Tag : Dithiothreitol

New Delhi (The Hawk): A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali has revealed that the thiol reducing agent Dithiothreitol (DTT) causes toxicity by reducing the levels of an important regulatory molecule known as S-adenosylmethionine, and vitamin B12 could protect against this toxicity. The results of this study on C. elegans (roundworms) model system have been published in the journal eLife.  Animal and plant cells synthesize a significant fraction of their proteins on a cellular compartment known as the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). The ER provides an oxidative environment required for the proper assembly of proteins. There are many small chemical molecules that can change the environment of the ER and could affect the proper assembling of proteins. One such molecule is DTT, a thiol antioxidant that researchers often use to specifically target ER compartment to learn more about its role. Research suggests that DTT works by disturbing the complex chemical environment present in the endoplasmic reticulum, which is required for the proteins to assemble properly. However, it is not understood whether DTT can modulate any other compartment of the cell as well. "DTT possesses antioxidant properties, and therefore, it becomes even more critical to characterize its effects on the physiology of the cell completely. Therefore, we aimed to study the effects of DTT on the cellular physiology of an organism using the millimeter-long roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans," says Dr. Jogender Singh, Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellow and Assistant Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, IISER, Mohali. While studying DTT toxicity, the research team serendipitously observed that DTT toxicity in ...