Biological network in cells helps body adapt to stresses on health


Date:
March 13, 2023
Source:
University of Utah Health
Summary:
Scientists have done research that opens up a whole new world within
our cells. Their study uncovers a vast network of interactions
that assist cells in adjusting in real time to withstand stresses
on our health.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Every minute of every day, our body adapts to meet the needs of each
moment.

When we binge on carbs, exercise, or become sick, chemical reactions
inside our cells switch on, slow down, or shift strategy so that we have
the energy and strength we need.


==========================================================================
All this happens without us knowing it, perhaps explaining why so little
is understood about how the body senses and responds to these constant
demands.

Seeking answers to this question, scientists at University of Utah Health
led research that opens up a whole new world within our cells. Their
study, published in Science, uncovers a vast network of interactions that suggest how cells adjust in real time to withstand stresses on our health.

"We're discovering how nature has evolved to 'drug' its own proteins
and pathways," says Jared Rutter, Ph.D., distinguished professor in
the Department of Biochemistry at University of Utah and the study's corresponding author. "By following nature's lead, we're learning how
to make better therapeutics." These findings -- and the technology that
made them possible -- has become the basis for the biotechnology company Atavistik Bio, co-founded by Rutter. The company is leveraging this
new understanding to accelerate drug discovery for metabolic diseases
and cancer.

At a more fundamental level, Rutter says, the advance deepens knowledge
about how cells and our bodies work.

A New Frontier The network described in the study represents an underappreciated layer of regulation in cells that comes from an
unexpected source. For nearly 20 years, Rutter's lab has researched
metabolism, the chemical reactions that produce energy and build essential components to keep cells running smoothly. Their new research finds that intermediate products of those chemical reactions are more than passive building blocks and sources of fuel for cells, as had long been thought.

Instead, these intermediate products, along with other metabolites,
make up an expansive web of sentries that monitor the environment and
prompt cells to adapt when needed. They do this by interacting with
proteins and modifying how they work. Does a big meal pump too many
carbs in the body? Or too much fat? Like a railroad switch that guides
a train onto a new track, these protein- metabolite interactions shift metabolic operations to break down those nutrients and steady the course.

The study's first author Kevin Hicks, Ph.D., developed a new technology,
termed MIDAS, that reveals the enormity of the regulatory network that
acts as an interface between environmental cues and cell metabolism,
called the protein- metabolite interactome. The highly sensitive technique identified interactions that had never been seen. An analysis of 33
human proteins involved in converting carbohydrates into fuel found 830 interactions with metabolites.

Given that there are thousands of proteins in the cell, the full scale
of the network is predicted to be much larger.

"It's surprising how little we know about the extent of these
interactions," Hicks says. "We are pushing our understanding of the
biological network in new directions." Metabolic processes that become derailed can lead to illness and disease.

Rutter and Hicks say that shedding light on additional interactions in the network will lead to a better understanding of root causes of diseases
-- and the development of new therapeutic approaches for getting things
back on track.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Stem_Cells # Fitness # Pharmacology # Human_Biology
o Plants_&_Animals
# Biotechnology # Biology #
Biotechnology_and_Bioengineering # Molecular_Biology
* RELATED_TERMS
o Cells_of_the_stomach o Neurobiology o Health_science o
Embryonic_stem_cell o Adult_stem_cell o Veterinary_medicine
o Epidemiology o White_blood_cell

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


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kevin G. Hicks et al. Protein-metabolite interactomics of
carbohydrate
metabolism reveal regulation of lactate dehydrogenase. Science,
2023 DOI: 10.1126/science.abm3452 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230313191403.htm

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