| Scientists from the University of Copenhagen and | | | | for a cell to function normally, acetylation is essential. |
| the Max Planck Institute in Germany have recently | | | | Ageing and the development of diseases such as |
| discovered roughly three thousand six hundred | | | | Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer can be a result of |
| molecular switches that exist within the human body. | | | | defective protein regulation. |
| By regulating protein functions, these switches may | | | | Prof Mann continues, "With the new mapping, we can |
| become critical factors to the human aging process | | | | now begin to study and describe how acetylation |
| and the early stages and treatment of various | | | | switches respond to medications that could repair the |
| diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's | | | | defects on them. It can have a major impact on |
| disease and cancer. These findings were recently | | | | medical care," and he adds that promising outcomes |
| published in the July edition of the journal Science. | | | | have already begun to show in medications that |
| Approximately 3,600 acetylation switches in 1,750 | | | | correct damaged protein regulation in the treatment |
| varying proteins have been identified by the group of | | | | of cancer. |
| scientists led by Professor Matthias Mann from Novo | | | | Cooperating proteins |
| Nordisk Center for Protein Research at the Max | | | | The group has also learnt that the modification of |
| Planck Institute and University of Copenhagen. | | | | acetylation occurs mainly on proteins that work in |
| Prof Mann says, "This is more than just a | | | | harmony, and that the consequences that these |
| technological achievement, it has also expanded the | | | | switches have for the organism's function are much |
| number of known acetylation switches by a factor | | | | more important than previously assumed. For |
| of six, and it gives us for the first time a | | | | example, the addition of an acetylation switch to |
| comprehensive insight into this type of protein | | | | Cdc28 (an important growth protein in yeast) can |
| modification." | | | | disrupt the organism's functionality and in turn it's |
| A protein is able to carry out many tasks, and the | | | | ability to stay alive. |
| way in which it performs is regulated by adding a | | | | Findings and results were published in the 17 July |
| certain molecule that serves as a 'switch' and | | | | 2009 edition of Science, University of Copenhagen. |
| determines which task the protein performs. In order | | | | |