Honors Fellow part of new UIC study cracks the case on how cells prevent premature protein release
Introduction
Via UIC Today article How do cells prevent premature protein release? UIC study cracks the case:
It’s known as biology’s central dogma: All living organisms’ genetic information is stored in DNA, which is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into proteins that perform nearly all essential tasks in a cell. A tiny cellular machine called the ribosome builds a protein until it’s signaled to stop, and the protein is released into the cell through a reaction with a water molecule.
But scientists have long puzzled over one detail: If all it takes is a water molecule to release the finished protein, why doesn’t it happen by accident?
Now researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have uncovered the detailed chemical mechanism behind this process. The study, published in Science, helps answer a longstanding question in biology and clarifies how all living organisms execute protein production, one of life’s most essential processes.
“The process of making proteins is absolutely fundamental to life” said Yury Polikanov, professor of biological sciences (and Honors College fellow) in the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and senior author of the study.
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Read the full UIC Today article.