Unfolded proteins may protect cells from dying

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Photoreceptor cells (red) in the developing eye of a fruit fly initiate an unfolded protein response (yellow) to help them cope with a stressful environment. Misfolded proteins are implicated in many diseases including neurodegenerative diseases diab ...
Photoreceptor cells (red) in the developing eye of a fruit fly initiate an unfolded protein response (yellow) to help them cope with a stressful environment. Misfolded proteins are implicated in many diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and types of blindness. Credit: Rockefeller University

When cells get stressed, their proteins go unfolded. It's a reaction with a straightforward name: the unfolded protein response. Now, new research from Rockefeller University shows that this phenomenon actually serves a protective role; rather than a sign that the cell has given up, it may be a mechanism by which the cells cope with adversity. The findings were reported as an advance online publication in the EMBO Journal on the Dec. 14.


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