Ribosome biogenesis and disease

Article By:

Freed, Emily F. Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Baserga, Susan J. Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Last reviewed:2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB120221

Ribosomes, the cellular factories that make proteins, are essential for life in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. Much of a cell's resources and energy are devoted to making ribosomes (ribosome biogenesis). In a rapidly growing human cell, more than 7000 ribosomes are made every minute. Ribosomes are so important that many of the antibiotics used to cure bacterial infections work to kill bacteria by interfering with ribosome function. Similarly, disruption of ribosome biogenesis in mammals, including humans, is likely to be lethal. However, recent studies have shown that mutations that partially perturb ribosome biogenesis lead to a variety of diseases called “ribosomopathies”. Furthermore, dysregulation of ribosome biogenesis has been linked to cancer.

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