Among other effects, the Covid-19 pandemic will have brought to the fore often misunderstood molecules, proteins. Coronaviruses thus owe their name to the crown bristling with spicules (proteins!) constituting their membrane and which protects their genome. The latter, moreover, codes in SARS-CoV-2 for 29 proteins fulfilling various functions allowing the virus to penetrate cells, then to hijack the system for manufacturing… proteins. Before releasing a new virus.
It is this fascinating world, more diverse than it seems, that two biologists introduce us to, supported by the very humorous drawings of Anmryn, in this book inspired by the blog ” Top of the Prots » which they have held since January 2019.
To sum up the interest of their passions, Sophie Sacquin-Mora and Antoine Taly go straight to the point, setting the light tone of their presentation: “Who does all the dirty work in the cell? », they ask in the introduction. The answer is obvious, proteins, whose omnipresence and number they compare to the crowds in a subway train at rush hour.
The know-how of these molecules ranging from a few tens to thousands of atoms is impressive. Some are capable of cutting, transporting, transmitting, opening “doors”, closing them, storing material, facilitating chemical reactions… In short, these tens of thousands of molecules in humans are essential to the functioning of cells.
Balls, sticks and spaghetti
Before drawing up in four chapters the portrait of some thirty of these marvels, the authors begin with essential passages allowing them to become familiar with the vocabulary of chemistry, to learn how to represent these objects (in balls and sticks, in spaghetti…) and to understand how researchers pierce its secrets.
Then place the parade. To “hold the house together”, there are tubulins, which are used by cells to make roads and their skeletons. Or the chaperones who help mold their sisters to have the right structure in space. To operate our five senses, we need rhodopsin in the eyes, or brazzein to stimulate the tongue. Proteins can also have applications outside of cells, such as the Crispr-Cas9 molecular scissors, which help biologists trim genomes as they please. A final chapter also shows the dark side of the picture. Malfunctions in the machine can lead to serious pathologies, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
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