Biology

2589 readers

2 users here now

This is a general community to discuss of all things related to biology!

For a more specific community about asking questions to biologists, you can also visit:

/c/askbiologists@lemmy.world

founded 3 years ago

MODERATORS

Sal@mander.xyz

Cell biologists identify new organelle present in mammalian cells made of rings of DNA (phys.org)

submitted 2 years ago by GreyShuck@feddit.uk to c/biology@mander.xyz

3 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Researchers at ETH Zurich recently identified a previously unknown compartment in mammalian cells. They have named it the exclusome. It is made up of DNA rings known as plasmids. The researchers have published details of their discovery in the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell.

The new compartment is in the cell plasma; it is previously uncharacterized in the literature. It is exceptional because eukaryotic cells (cells with nuclei) usually keep most of their DNA in the cell nucleus, where it is organized into chromosomes.

Some of the plasmids that end up in the exclusome originate from outside the cell, while others—known as telomeric rings—come from the capped ends of chromosomes, the telomeres.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Citing from the introduction of the original scientific paper: "Two main types of extrachromosomal DNA can be found in nearly all cell types. Endogenous extrachromosomal DNA encompasses circular DNA and linear DNA fragments excised from chromosomes. In contrast, extrachromosomal DNA of exogenous origin has been introduced into cells from the environment during viral or bacterial infections or during DNA transfection."

[–] appel@whiskers.bim.boats 1 points 2 years ago

Ah I see, so plasmids can be introduced by bacterial infections. I was wondering otherwise how would they end up in mammalian cells. Although it seems this structure is basically a dump for extra nuclear DNA, whether it's self or other.