Scientists have discovered an extraordinary mechanism by which genetic elements called LINE-1 can navigate and replicate within human cell nuclei during division. This groundbreaking research reveals how these "jumping genes" manage to insert themselves into our genetic material, potentially influencing evolutionary processes. The study, conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Health, provides unprecedented insights into how genetic elements move and copy themselves. These findings could have significant implications for understanding disease progression and developing future genetic therapies.
May 05, 2025
Scientists find details of process driving evolution, major diseases
"Findings
on the precise mechanisms behind LINE-1 insertion lay the foundations for
future therapies" - Liam J Holt, NYU
A
new study has provided crucial insight into how a genetic element that has come
to make up a large part of human DNA can successfully invade the nucleus to
copy itself.
Key
Points
1
Viral genetic elements can replicate within human genome
2
LINE-1 uniquely moves through cell nuclear barriers
3
Genetic invasion process plays crucial role in evolutionary mechanisms
4
Research could lead to breakthrough disease prevention strategies
Viruses
are known to use the genetic machinery of the human cells they invade to make
copies of themselves.
As
part of the process, viruses leave behind remnants throughout the genetic material
(genomes) of humans.
The
virus-like insertions, called “transposable elements,” are snippets of genetic
material even simpler than viruses that also use host cell machinery to
replicate, according to the study published in the journal Science Advances.
Nearly
all these inserted elements have been silenced by our cells’ defence mechanisms
over time, but a few, nicknamed “jumping genes,” can still move around the
human genome like viruses.
Just
one, called long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1), can still move by
itself.
According
to Liam J Holt, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Pharmacology, and the Institute for Systems Genetics, at NYU Grossman
School of Medicine, these “findings on the precise mechanisms behind LINE-1
insertion lay the foundations for the design of future therapies to prevent
LINE-1 replication.”
To
copy itself, however, LINE-1 must enter each cell’s nucleus, the inner barrier
that houses DNA.
Led
by researchers at NYU Langone Health and the Munich Gene Center at
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat (LMU) Munchen in Germany, the study revealed
that LINE-1 binds to cellular DNA during the brief periods when nuclei break
open as cells continually divide in two, creating replacements to keep tissues
viable as we age.
The
research team found that LINE-1 RNA takes advantage of these moments,
assembling into clusters with one of the two proteins it encodes, ORF1p, to
hold tightly to DNA until the nucleus reforms after cell division.
“Moving
forward, we will be looking to see if other condensates undergo functional
changes as the ratios between their components change,” said Dr Holt.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment