University of Tokyo research team discovers cholesterol-lowering protein
A research team from the University of Tokyo discovered a type of protein that lowers cholesterol levels in blood, a discovery that may contribute to the development of medical treatment for dyslipidemia, which causes heart attacks and strokes.
There are dozens of different proteins in living organisms that function as agents for movements of materials necessary for biological activity. These proteins are called “molecular motors.”
A team of scientists headed by Nobutaka Hirokawa, a specially appointed professor of the University of Tokyo, was alerted by the KIF13B molecular motor, whose functions had not been clarified. The team bred a mouse without KIF13B and discovered that the total cholesterol value in the mouse’s blood was 1.5 times higher than a normal mouse. Furthermore, the team found that the level of LDL “bad” cholesterol was nearly twice as much as the level of HDL “good” cholesterol in the mouse without the KIF13B molecular motor.
KIF13B is active in the liver and bonds with certain molecules located just inside the cell membrane of liver cells. The molecular motor picks up cholesterol in blood and takes it inside liver cells, helping lower the cholesterol level in blood.
Hirokawa’s team has published its findings in the Journal of Cell Biology.
Source: Mainichi
Published: 09 Apr 2014
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
