Kamal Nahas in The Scientist:
All cells in the body reach a point where they stop dividing, but some get there quicker under the influence of pressures, such as DNA damage or oxidative stress.1 Biologists have long studied how proteins hasten cell senescence in response to such signals but they know little about the role that RNAs play.2
Publishing in Cell, scientists zeroed in on an RNA that triggers cells to stop dividing by inhibiting the production of ribosomes.3 Beyond expanding what scientists know about the roles of this class of biomolecules in cell senescence, these findings could inform the design of novel treatments for ribosomal diseases. Ribosomes provide cells with the surplus of proteins needed to continue to divide, placing these protein factories as key players in controlling cell senescence. Researchers have shown that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) modify bases in ribosomal RNAs, but Joshua Mendell, a molecular biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern and study coauthor, wanted to know whether these tweaks can cause ribosomes to ramp down protein production and trigger cell senescence.
More here.
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