Background Research:
Cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress, plays a significant role in regulating the body’s metabolism, immune responses and inflammatory reactions. However, excessive cortisol levels can lead to detrimental health effects such as obesity, depression, heart diseases and aging. Scientists have long been puzzled by the mechanisms underlying the body’s sensitivity and resistance to cortisol regulation.
Acetylation is a process wherein an acetyl molecule is added or removed from another molecule – this mechanism can alter proteins‘ structure and function. The current study aimed at understanding how acetylation impacts glucocorticoids (like cortisol) action in our body.
The primary researcher of this study was Prof. Thorsten Heinzel from Friedrich Schiller University Jena with assistance from researchers from Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena and the University of Ulm.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What exactly did Professor Thorsten Heinzel along with his team discover?
A: They discovered how an important aspect of cortisol resistance is clarified by Acetylation mechanism.
2. How does their discovery affect medical treatments?
A: Their research could enhance the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory therapies significantly because they now understand better how glucocorticoid sensitivity works because of Acetylation process.
3. Does their research have implications beyond medicine?
A: Yes! Understanding more about age-related cortisol excess could be used for health purposes outside traditional medicine – potentially leading to new tools for managing unhealthy levels of stress or developing strategies to counteract negative effects caused by it.
4.People are concerned about stress-induced ailments these days. How might this research impact that?
A:The team hopes their work will aid in developing strategies to manage excess production of Glucocorticoids which can cause a variety of chronic conditions like obesity , Heart disease etc induced due heavy workload stress & aging related factors.
5. Who funded the research carried out by their team?
A: The study was financially supported by the Carl Zeiss Foundation under the IMPULS research consortium.
6. Where can one find more details about his research work?
A: Prof.Heinzel’s work is recently published in the scientific journal „iScience“. More details of this project could be found there.
7.What or who was this IMPULS Research Consortium mentioned, and how did it help?
A:The IMPULS Research Consortium is an association involving multiple institutes aimed at supporting young professionals in various fields, including medical sciences. In terms of this study, it has provided financial backing allowing researchers to carry out their sophisticated analysis.
Originamitteilung:
Understanding the regulatory mechanism paves the way to enhance the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory therapies and to develop strategies to counteract the negative effects of stress- and age-related cortisol excess. The research group led by Prof. Thorsten Heinzel at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, together with researchers from the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena and the University of Ulm, have now been able to clarify an important aspect of cortisol resistance. The study was funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation as part of the IMPULS research consortium and was recently published in the journal „iScience“.