2014-09-14 15:01:41
In science, what can go well, will turn out well
Although life seems to have nothing to do with issues of wealth generation and economics, science has shown that in many aspects, if not all, cells function as factories whose ultimate goal is their own reproduction. As such factories, the cells follow a logic of economic production, which, of course, factories of human origin, factories and workshops of all kinds, are also forced to follow.
For example, if an error occurs in a factory production chain whose consequence is that the pieces or parts it generates do not meet the expected quality criteria, the most logical thing is to stop said production chain to solve the problem and put it back into operation. work only once has been solved. It is also logical to try to recover defective parts as much as possible. If these measures are successful, everything returns to normal; If the measures do not have it, the continuity of the factory may be in danger and may even be doomed to closure, which would mean its “death.”
Something similar happens in the cells’ own production factories, particularly during protein production. When something goes wrong in this process, and the proteins do not fold properly and acquire the three-dimensional shape necessary for their function, the cell detects it and launches a response mechanism to try to solve it, called the “misfolded protein response.” . This mechanism is conserved during evolution in all cells from yeast to mammals, which gives an idea of its importance for survival.
Pathological folding
This response consists of two complementary processes. The first consists of the generation of specific proteins, called chaperonins, which help the correct folding of the proteins in production. It is the part that tries to fix the parts produced that have not turned out well. The other process consists of stopping protein production, or at least reducing it, until the cellular stress situation that could have caused the problem disappears. If this does not disappear and normal protein production cannot be restored, the cell launches another molecular mechanism that leads to suicide, the so-called, in scientific language, death by apoptosis.
In life, if something can go wrong, it will go wrong, at least for some people. This is why we suffer from diseases, because some process necessary for life and survival ends up breaking down. If this failure is not corrected, cell death occurs, which can lead to the death of the entire organism.
You may have guessed that if the response mechanism of misfolded proteins is damaged, it can lead to degenerative diseases due to the death of certain cells in the body. Failure of this mechanism can lead, for example, to it working less well than normal, so the cell will not be able to cope with the stress, and will continue to produce proteins that will not work and waste energy on it, which, in turn, After all, it will lead to the “closing of the factory”, that is, to death. On the other hand, the mechanism can work “too well,” which is equally harmful, causing protein production to stop unnecessarily at the slightest sign of stress. This will cause the cell to stop producing the proteins required for its survival, which will also lead to death.
RENTAL6
It is known that diseases as important as diabetes, caused in some cases by a degeneration of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, and retinitis pigmentosa, a disease in which light-sensitive retinal cells progressively die , which causes blindness, may be caused by failures in the response mechanism of misfolded proteins. This means that perhaps some drugs that act by correcting this mechanism could be effective in preventing the progression of these two serious diseases.
And if in life what can go wrong will go wrong, in science, what can go right will go right. In a gigantic study, which has involved 24 researchers from 10 research centers over the last four years, led by Dr. Feroz Papa (I assure you the name is correct), scientists have developed a new drug, which they call KIRA6 , which inhibits the activity of an enzyme essential for the response mechanism of misfolded proteins. By treating two breeds of laboratory rats prone to developing retinitis pigmentosa with this drug, scientists verified that the drug is effective in both in blocking the progression of the disease. Furthermore, treatment with this same drug of a strain of mice with a genetic propensity to develop diabetes is also capable of blocking the progress of this disease and allowing much better control of blood glucose concentration. These results have been published in the journal Cell.
Every week science gives us good news, it illuminates the future with hope, it makes us feel proud of the human species and its great adventure of knowledge for the good and progress of Humanity. From here, exceptionally, today I request, in fact, I beg, the authorities of Castilla-La Mancha and Spain, not to abandon research and scientific training of young people to their fate, or we will become inhuman for the mere fact of not progressing as we should as humans.
NEW WORK BY JORGE LABORDA.
It can be purchased here:
Chained circumstances. Ed. Lulu
Other works by Jorge Laborda
One Moon, one civilization. Why the Moon tells us that we are alone in the Universe
One Moon one civilization why the Moon tells us we are alone in the universe
The intelligence funnel and other essays
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