory has been studying for two decades=20
how a small protein called MCP, produced at the site of injury,=20
infection or inflammation, attracts macrophages to the site to clean=20
up. Last year his team published the discovery of a novel gene called=20
MCPIP that is turned on by MCP. They showed that MCPIP is involved in=20
the development of ischemic heart failure, the leading cause of death.=20
This team has been exploring how this new gene works.

MCPIP turns out to be the first member of a small, newly discovered=20
gene family called CCCH-Zinc fingure proteins. This family appears to=20
switch the macrophages on and off. The researchers continue to study=20
different aspects of the proteins because of the possibility that they=20
will be critical in treating and curing inflammatory diseases.

Kolattukudy said the new protein holds a lot of promise, but more=20
studies are needed.

=93Because this novel protein has key roles to play in the major=20
inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and=20
obesity-induced type2 diabetes, it is a promising drug target,=94=20
Kolattukudy said. =93We have a patent application filed on this protein =

for that purpose.=94


###
In 2006, heart disease and strokes accounted for more than 12.7=20
million deaths around the world, according to the World Health=20
Organization.

Co-researchers on the project include Jian Liang, Jin Wang, Asim=20
Azfer, Wenjun Song, Gail Tromp and Kolattukudy, all from UCF=92s Burnett =

School of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine.

The Burnett school specializes in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular=20
diseases, neurological diseases and infectious diseases. The focus of=20
the school laid the foundation for the College of Medicine.

Fu earned his Ph.D. from the Peking University Medical School in=20
Beijing, China. He was an instructor at the University of Texas=20
Southwestern Medical School in Dallas before joining UCF in 2007.

UCF Stands For Opportunity --The University of Central Florida is a=20
metropolitan research university that ranks as the 6th largest in the=20
nation with more than 48,000 students. UCF's first classes were=20
offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and=20
research environments that power the region's economic development.=20
UCF's culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando=20
environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and=20
energy. For more information visit http://news.ucf.edu



END PRESS RELEASE


Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html




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