Scientists have identified a protein that plays a crucial role in correctly measuring stress levels, and also makes sure the pathways of cell repair or cell death in the body are effective.
Each cell in an organism has a sensor that measures the health of its “internal” environment, researchers said.
This “alarm” is found in the endoplasmic reticulum, which is able to sense cellular stress and trigger either rescue responses or the death of the cell.
A team from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine), in Barcelona, found some of the molecular mechanisms that connect the protein Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) to endoplasmic reticulum stress.
When the scientists removed Mfn2 from the cell under conditions of cell stress, the endoplasmic reticulum responded by over-activating the repair pathways.