Tracking the footprints of protein synthesis
To trace which proteins are produced and when, researchers say, just follow the ribosome “footprints.” Researchers are tracking these large molecular machines, following their trails of protein synthesis to determine how precisely cells produce their protein components. Building too few might upset growth, metabolism, and maintenance, while too many might be wasteful and potentially toxic. Whether eukaryotic cells tune their gene expression to produce just enough of each protein remains a longstanding question. Bacteria appear to generate the exact levels needed to function — no more, no less. However, more complex organisms have different metabolic needs, means to control gene expression, and ways to eliminate unwanted proteins, perhaps engendering a different strategy to ensure correct protein levels. Using a combination of their own experiments and open access databases, a duo of scientists from the MIT Department of Biology aimed to establish how precisely cells from organisms like budding yeast, zebrafish, mice, and humans...