Digging Deeper into Ribosomal Dysfunction in Aging

A ribosome performs the translation portion of the process of gene expression, assembling protein molecules from amino acid building blocks according to the blueprint provided by messenger RNA molecules. The more efficiently a ribosome operates, the better a cell functions. Like all cellular components, the ribosome is negatively impacted by age, leading to a greater rate of errors in protein manufacture. The causes of this decline are not well understood, at least when it comes to drawing a clear line of causation back to the root causes of aging. It is perhaps noteworthy that long-lived naked mole rats have evolved unusually efficient ribosomes - perhaps an indication of their importance. When folded correctly, proteins carry out their functions and remain soluble in the environment of the cell. Misfolded proteins, by contrast, cannot function properly and tend to stick to each other and other proteins, clogging up cellular processes and generating toxic aggregates. Protein aggregation has been specifically implicated in a wide variety of aging-linked diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington's disease, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). To guard against the continual production of misfolded proteins, cells have dedicated "quality control" machinery for fixing or degrading misfolded proteins. Previous research has shown that shortcomings in these processes can lead to aggregation. This research is the first to sh...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs