Balon Protein | 25 Jun 2024

Source: TH

Recently, scientists have discovered a protein, called Balon, that allows a bacterium, Psychrobacter urativorans to inhibit its cellular activities in unfavourable living conditions and resume it when such living conditions improve.

• Scientists found Balon to be bound to the bacterial ribosome’s active protein synthesis centres which prevented the ribosomes from making new proteins.
• Functioning of Balon is different from other proteins that helped cells slow or shut down.
• In the case of Balon, when the bacteria’s external conditions improved, cells resumed protein synthesis.
• The discovery could help our understanding of how bacteria survive harsh environments like the Arctic permafrost.
• It will also help how members of the Psychrobacter group of bacteria that cause rotting refrigerated food survive extreme cold temperatures.

Read more: Arctic permafrost