A new paper, co-authored by a researcher from Mississippi State University, along with colleagues from Harvard Medical School and the University of Cambridge, suggests that new mathematical tools are able to determine how quickly cell proteins break down, leading to a better understanding of the aging process. Galen Collins, an assistant professor at MSU’s Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology, was part of the research team.The paper “Maximum entropy determination of mammalian proteome dynamics” was written by Collins and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS, in April. Collins, a scientist in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, explained, “We already understand how quickly proteins are made, which can happen in a matter of minutes. Until now, we’ve had a very poor understanding of how much time it takes them to break down.” The paper introduces new tools in applied mathematics that can quantify the degradation rates of cell proteins, providing insight into how quickly they break down.- aiding our comprehension of cell growth, cell death, and the aging process. Proteins, which are intricate molecules composed of different combinations of amino acids, carry out most of the tasks within a cell. They provide structure to the cell, respond to external signals, and eliminate waste.
The findings revealed that not all proteins deteriorate at the same speed, but instead, they can be categorized into three groups based on their breakdown rates: minutes, hours, or days. While previous studies have investigated the degradation of cell proteins, this research was the first to quantitatively measure the degradation rates of all cellular protein molecules, using a method called maxi.Paraphrased:
mum entropy.”
Lead author Alexander Dear, a research fellow in applied mathematics at Harvard University, explained that for certain scientific questions, experiments can reveal an infinite number of possible answers, but they are not all equally plausible. He stated, “The maximum entropy principle is a mathematical law that allows us to precisely calculate the plausibility of each answer, known as its ‘entropy’, so that we can choose the most likely one.”
Another expert, Collins, compared this type of math to a camera that zooms in on a license plate from afar and determines the correct numbers. He described it as the principle of maximum entropy.The article provides a clear and precise understanding of the process of protein degradation in cells. Furthermore, the research team utilized these tools to investigate specific implications of protein degradation for humans and animals. They studied how the rates of protein degradation change as muscles develop and adapt to starvation. “We discovered that starvation had the most significant effect on the intermediate group of proteins in muscular cells, which have a half-life of a few hours, leading to an acceleration in breakdown,” Collins explained. “This finding could have implications for cancer patients experiencing muscle wasting due to cachexia.”The researchers noted the impact of neurodegenerative diseases on patients and the role of changes in certain cell proteins. They explained that these diseases occur when waste proteins accumulate in the brain, similar to trash in a messy room. The study’s significance lies in uncovering new ways for scientists to study cell activity accurately.He stated that there is a new experimental technique for measuring protein metabolism in cells. He said that its simplicity and speed make it ideal for studying changes in metabolism. Collins mentioned that his post-doctoral advisor at Harvard and a co-author of the article, the late Alfred Goldberg, had been a trailblazer in the study of protein life and death. He also mentioned that the study was based on nearly fifty years of Goldberg’s research and his collaboration with mathematicians from the University of Cambridge in his later years. Collins added that after joining MSU a year ago, he continued to work with his colleagues to finish the paper. He expressed that it was a great honor.The study is set to be published in PNAS, and Collins expressed his enjoyment of being part of the team. He also found it deeply meaningful to see his former mentor’s body of work completed and published.
