Discovery shows how cells defend themselves during stressful situations
Originally published by Lisbeth Heilesen, Aarhus University, on February 27, 2024 Figure shows stress granule formation after oxidative stress in wild-type cells and cells depleted for the ac4C acetyltransferase enzyme NAT10. Credit: Pavel Kudrin A recent study by an international research team has unveiled an exciting discovery about how our cells defend themselves during stressful situations . The research, published in EMBO Reports , shows that a tiny modification in the genetic material , called ac4C, acts as a crucial defender, helping cells create protective storage units known as stress granules . These stress granules safeguard important genetic instructions when the cell is facing challenges. The new findings could help shed light on relevant molecular pathways that could be targeted in disease . Stress granules are an integral part of the stress response that is formed from non-translating mRNAs aggregated with proteins. While much is known about stress granules,