Camelia Bhattacharyya, Amity University Kolkata
Protein folding and misfolding is widely studied about different diseases and symptoms due to their ability to trigger a stress response in our body, leading to several diseases, even neurodegeneration. When speaking of stress, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is something on which maximum focus should be given since ER stress signifies that the capability of the ER to fold proteins has reached the level of saturation. This is the major factor behind Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Now ER stress again has several biomolecular definitions and pathways and links several other mechanisms in it. Protein disulfide isomerases (PDI) is one such catalyst that triggers pivotal protein folding in the body. Recent research has shown the exact role of PDIs and how they work during ER stress.
We know that the unfolded and misfolded proteins accumulating in the ER are the reasons behind ER stress. This again is due to environmental trigger or growth stage of the body which demands greater folded protein thus reaching saturation level where the improper proteins are not drained out in a balanced manner. Though this is a matter of concern, very little is known about the family of the PDI gene and its exact mechanism of work during ER stress. Everything that is known about it is that it is a chaperone that is induced during ER stress and plays an important role during the formation of disulfide bonds in proteins thus destabilizing the unfolded form of the protein and reducing ER stress. The research team we are speaking of today is based in China and they have recently studied 17 putative PDI genes in Medicago truncatula. The protein structures and other biochemical characteristics like the phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal distribution, etc. have been recorded in the paper published by the team. These characteristics have been analyzed and compared with the orthologs in other species as well. The expression patterns shown by Medicago truncatula were distinct in characterization.
The study opens a door towards new findings and challenges future researchers towards taking the research further and finding new biochemical routes in tracing the pathways of ER stress and the ways to control it. This might further help to focus studies on these pathways to control the mechanism and stop disorders related to ER stress. Though the study has been done on plants, that does not close the expectations of future research and miracles in the field of science.
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Source: Meng Z, Zhao Y, Liu L, & Du X. (2020) Genome-wide characterization of the PDI gene family in Medicago truncatula and their roles in response to endoplasmic reticulum stress. Canadian Science Publishing. 64(6), 2021. doi:http://10.1139/gen-2020-0064
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