In biology, the phrase “molecular machinery” gets tossed around pretty regularly. But this week At the Lab, we’re talking about a particular molecular machine that truly earns the title. Join CSHL Professor & HHMI Investigator Leemor Joshua-Tor as she breaks down the crucial functions of Microprocessor.
Read the related story: The Microprocessor inside you
Transcript
Caroline Cosgrove: You’re now At the Lab with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. My name is Caroline Cosgrove, and this week At the Lab, “The human Microprocessor.”
CC: There’s a Microprocessor inside you. Actually, there are trillions. Only they’re not computer processors. They’re much smaller and far more complex.
CC: Inside every cell nucleus, there’s a protein complex known as Microprocessor. It gets its name from processing especially tiny genetic materials called microRNAs. Though super small, microRNAs can have an outsized impact on human health.
CC: For example, CSHL Professor Leemor Joshua-Tor studies a particular kind of microRNA known as let-7. That’s l-e-t as in short for lethal.
Leemor Joshua-Tor: Patients that have an absence or reduction of levels of let-7 usually have poor prognosis in cancer. This whole pathway has a link to kidney cancer [and] liver cancer, but other cancers are definitely affiliated with this. For example, 70% of neuroblastomas are associated with loss of this microRNA.
CC: Neuroblastoma is a cancer most common in children under 5. When the Microprocessor doesn’t allow for let-7 production to be initiated, diseases like neuroblastoma can result. That’s because let-7 controls cellular proliferation. Uncontrolled cellular proliferation is essentially cancer.
CC: Other health issues that can be associated with problems in the Microprocessor include psychiatric disorders, intellectual disabilities, and heart disease.
CC: So, when Joshua-Tor calls microRNA processing fundamental biology, she means fundamental.
LJ : It’s a basic thing that happens all the time. You have to know what you’re up against when you need to treat anything. We have to know all the different things that are happening inside the cell. This is a very important process that’s happening in almost all organisms—all animals—so it’s very critical for us to learn about it.
CC: And thanks to the Joshua-Tor lab, we now have a much better understanding of Microprocessor’s crucial functions. We already know that many severe diseases and disorders are linked to the lack of certain microRNAs. Now, we can see more clearly how those microRNAs come to life…
CC: …in all 37 trillion cells in the human body and all 8.2 billion people on the planet.
CC: There’s a lot of places you could be right now. So, thanks again for joining us here At the Lab. If you like what you heard, please remember to hit subscribe and go to CSHL.edu for more fascinating science stories like this one. For Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, I’m Caroline Cosgrove, and I’ll see you next time At the Lab.