Washington, Oct 2 : A new study, from researchers at the University of Virginia Health System has shed light on how cells respond to skin-damaging UV rays.

The researchers have revealed that a protein inside the body, called SOCS7, helps cells to protect themselves (or not) from DNA damage caused by ultraviolet rays.

It is known that UV rays can cause major skin problems, ranging from skin cancer to sunburns and premature wrinkles.

In the current study, the research team discovered that UV rays specifically interact with DNA and the complex organelles and proteins found inside every cell of our bodies.

The study revealed part of a “simple switch” mechanism inside cells, triggered by UV exposure from the sun, that helps our cells survive and thrive after being exposed. This mechanism involves an unanticipated connection between several proteins in the cell, the researchers discovered.

According to lead author Ian Macara, PhD, professor of microbiology at UVa’s Center for Cell Signaling, the findings describe part of a pathway inside human cells that regulates when and how cells repair damage to their DNA when irradiated with UV rays.

“When cells get DNA damage, normally they stop moving and stop responding to stimuli until they are repaired,” Macara said.

“We detail in this paper how a certain protein, called SOCS7, moves from the cytoplasm into the cell nucleus and essentially instructs the cell to stop dividing via a protein called NCK. The role of SOCS7 is both to stop outside signals from being relayed to the cell and to switch on the cell’s response to radiation damage. Cancer can arise if the repair work is not performed properly,” he added.

SOCS7 protein, which is known to be involved in the body’s insulin response to blood glucose levels, but Macara said he was surprised to find SOCS7 involved in the response to cellular DNA damage as well.

He said, it will now be important to study whether the absence of SOCS7 in cells would make a person more susceptible to skin cancer.

The study is published in the September 7th online issue of the journal Cell. (With inputs from ANI)