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In the depths of the ocean, microorganisms reveal the secrets of cellular hibernation
How do cells enter hibernation? To answer this question, scientists involved in the HIBernAR scientific program, coordinated by Ifremer, explored a little-known biological phenomenon: ribosome dormancy. Ribosomes are tiny molecular factories responsible for protein production in all living cells. They focused on Archaea, a group of unique microorganisms able to thrive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth, such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents. They discovered a protein that plays a key role in controlling ribosomal hibernation. This discovery, published in the journal Nature Communications, sheds new light on the strategies living organisms use to survive and adapt to environmental stress and change.