Friday, February 3, 2023
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Biology

Cells in standby mode

March 25, 2016
in Biology
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
IMAGE

Normally, cells are highly active and dynamic: in their liquid interior, called the cytoplasm, countless metabolic processes occur in parallel, proteins and particles jiggle around wildly. If, however, those cells do not get enough nutrients, their energy level drops. This leads to a marked decrease of the cytoplasmic pH – the cells acidify. In response, cells enter into a kind of standby mode, which enables them to survive. A team of researchers from Dresden, Germany, have found out that the cytoplasm of these seemingly dead cells changes its consistency from liquid to solid. Thereby, they protect the sensitive structures in the cellular interior.

Cells can enter into a kind of standby mode – called dormancy – when confronted with unfavorable conditions such as nutrient deprivation. In this state, cells drastically reduce their metabolism and shut down growth and cell division. In extreme cases, such cells are hardly or not at all distinguishable from dead cells – and yet they can re-emerge from this state unharmed and continue to grow and divide when conditions in their environment improve.

Munder and colleagues from Dresden (Germany) under supervision of Simon Alberti wanted to understand how cells switch on and off the standby mode. They focused their efforts on yeast cells, which they observed during starvation. Their observation: The cytoplasm loses its dynamics, cell organelles and particles slow down and many proteins form large, microscopically visible structures. It seems as if the cytoplasm changes its consistency in response to nutrient deprivation. And indeed: a closer look with highly sensitive biophysical methods shows that the material state of the cytoplasm changes from liquid to solid – the cell enters into a kind of rigor mortis. As it turns out, the cytoplasmic pH, which decreases markedly under starvation conditions, plays a crucial role in this process.

Remarkably, the sleeping cells – in contrast to dead cells – can also reverse this process. When nutrients are added back, the pH rises again, the cytoplasm fluidizes and cells continue to grow and divide. The studies of Munder and colleagues show that the state of the cytoplasm is crucial for switching on and off the standby mode: ''Cells seem to have a control mechanism in place, which they use for the regulation of their material properties in response to certain environmental cues, thereby ensuring their survival''. Thus, it seems to be possible to trick death by shutting down all processes of life in a controlled manner. Whether this trick can be taught to human cells will become clear in the next couple of years.

###

Original publication

Matthias Munder, Daniel Midtvedt, Titus Franzmann, Elisabeth Nüske, Oliver Otto, Maik Herbig, Elke Ulbricht, Paul Müller, Anna Taubenberger, Shovamayee Maharana, Doris Richter, Jochen Guck, Vasily Zaburdaev and Simon Alberti
A pH-driven transition of the cytoplasm from a fluid- to a solid-like state promotes entry into dormancy
eLIFE, 22 March 2016
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09347
Published March 22, 2016

Media Contact

Dr. Matthias Munder
[email protected]
49-351-210-2830
@maxplanckpress

http://www.mpg.de

Share25Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • cotton microfiber

    Looking beyond microplastics, Oregon State researchers find that cotton and synthetic microfibers impact behavior and growth of aquatic organisms

    70 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 18
  • Seawater split to produce green hydrogen

    70 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 18
  • Feather mite species related to the Laysan albatross discovered in Japan

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Voice-activated system for hands-free, safer DNA handling

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Why lung cancer doesn’t respond well to immunotherapy

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Face masks cut distance airborne pathogens could travel in half, new study finds

    183 shares
    Share 73 Tweet 46
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

New study shows snacking on mixed tree nuts may impact cardiovascular risk factors and increase serotonin

Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal

Looking beyond microplastics, Oregon State researchers find that cotton and synthetic microfibers impact behavior and growth of aquatic organisms

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 205 other subscribers

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In