An international team of researchers has solved a long-awaited biological mystery concerning how our human cells absorb a micronutrient that plays a crucial role in brain health and cancer prevention.
This substance, called queosin, is a vitamin-like compound that the body cannot produce on its own; it must be obtained from certain foods and from bacteria living in the gut. Despite its significant importance, this substance remained scientifically neglected for decades.
In a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers, led by the University of Florida and Trinity College Dublin, have finally identified the gene responsible for transporting quercetin into human cells, a gene known as SLC35F2.
This discovery may open the door to the development of new treatments that take advantage of this substance's role in improving memory and learning and fighting cancer.
“For more than 30 years, scientists have suspected there is a carrier for this nutrient, but no one has been able to find it,” said Valerie de Crisi-Lagarde, a professor at the University of Florida and one of the lead researchers on the study. “We have been looking for it for a long time, and this discovery opens a whole new chapter in understanding how gut bacteria and our diet affect the translation of our genes.”
Quesin plays a pivotal role in how the body builds proteins. It modifies transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules, which are responsible for helping cells read DNA and produce proteins correctly. De Crisi-Lagarde described it as "like a nutrient that tunes how your body reads your genes," adding that the idea that such a small, little-known compound plays such a crucial role is fascinating.
Interestingly, the SLC35F2 gene had previously been studied for its role in allowing viruses and some cancer drugs to enter cells, but its normal function in a healthy body remained unclear until now. This discovery has filled that knowledge gap.
Vincent Kelly, a professor at Trinity College Dublin and co-author of the study, said: "We have long known that quercetin affects crucial processes such as brain health, metabolic regulation, cancer, and even stress responses, but we did not know how this substance is rescued from the gut and distributed to the billions of human cells that absorb it."
Quetiacin was first identified in the 1970s, and this small molecule remained largely unappreciated for many years. Researchers involved in this international work hope that the new findings will bring greater attention to its importance in public health.
De Crisi-Lagarde concluded by saying, "I don't think we could have solved this puzzle without the entire team. It's a perfect example of what international collaboration can achieve."
