By Iphia Zhang ’29, OCW

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The Amy Lee Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recently discovered that octopi, creatures extraordinary for the complexity of their nervous system and behaviors, have an adaptation in their cells that is not found in any other animal. The change is a break at a part of the ribosome, the cellular structure that carries out protein synthesis, that is highly conserved across living organisms. The team found that this unique adaptation increases the accuracy of protein synthesis, decreasing events of protein misfolding and alleviating the cell of stress caused by abnormal proteins. These findings provide new insights into protein synthesis and targeting abnormal protein buildup in human diseases.