14 DAY TRIAL // A group of biologists in the United States announces the discovery of a new protein in fruit flies. The molecule plays an important role in allowing the diminutive insect's wings to develop properly. An analog may exist in humans as well, and identifying it could lead to developing treatments for a host of medical conditions.
These include cleft lip and premature ovarian failure, among others. Experts at the Brown University believe that the protein exists in humans as well, and that it plays a role in helping cells build tissue.
Inter-cellular communications is an absolute requisite during the organ- and tissue-building processes. Cells talk to each other just like workers at a construction site, using signaling molecules to get their messages across.
What the new study revealed was another member in this class of messengers. This particular protein is involved with allowing individual cells to send long-haul messages. In humans, it may be involved with development abnormalities that may lead to conditions such as cleft lips and palates.
Cellular signals that coordinate construction efforts within living organisms are only sent through a small family of proteins, explains Brown associate professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry, Kristi Wharton.
She has been working on deciphering these pathways for many years. The expert believes that this approach may be useful in understanding inter-cellular communications in various types of organisms.
“We are interested in how the pattern of a hand forms or how the pattern of a wing forms. How do cells know their position in a developing tissue?” Wharton explains. In humans, bone morphogenic proteins (BMP) represent a key family of signaling molecules.
In fruit flies, the BMP analog is the glass-bottom boat (Gbb) protein. A mutant form of this molecule causes fruit fly larvae to become transparent, rather than milky-white. Signals that control this come from a form of the protein called Gbb15.
“The thought for the longest time is that this smaller protein is the only product that is formed and important for signaling. But we found another form of this signaling molecule that was not previously known,” Wharton concludes.
Funds for the new study came from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the team adds.