Institute Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology "Gaetano Salvatore" (IEOS)

Focus

RET AS A TARGET FOR THYROID CANCER

2003
Receptors for growth factors are membrane proteins that are activated by binding to the ligand. Ligand activation causes swichting on receptor enzimatic function, consisting in transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to specific tyrosine residues contained either on the receptor itself or on external protein substrates. The phosphorylation event induces a signal cascade that leads to cellular proliferation and/or survival. Therefore any perturbation of such a system can lead to neoplastic ...

Identification of type 2 diabetes susceptibility genes.

2002
Type 2 diabetes is a very common disease in most countries around the word, and its prevalence is presently raising. The seriousness of type 2 diabetes "epidemics" depends on both the high mortality rate and the devastating morbidity of its complications. In addition, the economic costs of diabetes have become astonishing and can no longer be tolerated. Despite this huge burden, there is currently no cure for diabetes. Thus, efforts to prevent and ultimately to cure type 2 diabetes, the ...