Scientists from the Centre of New Technologies and the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw, in collaborations with the teams led by Eva Kovalinski, PhD, from Grenoble (France) and Professor Ronald Micura from Innsbruck (Austria) conducted research on the RNA metabolism of trypanosomes.

Trypanosoma is a family of protozoa that cause serious diseases in humans (e.g. African sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis) and in farm animals.

'A distinguishing feature of these organisms is the possession of the most modified - among those known so far - structure of the 5' end of mRNA, called cap-4, at the end of RNA, which, together with a sequence of 39 oligonucleotides called splice-leader, is a very characteristic feature of these protozoa. They are responsible for the stabilisation and metabolism of RNA of these organisms;, explains Professor Jacek Jemielity, director of the Centre of New Technologies at the University of Warsaw and co-author of the paper.

In laboratory conditions, the scientists obtained the structure of the 5' end of mRNA and protein components of the CBC (Cap Binding Complex), responsible for important aspects of RNA metabolism.

The study described in Nature Communications concerned cryoelectron microscopy, thanks to which scientists presented the spatial structure of a macromolecular complex consisting of an RNA fragment and three proteins at the atomic level. They showed how the elements of this complex interacted with each other.

'The research indicates a unique mechanism of this process for trypanosomes, which may constitute a molecular basis for selectively disrupting this mechanism in the host organism, e.g. humans, which may serve as a basis for designing new therapeutic strategies against diseases caused by these organisms', says Jacek Jemielity.

Find out more in the source publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55373-w

PAP - Science in Poland, Urszula Kaczorowska

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