• Molecules produced by cells in response

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Tue Apr 5 22:30:38 2022
    Molecules produced by cells in response to stress may be indicators of
    various diseases
    Signatures of certain RNA molecules may help improve diagnostics.

    Date:
    April 5, 2022
    Source:
    Massachusetts General Hospital
    Summary:
    Certain small RNAs called tDRs can be found inside and outside
    cells during stress responses to different diseases. Researchers
    have created an atlas of the stress signatures for tDRs that might
    be used as markers of disease and identify new disease-causing
    pathways.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Certain small RNAs called tDRs can be found inside and outside cells
    during stress responses to different diseases. Researchers have created
    an atlas of the stress signatures for tDRs that might be used as markers
    of disease and identify new disease-causing pathways.


    ==========================================================================
    The body's ability to respond to various types of stress is essential
    for maintaining health, and failure of such adaptive stress responses can trigger or worsen numerous diseases. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in Advanced Science
    reveals that cells often release certain RNA molecules called tDRs in
    response to stressors, and that different tDRs may serve as markers of
    cellular stress in different diseases.

    "RNA molecules have long been known to be the messenger between DNA
    (the genetic code) and proteins (the functional molecules of the cell); however, the past decade has seen investigators discover new functions
    of RNAs that do not translate into proteins -- the so-called non-coding
    RNAs," says senior author Saumya Das, MD, PhD, co-director of the Resynchronization and Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics Program at MGH.

    Das notes that there's a growing list of non-coding RNAs with diverse functions, and among these, a new class of RNAs has been found to arise
    from so-called transfer RNAs that normally function to help make proteins
    from classic messenger RNAs. These RNAs, called tRNA-derived small RNAs
    (tDRs), appear to be generated when larger "parent" tRNAs are cut into
    smaller versions by stress-activated enzymes.

    By studying a variety of human and rat cells under three stressors -
    - nutritional deprivation, low oxygen and oxidative stress -- that are
    often present in many disease states, Das and his colleagues generated
    a comprehensive landscape of tDRs that can be found inside cells
    (cellular) and outside cells (extracellular) during different stress
    responses. They also found that key proteins called RNAses are important
    for the generation and stability of extracellular tDRs.

    "While tDRs play important roles in cellular functions, we have also
    found that tDRs are released by cells where they may serve as markers
    of cellular stress in different diseases," says lead author Guoping Li,
    PhD, an instructor in medicine at MGH and Harvard Medical School. "We
    saw that different types of stress signals can affect the cellular
    and extracellular tDRs in different types of cells, and that there are 'signatures' of these stress signals." The team created an atlas of the
    stress signatures for both cellular and extracellular tDRs that can be
    used not only as indicators of disease but also as a starting point for scientists who are interested in studying the roles of distinct tDRs in
    cancer, fibrosis, and other conditions. Das and colleagues are focusing
    on one such tDR and its role in kidney disease.

    The study's co-authors include Guoping Li, Aidan C. Manning, Alex Bagi,
    Xinyu Yang, Priyanka Gokulnath, Michail Spanos, Jonathan Howard, Patricia
    P. Chan, Thadryan Sweeney, Robert Kitchen, Haobo Li, Brice D. Laurent,
    Sary F. Aranki, Maria I. Kontaridis, Louise C. Laurent, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Jochen Muehlschlegel, and Todd. M. Lowe.

    This work was supported by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Massachusetts_General_Hospital. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Guoping Li, Aidan C. Manning, Alex Bagi, Xinyu Yang, Priyanka
    Gokulnath,
    Michail Spanos, Jonathan Howard, Patricia P. Chan, Thadryan Sweeney,
    Robert Kitchen, Haobo Li, Brice D. Laurent, Sary F. Aranki, Maria I.

    Kontaridis, Louise C. Laurent, Kendall Van Keuren‐Jensen,
    Jochen Muehlschlegel, Todd M. Lowe, Saumya Das. Distinct
    Stress‐Dependent Signatures of Cellular and Extracellular
    tRNA‐Derived Small RNAs.

    Advanced Science, 2022; 2200829 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202200829 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220405151930.htm

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