JERUSALEM, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers discovered a sophisticated regulatory mechanism that streamlines the process of building proteins in the human body, the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) said Monday.
The researchers believe damage to this mechanism leads to many diseases, and therefore the findings may lead to a better understanding of biological disruptions and improved treatment.
Proteins are a key component of the human body and are built in the ribosome, which is the cellular factory.
The ribosome uses two main components in the process of protein synthesis: mRNA, which contains the information needed to create the protein, and tRNA that carries the amino acids, the raw materials needed to build the protein.
The Israeli study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, focused on the unique family of aminoacyl synthetase enzymes, which play an important role in the proper attachment of each amino acid with the appropriate tRNA molecule.
The team also found that enzymes can regulate their frequency according to the amount of amino acids available and decipher the molecular mechanism that performs this activity.
The researchers estimate that this mechanism of self-regulation exists in all 20 enzymes in the tested family.
The smart self-regulation mechanism allows the molecule to regulate its production according to cell needs and it is likely to have developed early in evolution.
