You and Your Health

ABO blood types are determined by an enzyme that attaches sugars to proteins

Acetylcholinesterase stops the signal between a nerve cell and a muscle cell

Alcohol dehydrogenase detoxifies the ethanol we drink

Cell-clogging amyloids form when proteins improperly aggregate

Alzheimer's disease and prion diseases are linked to unnatural aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibrils.

Anabolic steroids like testosterone are among the most common performance enhancing drugs

Apoptosomes make life or death decisions in cells

Beta-secretase trims proteins in the cell and plays an important role in Alzheimer's disease

Atomic structures have captured the calcium pump in action

Carbonic anhydrase solubilizes carbon dioxide gas so we can breathe it out

Light-sensing retinal molecules are built from colorful carotenoids in our diet

Caspases disassemble proteins during the process of programmed cell death

Catalase protects us from dangerous reactive oxidizing molecules

Circadian clock proteins measure time in our cells

Sturdy fibers of collagen give structure to our bodies

A concentrated solution of crystallins refracts light in our eye lens

Cytochrome p450 detoxifies and solubilizes drugs and poisons by modifying them with oxygen

Cells add methyl groups to their DNA to encode additional epigenetic information

Estrogen binds to receptors in the nucleus and affects key genes in development

Fetal hemoglobin allows a growing fetus to receive oxygen from their mother.

Rod-shaped fibrin molecules link together to form blood clots

Bacteria adhere to our teeth by building sticky sugar chains

Growth hormone brings together two copies of its cellular receptor

Hemoglobin uses a change in shape to increase the efficiency of oxygen transport

Cells salvage and recycle their obsolete DNA and RNA

HIF-α is a molecular switch that responds to changing oxygen levels.

The hormone insulin helps control the level of glucose in the blood

Problems with the appetite-controlling hormone leptin can lead to obesity

Lysozyme attacks the cell walls of bacteria

MHC displays peptides on the surfaces of cells, allowing the immune system to sense the infection inside

Neurotrophins guide the development of the nervous system

Nicotine causes addiction by interacting with receptors in the brain

Morphine and other opioid drugs bind to receptors in the nervous system, controlling pain

Oxidosqualine cyclase forms the unusual fused rings of cholesterol molecules

Pepsin digests proteins in strong stomach acid

An unusual cofactor is used in the synthesis of aromatic amino acids

Phospholipase A2 breaks membrane lipids, forming molecules that contribute to inflammation and pain signaling.

Mechanosensitive ion channels give our cells a sense of touch.

Mad cow disease is caused by prion proteins that misfold and aggregate

A channel that passes urea allows ulcer-producing bacteria to live in the stomach

Nitric oxide is attached to a conserved cysteine in hemoglobin and then released to control the flow of blood.

Selenium is used in place of sulfur to build proteins for special tasks

Serotonin receptors control mood, emotion, and many other behaviors, and are targets for many important drugs

Serpins are traps that capture dangerous proteases

Serum albumin delivers fatty acid molecules through the bloodstream

Sirtuin activation is being explored as a way to slow aging.

Superoxide dismutase protects us from dangerously reactive forms of oxygen

Lymphocytes use T-cell receptors to patrol the body for foreign molecules

Tetrahydrobiopterin plays an essential role in the production of aromatic amino acids, neurotransmitters and nitric oxide.

Thrombin activates the molecule that forms blood clots

Tissue factor senses damage to the body and triggers formation of a blood clot

Tissue transglutaminase staples proteins together by forming a chemical crosslink.

Vitamin D helps regulate the use of calcium throughout the body

Xanthine oxidoreductase helps break down obsolete purine nucleotides