Cellular thermometer discovered
Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin have identified a mechanism that allows cells to adapt their gene expression program to very small changes in temperature. "Like a thermometer, these changes in gene expression follow the temperature in linear form and thus enable gradual adaptation to the given temperature," explains Prof. Dr. Florian Heyd from Freie Universität, who led the study. This cellular thermometer is sensitive enough to react to changes in body temperature between 36 and 38 ° C with altered gene expression. This discovery lays the foundation for a number of other, application-oriented questions. The experiments were carried out in mice, but since there are also time-of-the-day dependent differences in body temperature in humans, it is to be expected that the mechanism also plays an important role in human physiology. The findings were published in the highly regarded science journal Molecular Cell.