A new imaging approach allows researchers to visualize individual transcripts (red dots) of a specific gene on the surface of a cell organelle called endoplasmic reticulum (white). Credits: Gómez-Puerta et al. eLife
A new imaging approach allows researchers to visualize individual transcripts ( red dots ) of a specific gene on the surface of a cell organelle called endoplasmic reticulum (white). Credits: Gómez-Puerta et al. eLife - FMI researchers developed an imaging approach that allowed them to visualize individual molecules involved in the cell's response to stress. When a cell is exposed to stressors such as toxins, it switches on pathways aimed at repairing damage. One of these pathways is called the 'unfolded protein response', which senses unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum — a cell organelle designated for folding proteins destined to other organelles or to be secreted by the cell. The unfolded protein response relies on the enzyme IRE1a, which binds transcripts of the gene XBP1 and modifies them on the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum. Once modified, XBP1 transcripts are translated into proteins that travel to the nucleus and turn on genes involved in assisting protein folding and quality control.
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