An international group of scientists, with leadership from researchers at the University of Florida and Trinity College Dublin, has successfully unravelled a decades-old mystery in human biology. Their breakthrough lies in determining how the human body absorbs queuosine, a micronutrient that plays a pivotal role in various aspects of our health, from maintaining a healthy brain to warding off cancer.
Queuosine, pronounced “cue-o-scene,” is a vitamin-like micronutrient. Unlike some nutrients our bodies can synthesize, queuosine must be sourced from external factors—either through the food we consume or the bacteria residing in our gut. Despite its significance to our well-being, its importance remained under the radar for many years.
The findings of this study were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers have pinpointed the gene that enables queuosine to enter our cells. This discovery is a significant milestone as it holds the potential for developing new therapies that can harness the power of queuosine in suppressing cancer, enhancing memory, and improving the brain's ability to acquire new information.
Valérie de Crécy-Lagard, a distinguished professor in microbiology and cell science at UF/IFAS, as well as the department associate chair and one of the study's principal investigators, stated, “For over 30 years, scientists have suspected that there had to be a transporter for this nutrient, but no one could find it. We've been hunting for it for a long time. This discovery opens up a whole new chapter in understanding how the microbiome and our diet can influence the translation of our genes.”
The research project received financial backing from multiple health entities across different nations. Among the funders were the National Institutes of Health, Research Ireland (previously known as Science Foundation Ireland), and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.
Queuosine's function in the body is rather unique. It modifies molecules known as transfer RNA (tRNA), which are integral to the process of making proteins. tRNA is essential for decoding the body's DNA. As de Crécy-Lagard described it, “It's like a nutrient that fine-tunes how your body reads your genes. The idea that this small compound, which people have barely heard of, plays such an important role, is fascinating.”
The gene that permits queuosine to access the cell has long been a mystery in the medical field. Now, the long-sought gene, SLC35F2, has been identified. This discovery lays the groundwork for future research that could potentially lead to the development of new medications. Interestingly, this gene has been previously studied in the context of how viruses and cancer drugs enter cells. However, until now, scientists were unaware of its function in a healthy body.
Vincent Kelly, a professor in Trinity College Dublin's School of Biochemistry and Immunology and a joint senior author of the article, said, “We have known for a long time that queuosine influences critical processes like brain health, metabolic regulation, cancer and even responses to stress, but until now we haven't known how it is salvaged from the gut and distributed to the billions of human cells that take it in.”
Queuosine, a microscopic molecule, was first discovered in the 1970s. For years, its role in human health was largely overlooked. However, with this new research, which brought together experts from the University of Florida, San Diego State University, the Ohio State University, and partner institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland, there is hope that the scientific community and the public will start to recognize the significance of this micronutrient in the broader context of human health.
De Crécy-Lagard emphasized the value of collaboration, stating, “We don't think we could have cracked it without the full team. It's a perfect example of what international collaboration can achieve.” This discovery not only sheds light on a long-standing mystery in human biology but also holds great promise for future medical advancements related to brain health and cancer treatment.