PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Scientists at IRB Barcelona discover a new protein critical for mitochondria

This finding has brought them the 'paper of the week' of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, one of the journals of greatest impact in basic biology

Scientists at IRB Barcelona discover a new protein critical for mitochondria
2010-11-03
(Press-News.org) A study by the team headed by Lluís Ribas de Pouplana, ICREA professor at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), has been chosen as "Paper of the week" in the December issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, which is already available online. The article describes the discovery of a new protein in the fly Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) that is crucial for mitochondria. The removal of SLIMP in these flies leads to aberrant mitochondria and loss of metabolic capacity, thus causing death.

The study, whose first author is Tanit Guitart, a PhD student in Ribas' lab, has been recognised as "Paper of the week" award because of the "significance and global relevance" of the research performed. Furthermore, the editors have included it among the best studies that have appeared in the journal this year. Of the 6600 articles published, only between 50 and 100 receive the distinction of "Article of the week".

Result of animal evolution

The SLIMP protein derives from a seryl-tRNA synthetase, universal enzymes that are crucial for the synthesis of new proteins. However, SLIMP has lost its original function and performs a different biological role, which remains to be determined. The researchers studied its possible implication in the regulation of mitochondrial division and the interaction with nucleic acids (DNA, RNA).

SLIMP evolved by duplication of the seryl-tRNA synthetase about 540 million years ago, at the beginning of the Cambrian, before the appearance of the starfish and sea urchins family. SLIMP is not present in vertebrates, and it is possible that another protein has taken over its function. "If this were the case, we could look for the protein equivalent in vertebrates, determine its function and focus on these organisms. Here we have work for the next ten years", says Ribas. This study was performed in collaboration with researchers in the groups devoted to "Heterogenic and Multigenic Diseases" and "Chromatin structure and function", both at IRB Barcelona.



INFORMATION:

Reference article: A new aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-like protein in insecta with an essential mitochondrial function Tanit Guitart, Teresa Leon Bernardo, Jessica Segalés, Thomas Stratmann, Jordi Bernués and Lluís Ribas de Pouplana Journal of Biological Chemistry (2010) [DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M110.167486]

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Scientists at IRB Barcelona discover a new protein critical for mitochondria

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Brain's ability to selectively focus/pay attention diminishes with age

2010-11-03
A University of Toronto study shows that visual attention -- the brain's ability to selectively filter unattended or unwanted information from reaching awareness -- diminishes with age, leaving older adults less capable of filtering out distracting or irrelevant information. Further, this age-related "leaky" attentional filter fundamentally impacts the way visual information is encoded into memory. Older adults with impaired visual attention have better memory for "irrelevant" information. The research, conducted by members of U of T's Department of Psychology, will ...

Shift work linked to higher risk of work injury: UBC study

2010-11-03
Canadians who work night and rotating shifts are almost twice as likely to be injured on the job than those working regular day shifts, according to a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia. The study, published in the current issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, examined data on more than 30,000 Canadians collected as part of Statistics Canada's Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics and compared results between workers involved in different types of shift work from 1996-2006. It shows that while the overall rate of work ...

Every person emits 2 tons of CO2 a year through eating

Every person emits 2 tons of CO2 a year through eating
2010-11-03
Every person emits the equivalent of approximately two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the time food is produced to when the human body excretes it, representing more than 20% of total yearly emissions. That is what a study by the Universidad de Almería says, confirming for the first time that human excrements contribute to water pollution, primarily with nitrogen and phosphorus. A team of researchers from the Universidad de Almería (UAL) has estimated the environmental impact of the Spanish diet and role that human excrements play in the life cycle of food. It is ...

Algae for biofuels: Moving from promise to reality, but how fast?

Algae for biofuels: Moving from promise to reality, but how fast?
2010-11-03
A new report from the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) in Berkeley projects that development of cost-competitive algae biofuel production will require much more long-term research, development and demonstration. In the meantime, several non-fuel applications of algae could serve to advance the nascent industry. "Even with relatively favorable and forward-looking process assumptions (from cultivation to harvesting to processing), algae oil production with microalgae cultures will be expensive and, at least in the near-to-mid-term, will require additional income streams ...

Exposure of humans to cosmetic UV filters is widespread

2010-11-03
Amsterdam, 2 November, 2010 - An investigation conducted in the context of the Swiss National Research Programme (NRP50), Endocrine Disrupters: Relevance to Humans, Animals and Ecosystems, demonstrates for the first time that internal exposure of humans to cosmetic UV filters is widespread. In the course of the Summer and Fall 2004, 2005 and 2006 (3 cohorts), human milk was sampled by mothers who had given birth at the University Women's Hospital in Basel. The participants filled out a detailed questionnaire with general questions and, as special feature, in depth questions ...

New long-range undersea robot goes the distance

New long-range undersea robot goes the distance
2010-11-03
Over the past decade, the undersea robots known as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have become increasingly important in oceanographic research. Today's AUVs fall into two groups: 1) propeller-driven vehicles that can travel fast and carry lots of instruments, but are limited to expeditions of only a few days; and 2) "gliders," which can stay at sea for weeks or even months at a time, but cannot travel very quickly. MBARI engineers recently demonstrated a new super-efficient AUV that combines the best of these two approaches. This new long-range AUV (LRAUV) can travel ...

Mayo Clinic Proceedings: November highlights

2010-11-03
The November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings includes three articles with leading research, highlighted below. Khat Chewing Increases Risk of Stroke and Death in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Researchers found that people who chew khat and present with acute coronary syndrome had significantly higher rates of death, cardiogenic stroke, and stroke complications, despite having lower cardiovascular risk profiles. "The leaves of khat, a leafy green shrub, are chewed habitually for euphoric and stimulating effects. The main ingredients, ...

First peer-reviewed study finds BPA levels in US foods 1,000 times less than limits

2010-11-03
Note to journalists: Please credit the journal or the American Chemical Society as publisher of this report. WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2010 — For the first time in the United States, researchers are reporting in a peer-reviewed scientific journal today detection of Bisphenol A (BPA) in fresh and canned food as well as food wrapped in plastic packaging. The amounts in the limited sample, however, were almost 1,000 times lower than the "tolerable daily intake" levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Their report ...

Mouse model confirms mutated protein's role in dementia

Mouse model confirms mutated proteins role in dementia
2010-11-03
A team of scientists from Japan and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created a new mouse model that confirms that mutations of a protein called beta-synuclein promote neurodegeneration. The discovery creates a potential new target for developing treatments of diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The work is published in today's issue of Nature Communications. Lead author is Makoto Hashimoto of the Division of Chemistry and Metabolism, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, with colleagues including Eliezer Masliah, MD, professor ...

New research from Psychological Science

2010-11-03
A Spontaneous Self-Reference Effect in Memory: Why Some Birthdays Are Harder to Remember Than Others (http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/10/1525.abstract) Selin Kesebir and Shigehiro Oishi People may have a better memory for birthdays that are closer to their own: Volunteers recalling their friends' birthdays tended to remember birthdays that were closer to their own than birthdays that were farther away from their own birthday. In a separate experiment, after reading brief biographies of people they did not know, volunteers correctly remembered the birthdays of the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study unravels another piece of the puzzle in how cancer cells may be targeted by the immune system

Long-sought structure of powerful anticancer natural product solved by integrated approach

World’s oldest lizard wins fossil fight

Simple secret to living a longer life

Same plant, different tactic: Habitat determines response to climate

Drinking plenty of water may actually be good for you

Men at high risk of cardiovascular disease face brain health decline 10 years earlier than women

Irregular sleep-wake cycle linked to heightened risk of major cardiovascular events

Depression can cause period pain, new study suggests

Wistar Institute scientists identify important factor in neural development

New imaging platform developed by Rice researchers revolutionizes 3D visualization of cellular structures

To catch financial rats, a better mousetrap

Mapping the world's climate danger zones

Emory heart team implants new blood-pumping device for first time in U.S.

Congenital heart defects caused by problems with placenta

Schlechter named Cancer Moonshot Scholar

Two-way water transfers can ensure reliability, save money for urban and agricultural users during drought in Western U.S., new study shows

New issue of advances in dental research explores the role of women in dental, clinical, and translational research

Team unlocks new insights on pulsar signals

Great apes visually track subject-object relationships like humans do

Recovery of testing for heart disease risk factors post-COVID remains patchy

Final data and undiscovered images from NASA’s NEOWISE

Nucleoporin93: A silent protector in vascular health

Can we avert the looming food crisis of climate change?

Alcohol use and antiobesity medication treatment

Study reveals cause of common cancer immunotherapy side effect

New era in amphibian biology

Harbor service, VAST Data provide boost for NCSA systems

New prognostic model enhances survival prediction in liver failure

China focuses on improving air quality via the coordinated control of fine particles and ozone

[Press-News.org] Scientists at IRB Barcelona discover a new protein critical for mitochondria
This finding has brought them the 'paper of the week' of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, one of the journals of greatest impact in basic biology