Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a life-threatening condition with high mortality rates. While earlier research linked gut fungi translocation to SAP, the specific mechanism was unclear. Japanese researchers have now pinpointed the protein "LRRK2" as the key trigger for SAP induced by gut fungi.
Now, Japanese researchers have discovered a key regulatory mechanism involved in C9orf72-linked amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/ frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (C9-ALS/FTD). Their findings indicate that in C9-ALS/FTD, the human FUS protein can interact with RNAs containing GGGGCC repeats and suppress their translation by altering their three-dimensional structures, inhibiting neurodegeneration.
Advanced pancreatic cancer is typically treated with chemotherapeutic drugs like gemcitabine. However, resistance to these drugs over time may result in treatment failure. Researchers from Japan have now revealed the genetic mechanisms behind this drug resistance.
Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is usually treated with steroids, which may cause severe side effects. Now, researchers from Japan suggest that the selective activation of the transcription factor - aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) - could inhibit the development of AIP with minimal side effects.
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