Small GTP-binding proteins such as Rho and Ras GTPase family members are involved in regulating cell signalling pathways and impact a wide range of cellular processes, functions, and morphology. In this post, you’ll discover two types of Small G-protein Activation Assays to easily measure the GTP-bound form of your protein of interest, as well as some tips for choosing between both solutions and finding the assays that fit best with your cell signalling experiments.
How to make Post Translational Modification characterization easier
Signal-Seeker assays (Cytoskeleton Inc.) provide researchers with the most comprehensive reagents enabling highly sensitive and specific detection of the key Post Translational Modifications (PTMs) of your Protein of Interest.
In this post, I invite you to look at experimental results obtained with these unique assays for the characterization of Tyrosine Phosphorylation, Ubiquitination, SUMOylation and Acetylation of endogenous proteins. [Read more…]
Cell signalling: How to easily detect mono- and poly-Ub target proteins
Recently, a new series of ready-to-use reagents for studying post-translation modifications (PTMs) of your proteins of interest have been released by Cytoskeleton, Inc. To illustrate the advantages of these research tools, this post is focuses on ubiquitination detection, which is known to be an important event in cell signalling.
TIGIT – Promising target to restore immune response
TIGIT:CD155/CD112 immune inhibition (in green)
Over the last several years, the Immune System has appeared as a central, priority target to fight cancer and various other diseases. Currently, in cancer treatment most of the Immunotherapeutic successes, are molecules developed to modulate and restore immune response by targeting critical Immune Checkpoints.
Some of them can activate T Cells, and on the opposite, some can inhibit this response against cancer cells, such as PD-1 and CTLA4, two of the most studied Immune Checkpoints. The majority of the popular molecules approved in Immunotherapy which have led to clinical benefits, are antibodies inhibiting immune checkpoint activities, such for PD1 with nivolumab and pembrolizumab, or CTLA4 with ipilumab.
Live Cell Imaging – Monitor your cellular events by Fluorescent Microscopy
Live Cell Imaging has transformed the way biologists study cellular functions and processes. The observation of dynamic changes provides more insight into the processes happening in a cell, as compared to imaging studies of fixed cells. Goryo Chemical have developed a broad range of innovative Live Cell Imaging fluorescent probes for various applications. Let’s take a closer look… [Read more…]
Obesity (adipose tissue) and Diabetes – which ELISA tests, arrays and cellular models?
Energy Balance – Human hormones – Adipose tissue, Leptin; Pancreas, Insulin; Stomach, Ghrelin.
If your research is related to obesity and adipose tissue, you may be interested by the selection I have performed below of immunoassays (including ELISA tests and antibody arrays), as well as primary cell models related to this topic.
Obesity and the diseases arising from it (diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer) constitute a major health challenge to the industrialized world. In the past decade, it has become apparent that adipose tissue is a major endocrine organ which secretes numerous soluble factors and regulates many processes related to glucose homeostasis, lipid and protein metabolism, inflammatory and immune responses… [Read more…]
New TIGIT:CD155 cell-based assay to restore immune response
TIGIT:CD155/CD112 immune inhibition (in green)
We previously addressed the PD-1:PD-L1/PD-L2 immune inhibition and the corresponding cell-based tools to screen immuno-oncology agents for restoring antitumor immune response. Unfortunately cancer cells have other ways to escape and survive. Let’s look together at another immune inhibition pathway, namely the TIGIT:CD155/CD112.
3 fluorescent probes that will count in 2017
The detection of molecular events in living cells is booming. In this post, we look at 3 fluorescent probes that will undoubtedly count in the live-cell imaging landscape in 2017.
KP-1 dye distinguishes stem cells from differentiated cells by LCI and FCM
Live cell imaging and cell sorting by flow cytometry are possible experimental approaches for researchers working in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. In this post, we take a look at the Kyoto Probe 1 (KP-1) from (GORYO Chemicals).
3 functional assays to investigate actin dynamics
Today, I’d like to give you an overview about methods in actin research with validated R&D products and kits which will allow you to measure binding to actin and effects on the polymerisation dynamics of actin.
Actin functions as one of the major cytoskeleton structures. It is involved in a plethora of processes in cell biology: stabilizing the cell shape, cell movements (e.g. cell migration) and intracellular movements and transport mechanisms.
Actin is a 43 kDa protein that is very highly conserved between species. Actin has three main isotypes (α-actin, β-actin and γ-actin), which show >90% amino-acid (aa) homology between isotypes and >98% homology within members of a particular isotypic group. [Read more…]