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

A gene provides both protection and destruction

A gene provides both protection and destruction
2021-02-24
(Press-News.org) The family of ENDOU enzymes is found in most organisms, yet its functions are only poorly understood. In humans, it has been connected with cancer. RNA viruses, such as SARS-CoV2, contain a gene corresponding to ENDOU, and this is important for virus replication and the suppression of the immune response. However, so far only few details of the role of these enzymes are known. The research group led by the molecular geneticist Dr. Wenjing Qi from the University of Freiburg now contributes some more details to its function in a study published by the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications. They suggest that the gene ENDU-2 could be responsible for triggering tumors in the body from a distance. In addition, the team discovered a novel, seemingly contradictive response: Under stress, ENDU-2 can contribute both to the protection of the organism and to its destruction.

The researchers studied the nematode worm C. elegans, which is frequently used for such genetic investigations. More than 60 percent of the genes are similar in worms and humans, including one for ENDOU, which is called ENDU-2. The current theory of tumor development suggests that cells only become cancer cells when errors, called mutations, accumulate in their genes. These arise, for example, from radiation, certain chemicals, or during aging. Qi showed back in 2017 that such errors do not have to occur in the cancer cells themselves, but they can also arise elsewhere in the body. Cancer is therefore triggered remotely, so to speak. The researcher suspected that the damaged cells in this case send signals to accomplish this, which then reprogram the other tissues. They now discovered the signal for this: ENDU-2.

„ENDOU/ENDU-2 is not only selectively discharged from stressed cells and circulated throughout the body, but it can also bind to the messenger RNA (mRNA) of many genes at the site of origin and in the target cells", Qi explains. These mRNAs are the working copies of genes and are needed as blueprints for the production of all proteins and enzymes. What surprised the researcher was that ENDU-2 can perform two different functions under stress: at the site of origin, it cuts and destroys the mRNA, which reduces metabolism and prevents the already stressed organism from making faulty new proteins. At the destination, the RNA remains intact, and ENDU-2 helps these cells to survive. For this, however, it must be dosed precisely; otherwise it can cause tumor formation.

One conclusion that can be drawn from this could be that the worm specifically protects the embryos, i.e. its offspring, in times of great stress. "In this way, it seems guaranteed that whenever the organism's self-healing powers are not sufficient for mother and child, it at least ensures the survival of the progeny", speculates Prof. Dr. Ralf Baumeister, who was also involved in the study and in whose department Qi leads a research group. The Freiburg scientists now know that the loss of ENDU-2 can also reprogram stem cells. These then lose their immortality within a few generations. Next, the team wants to explore which conditions cause ENDU-2 to distinguish between destruction and protection.

INFORMATION:

The German Research Foundation is funding the Freiburg scientists' study. In addition, they are cooperating with BIOSS - Centre for Biological Signalling Studies and the Excellence Cluster CIBSS - Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies at the University of Freiburg.

Original Publication: Qi, W., von Gromoff, E.D., Xu, F., Zhao, Q, Yang, W., Pfeifer, W., Maier, W., Long, L., and Baumeister, R. (2021) The secreted endoribonuclease ENDU-2 from the soma protects germline immortality in C. elegans. Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21516-6

Contact: Dr. Wenjing Qi
Institute of Biology III
University of Freiburg
Tel.: +49-1525-361-5186
E-Mail: wenjing.qi@biologie.uni-freiburg.de

Prof. Dr. Ralf Baumeister
Institute of Biology III, Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Research
University of Freiburg
Tel.: +49-1522-292-8307
E-Mail: ralf.baumeister@biologie.uni-freiburg.de


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
A gene provides both protection and destruction

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Pushing computing to the edge by rethinking microchips' design

Pushing computing to the edge by rethinking microchips design
2021-02-24
Responding to artificial intelligence's exploding demands on computer networks, Princeton University researchers in recent years have radically increased the speed and slashed the energy use of specialized AI systems. Now, the researchers have moved their innovation closer to widespread use by creating co-designed hardware and software that will allow designers to blend these new types of systems into their applications. "Software is a critical part of enabling new hardware," said Naveen Verma, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Princeton and a leader of the research team. "The ...

Flu vaccination this season likely to be highest ever

2021-02-24
More U.S. adults reported receiving or planning to receive an influenza vaccination during the 2020-2021 flu season than ever before, according to findings from a national survey. The survey of 1,027 adults, conducted by the University of Georgia, found that 43.5% of respondents reported having already received a flu vaccination with an additional 13.5% stating they "definitely will get one" and 9.3% stating they "probably will get one." Combined, 66.3% have received or intend to receive an influenza vaccination. By comparison, 48.4% of adults 18 and older received the vaccine during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to the Centers for Disease ...

'Micropopulism' may be turning education into a battlefield in the culture wars

2021-02-24
A new analysis of education debates on both social media and in traditional media outlets suggests that the education sector is being increasingly influenced by populism and the wider social media 'culture wars'. The study also suggests that the type of populism in question is not quite the same as that used to explain large-scale political events, such as the UK's 'Brexit' from the European Union, or Donald Trump's recent presidency in the United States. Instead, the researchers - from the University of Cambridge, UK, and Queensland University of Technology, Australia - identify a phenomenon called 'micropopulism': a localised populism which spotlights an aspect of public ...

Study finds low rate of COVID-19 among dental hygienists

Study finds low rate of COVID-19 among dental hygienists
2021-02-24
CHICAGO, February 24, 2021 -- Despite having been designated as high risk for COVID-19 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a new study finds 3.1 percent of dental hygienists have had COVID-19 based on data collected in October 2020. This is in alignment with the cumulative infection prevalence rate among dentists and far below that of other health professionals in the U.S, although slightly higher than that of the general population. The research, published by The Journal of Dental Hygiene, is the first large-scale collection and publication of U.S. dental hygienists' infection rates and infection control practices related to COVID-19. In partnership, the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) and the American Dental Association (ADA) ...

Sulfur: the consequences

Sulfur: the consequences
2021-02-24
The transition from single-celled organisms to multicellular ones was a major step in the evolution of complex life forms. Multicellular organisms arose hundreds of millions of years ago, but the forces underlying this event remain mysterious. To investigate the origins of multicellularity, Erika Pearce's group at the MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg turned to the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, which can exist in both a unicellular and a multicellular state, lying on the cusp of this key evolutionary step. These dramatically different states depend on just one thing - food. A core question of Pearce's lab is to answer how changes in metabolism drive cell function and differentiation. Usually, they study immune cells ...

NCI study finds people with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may have low risk of future infection

2021-02-24
People who have had evidence of a prior infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, appear to be well protected against being reinfected with the virus, at least for a few months, according to a newly published study from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This finding may explain why reinfection appears to be relatively rare, and it could have important public health implications, including decisions about returning to physical workplaces, school attendance, the prioritization of vaccine distribution, and other activities. For the study, researchers at NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health, collaborated with ...

Yale scientists capture the choreography of a developing brain

Yale scientists capture the choreography of a developing brain
2021-02-24
The formation of a brain is one of nature's most staggeringly complex accomplishments. The intricate intermingling of neurons and a labyrinth of connections also make it a particularly difficult feat for scientists to study. Now, Yale researchers and collaborators have devised a strategy that allows them to see this previously impenetrable process unfold in a living animal -- the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, they report February 24 in the journal Nature. "Before, we were able to study single cells, or small groups of cells, in the context of the living C. elegans, and for relatively short periods of time," said Mark Moyle, an associate research scientist in neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine and first author of the study. "It has been a breathtaking experience to ...

Building a brain: Pioneering study reveals principles of brain tissue structure, assembly

2021-02-24
WOODS HOLE, Mass. -- Understanding how the brain works is a paramount goal of medical science. But with its billions of tightly packed, intermingled neurons, the human brain is dauntingly difficult to visualize and map, which can provide the route to therapies for long-intractable disorders. In a major advance published next week in Nature, scientists for the first time report the structure of a fundamental type of tissue organization in brains, called neuropil, as well as the developmental pathways that lead to neuropil assembly in the roundworm C. elegans. This multidisciplinary study ...

Costs associated with delirium in older adults after elective surgery

2021-02-24
What The Study Did: Medicare claims and clinical data were used to estimate health care costs associated with delirium in older adults one year after major elective surgery. Authors: Tammy T. Hshieh, M.D., M.P.H., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2020.7260) Editor's Note: The article includes conflicts of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support. INFORMATION: Media advisory: The full study ...

Association of SARS-CoV-2 seropositive antibody test with risk of future infection

2021-02-24
What The Study Did: Researchers use a large set of clinical laboratory data linked to other clinical information such as claims to investigate the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 antibody status and subsequent nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) results in an effort to understand how serostatus may predict risk of reinfection. Authors: Lynne T. Penberthy, M.D., M.P.H., of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.0366) Editor's ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Do sweeteners increase your appetite? New evidence from randomised controlled trial says no 

Women with obesity do not need to gain weight during pregnancy, new study suggests

Individuals with multiple sclerosis face substantially greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccination

Study shows obesity in childhood associated with a more than doubling of risk of developing multiple sclerosis in early adulthood

Rice Emerging Scholars Program receives $2.5M NSF grant to boost STEM education

Virtual rehabilitation provides benefits for stroke recovery

Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests

NJIT research team discovering how fluids behave in nanopores with NSF grant

New study shows association of historical housing discrimination and shortfalls in colon cancer treatment

Social media use may help to empower plastic surgery patients

Q&A: How to train AI when you don't have enough data

Wayne State University researchers uncover potential treatment targets for Zika virus-related eye abnormalities

Discovering Van Gogh in the wild: scientists unveil a new gecko species

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia

Imaging detects transient “hypoxic pockets” in the mouse brain

Dissolved organic matter could be used to track and improve the health of freshwaters

Indoor air quality standards in public buildings would boost health and economy, say international experts

Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

New imaging method illuminates oxygen's journey in the brain

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

Bidirectional link between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

Cell division quality control ‘stopwatch’ uncovered

Vaccine protects cattle from bovine tuberculosis, may eliminate disease

Andrew Siemion to receive the SETI Institute’s 2024 Drake Award

New study shows how the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus enters our cells

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy proves effective for locally advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma

Study flips treatment paradigm in bilateral Wilms tumor, shows resistance to chemotherapy may point toward favorable outcomes

Doctors received approximately $12.1 billion from drug and device makers between 2013-2022

[Press-News.org] A gene provides both protection and destruction