Scientists reveal a hidden alarm system inside your cells

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Source: ScienceDaily Health

Original: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251124094323.htm...

Published: Tue, 25 Nov 2025 03:17:57 EST

Ribosomes have a dual role in cells - not only do they make proteins, but they can also recognise when something is wrong[1][3]. When ribosomes collide on an mRNA molecule during translation, they form a characteristic structure called a disome that the cell can recognize[5]. This collision triggers a stress signal that activates a molecule called Hel2 ubiquitin ligase[5]. Hel2 recognizes the structure created when ribosomes collide and triggers protective mechanisms that degrade the defective mRNA and stalled ribosomes[5]. Eukaryotic cells have functional translation quality control systems that prevent potentially toxic proteins from accumulating in the cell[5]. This alarm system allows cells to respond quickly to translation problems and protect themselves from damage[5].