Researchers at Umeå University in Sweden have discovered that the way a special protein complex called Mediator moves along genes in DNA can have an impact on the way cells divide. The discovery may be important for future research into the treatment of certain diseases.
“We have acquired a deep understanding of how cell division is controlled, which is important for understanding the causes of various diseases that are due to errors in cell division, such as various tumor diseases,” says Stefan Björklund, professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Biophysics at Umeå University and lead author of the study.
In each cell there is a machinery called the ribosome. It uses DNA as a template to produce proteins, which are necessary for virtually all cell processes. However, cells must first make a copy of the instructions in the form of mRNA through a process called transcription.
The Umeå University research team has discovered how Mediatora protein complex in the cell nucleus, can bind to DNA and interact with another protein complex, lsm1-7, to regulate the production of proteins that form ribosomes. The study shows that when cells grow too densely, cell division slows down. When this happens, the mediator moves to the end of the genes where it interacts with Lsm1-7. This has the dual effect of slowing down gene readout and interfering with mRNA maturation. This, in turn, leads to reduced production of ribosomal proteins and thus slower cell division.
A possible direction for future research could be to study whether it is possible to control the position of the mediator to inhibit rapid cell division, for example in tumors.
“We are still in the early stages of research in this field, so more studies are needed before we can say that this is a viable path, but it is an exciting opportunity,” says Stefan Björklund.
The study was carried out in yeast cells that serve as a good model when it comes to understanding basic mechanisms that work in a similar way in more complex systems such as animal and plant cells.