• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, August 2, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

An international study reveals how the ‘guardian’ of the genome works

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
April 6, 2021
in Science News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The study is published in ‘Nature Structural & Molecular Biology’

IMAGE

Credit: CNIO

Scientists from the Genomic Integrity and Structural Biology Group led by Rafael Fernández-Leiro at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have discovered how certain proteins ensure the repair of errors introduced into the DNA during its replication. Using cryo-electron microscopy, they made the MutS protein, also known as the guardian of our genome, visible. That enabled them to describe how this single protein is able to coordinate the essential DNA repair process from beginning to end.

The study was carried out in collaboration with Meindert Lamers of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC, The Netherlands) and Titia Sixma of the Netherlands Cancer Institute and the Oncode Institute. Their results are published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

One of the stages of cell division is DNA replication, during which DNA polymerase duplicates the genetic information of the cell so that it can be transferred to the daughter cell. Although this is a very precise process, errors do sometimes occur. It is essential that these errors are repaired, as they can otherwise lead to the development of tumours.

The researchers had already described in previous publications that DNA polymerase has its own repairer, an exonuclease, which allows it to correct errors that are introduced during DNA replication. But when this corrector is not sufficient, the MutS protein comes into play, which scans the copied DNA for errors and then initiates and completes the repair of any errors it detects. But until now, it was not clear how a single protein could coordinate so many different processes. The international study now published has succeeded in unravelling the mechanism.

“Using cryo-electron microscopy, we were able to observe MutS while it carried out its functions and capture its molecular structure in successive conformations. With this information, we were able to understand how a single protein can coordinate the whole process, which has to be extremely accurate,” explains Rafael Fernández-Leiro.

In-depth knowledge of the DNA repair process, in which DNA polymerase, exonuclease and the MutS protein are involved, is essential to understand how alterations in any of these proteins lead to mutations and, therefore, to an increased risk of developing certain types of tumour, such as Lynch syndrome and endometrial cancer.

The researchers emphasise that unravelling protein structures is only possible due to the enormous technological advances in electron microscopy in recent years.

“Electron microscopy allows us to obtain very high-resolution images of proteins as they carry out their functions. With these images, we can reconstruct the three-dimensional structure of the protein in the computer and generate an atomic model that allows us to understand how it works,” continues Fernández-Leiro.

###

The study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Carlos III Institute of Health, the Spanish State Agency for Innovation, the UK Medical Research Council, the Oncode Institute, NWO-Gravity and Horizon 2020.

Reference Article: The selection process of licensing a DNA mismatch for repair. Rafael Fernández-Leiro et al (Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41594-021-00577-7

Media Contact
Vanessa Pombo
[email protected]

Original Source

https://www.cnio.es/en/news/publications/an-international-study-reveals-how-the-guardian-of-the-genome-works/

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41594-021-00577-7

Tags: BiologyBiomechanics/BiophysicsBiomedical/Environmental/Chemical EngineeringBiotechnologycancerCell BiologyGenesGeneticsMedicine/HealthMolecular Biology
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Unraveling EMT’s Role in Colorectal Cancer Spread

August 2, 2025
Gut γδ T17 Cells Drive Brain Inflammation via STING

Gut γδ T17 Cells Drive Brain Inflammation via STING

August 2, 2025

Agent-Based Framework for Assessing Environmental Exposures

August 2, 2025

MARCO Drives Myeloid Suppressor Cell Differentiation, Immunity

August 2, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Blind to the Burn

    Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Dr. Miriam Merad Honored with French Knighthood for Groundbreaking Contributions to Science and Medicine

    46 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 12
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    39 shares
    Share 16 Tweet 10
  • Study Reveals Beta-HPV Directly Causes Skin Cancer in Immunocompromised Individuals

    38 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 10

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Unraveling EMT’s Role in Colorectal Cancer Spread

Gut γδ T17 Cells Drive Brain Inflammation via STING

Agent-Based Framework for Assessing Environmental Exposures

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.