Scientists ID a protein that splices and dices genes
As people or animals age, this gene-splicing machinery can go awry, producing nonsense proteins rather than the proper ones. These aberrant proteins can damage cells, possibly leading to cancer or other diseases of aging. The finding thus has potential implications for therapies to treat both cancer and aging, a Texas researcher said.
The Science paper's lead author is Reini F. Luco, Ph.D., a fellow in the laboratory of senior author Dr. Tom Misteli, Ph.D., at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Other co-authors include Kaoru Tominaga, Ph.D., from the UT Health Science Center, and Benjamin J. Benclowe, Ph.D., and Qun S. Pan, Ph.D., from the University of Toronto.
"We've known for three or four years, from other analyses, that this protein was also involved in splicing, but we needed the expertise of Dr. Misteli's lab," Dr. Smith said. "Dr. Luco led the splicing studies on this project."
Dr. Tominaga, a faculty member of the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology and the Barshop Institute in San Antonio, said it may be possible to design cancer drugs to regulate MRG15's activity.
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