Cells Get Two Chances to Get It Right
Michael Ibba
Microbiologist Mike Ibba is senior author of a study that finds cells have two chances to fix the same mistake in their protein-making process—not just one—as had been thought. Proteins are essential to life, so avoiding mistakes during their production is critical in preventing a variety of harmful conditions that result when mutations cause damage or when cells die. Better knowledge of the mechanism behind these occasional mistakes could increase the understanding of various disease processes. The discovery of this second step also gives drug makers a new target to consider, especially in the development of antibiotics. One key enzyme involved in quality-control has the job of correctly selecting one of the amino acids that will be strung together to make a protein. Now they find that, “The enzyme is two catalysts, one that can make the mistake and one that can correct the mistake. It can let the mistake go and grab it back. Nothing tells it to do this. It figures it out on its own,” Ibba said. This research is funded by the National Sciences Foundation, with additional support from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
To read more, go to http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/cellerror.htm.
Originally published Spring, 2009
