Exploring the Tumor Suppressor Activity of the PTEN Protein in Melanoma

Scientists have made significant progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms leading to melanoma development, but precisely how the PTEN protein regulated melanoma progression was unclear until now. In a new study published in Cancer Research, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers showed  how the antitumor activity of PTEN suppresses the cancer-promoting activity of the FRA1 transcription factor through the AKT signaling pathway. Mutations […]

Uncovered: Bidirectional Link Between Autoimmune Disease and Perinatal Depression

Women with autoimmune disease are more likely to experience depression during pregnancy and after childbirth; conversely, women with a history of perinatal depression are at higher risk of developing autoimmune disease, according to a  new study in Molecular Psychiatry. For the study, researchers used data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register and identified all women who had […]

Gene Editing May Allow C. acnes to Treat Acne, Other Conditions

Cutibacterium acnes can be engineered to produce molecules that treat acne, a new study suggests. For the study, which is published in Nature Biotechnology, researchers successfully edited the genome of Cutibacterium acnes to secrete and produce NGAL protein known to be a mediator of the acne drug, isotretinoin, which has been shown to reduce sebum by inducing the death […]