STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. biologists have discovered a super-family of developmental proteins that are critical for cell growth and differentiation.
Penn State researchers say the discovery, in collaboration with scientists at Johns Hopkins University, might benefit research on cancer and nerve cell repair.
A protein super-family refers to a group of structurally or functionally related proteins that are not necessarily of common evolutionary origin.
"This super-family is highly divergent, even in animals with an ancient lineage such as the sea anemone," said Penn State Assistant Professor Randen Patterson, senior author of the study. "This super-family also evolves rapidly, so its proteins may provide a model system for investigating how rapidly mutating genes contribute to, and are likely necessary for, the diversity and adaptability of animal life."
The researchers named the new protein super-family "DANGER," an acronym for "Differentiation and Neuronal Growth Evolve Rapidly."
The discovery was led by Patterson and Damian van Rossum, a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State.
The discovery is detailed in the online journal PLoS ONE.
