Scientists Discover New Mechanism of Protein Synthesis
by Sci-News.com
Published: Jan 4, 2015
http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-new-mechanism-protein-synthesis-02381.html
Summary by Alice Zorn
A group of researchers from Stanford University and University of California discovered that amino acids can be assembled without "blueprints" (DNA and mRNA). The scientists said that the "ribosomes are machines on a protein assembly line, linking together amino acids in an order specified by the genetic code. When something goes wrong the ribosome can stall, and a quality control crew is summoned to the site," the ribosome is then disassembled in order to "clean up the mess" and the blueprint is discarded. The partially-made protein, however, is recycled, and this new study discovered that just before the protein is recycled, Rqc2 (a protein conserved from yeast to man) makes the ribosome add alanine and threonine (two amino acids) repeatedly, and randomly. This new protein might not be what it was intended to be, but it may have a code that signals that it must be destroyed.
This new discovery relates directly to our studies of molecular genetics. During that unit we learned how protein synthesizes with the help of mRNA and the genetic code, and this new information will further our understanding of the importance of ribosomes in the process, and the difference between successful synthesis and unsuccessful synthesis. This study also shows how much biologists still have to learn about biology, and how science is always changing.
Is this synthetic method preferable to the biological way? Could this aid the development of biotechnology?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the way in which we have learned how protein synthesizes is still the preferable process due to the fact that the protein produced is exactly what it was intended to be. Conversely, this synthetic method does make proteins, but they are generally not what was originally intended, and often code for destruction. I do not think this new discovery will aid biotechnology directly, however, it could ignite further research in what we already think we know, and those discoveries could aid the development of biotechnology.
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