New study sheds light on how cell quality control deteriorates with age
The unchecked accumulation of damaged proteins can lead to several neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
By Jerusalem Post Staff, December 13, 2020
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Immuno-fluorescence imaging of young (right) or
senescent (left) heat-shocked fibroblasts, where two central
transcription factors (TFs), ATF6 (green) and HSF1 (red), were stained. (photo credit: RAMI SHLUSH / TECHNION) |
Scientists have shed further light on some of the exact mechanics behind human aging, with a new study from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology finding a gradual deterioration of the body's protein quality control system.
Proteins often get damaged when they are "misfolded," which is a defect in the folding process where proteins acquire a specific 3-D structure needed to interact normally with the body. A misfolded protein, however, cannot properly interact with the rest of the body, and can also become "sticky" and accumulate in the cell.
Normally, the body's cells have a system in place to prevent this sort
of accumulation, as it can have a toxic effect, especially in the brain.
In fact, it has been shown to contribute to developing several
neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's and
Alzheimer's.
But when cells have undergone significant aging – referred to as stressed senescent cells – this process starts failing.
Now, for the first time, researchers from Technion were able to observe this in human cells. It showed that heat stress and heat shock play a role in the deterioration of this system. It also found that two particular responses, the unfolded protein response (UPR) and the heat shock response (HSR), were unable to be properly triggered in aging cells.
The study was led by Assistant Prof. Reut Shalgi, research fellows Niv Sabath and Flonia Levy-Adam and PhD student Amal Younis of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and published in the peer-reviewed academic journal PNAS.
These findings relating to the aging process come a month after a study from Bar-Ilan University presented a new approach to the way aging treatments are approached, based on a theory that cells decline in coordination rather than functionality.
However, it is unclear if this could be applied to the new Technion findings.
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.
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