Cellular maintenance crew may miss as much as half of certain misfolded proteins
As proteins are made in a cell, they are folded into the 3D structure that allows them to work, but sometimes this process can go wrong. When it does, the misfolded proteins lose some or all of their function and usually get tagged by the cell's quality assurance and maintenance crews, which try to repair the proteins or, if they can't, strip them to recycle their parts.
A new study has revealed that certain misfolded proteins may escape detection from the cellular maintenance crew, potentially accumulating in cells and contributing to aging and disease. As proteins are made in cells, they fold into 3D structures that allow them to function properly. However, errors in this process can lead to misfolded proteins that lose function and are targeted for removal.
Researchers from Penn State discovered a new class of protein misfolding caused by a change in the entanglement of a protein segment. This entanglement can form where it shouldn't or fail to form when it's part of a protein's natural structure. Proteins with entanglements as part of their native structure were 93% more likely to be tagged for degradation and removal by cellular maintenance crews compared to proteins without entanglements.
Despite this high likelihood of tagging, about one-third of these proteins with entanglements still managed to escape degradation, potentially accumulating in cells and disrupting protein homeostasis. The study, published in Nature Communications, highlights the importance of understanding this novel class of misfolding to identify potential disease origins and treatments.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
