Important proteins of the Golgi apparatus maintain the Golgi apparatus and our youth
The Golgi apparatus is more than just the title of some weird fishing song. As Heeseung Choi, a researcher at the University of California, Riverside, puts it, the Golgi apparatus is the “post office of the cell.”
“It packages proteins and lipids and delivers them to where they are needed. Damage to the Golgi apparatus can cause disruptions and problems in cell activity, affecting how cells function and maintain health,” Choi said. He spoke to UCR’s news department.
Discovered in 1898 by Italian physician Camillo Golgi, this organelle resembles a stack of lasagna noodles. Researchers led by molecular biochemistry professor Katie Deheche have discovered that when the Golgi apparatus is functioning properly, it may be critical to understanding the aging process.
“For us, this discovery is a big deal. We have revealed for the first time the deep importance of a cellular organelle not previously involved in the aging process,” Dehesh said.
The researchers set out to investigate how plant cells respond to stress caused by infection, lack of light, and excess salt. In the study published in Nature Plants, the researchers modified thale cress plants so that they could no longer produce the conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) protein. If the Golgi apparatus is the post office of the cell, the COG is the mailman. It sends out a small sac “envelope” that moves molecules around the cell. COG also aids in glycosylation, the process of attaching sugars to proteins and lipids, which is important for cellular function and immune responses.
The researchers then placed the plants in the dark, blocking out sunlight that could be converted into sugars. If you keep a COG-producing plant in the dark, it will take about nine days for it to begin to wilt and show signs of rapid aging. Modified plants without COG began to wither within 3 days. When scientists restored the plants’ ability to produce COG, they perked up.
“After we reversed the mutation, it was as if nothing had happened to them,” Dehesh said.
Of course, plants are not the only organisms that have Golgi bodies within their cells. All animals have them too, including humans. Given the previously unknown role of the Golgi apparatus and COG in the process of aging and decline, this discovery opens up exciting new research avenues.
“These responses highlight the critical importance of COG proteins and normal Golgi function in stress management,” Choi said.
This discovery could lead to the development of anti-aging products that revitalize cells and prevent wrinkles. With any luck, further research may also show a link between proper COG function and some of the more troublesome aspects of aging. It is believed that dysfunctional Golgi glycosylation may lead to cancer cell proliferation and the progression of other diseases. Finding ways to prevent or stop age-related diseases could help humans live longer and healthier lives.
“Our research not only advances knowledge about how plants age, but may also provide important clues about human aging,” Dehesh said. “If the COG protein complex does not function properly, cells can age prematurely, similar to what is seen in light-deprived plants. This breakthrough is linked to aging and aging. This could have far-reaching implications for disease research.”
