How a Tiny Protein Guards Your Blood Vessels

NARFL is a small protein that plays a big role in keeping blood vessels healthy. It's part of a group that helps build other proteins. Without it, things go wrong, and blood vessels can't work right. This can lead to serious problems, even in babies still growing in the womb. In fish and mice, when NARFL is missing, the babies don't survive. Their blood vessels don't form correctly. The same thing happens in human cells when NARFL is not working. The cells can't protect themselves from damage. This damage is called ferroptosis. It happens when there's too much iron and too many harmful molecules called free radicals. NARFL helps another protein called ACO do its job. When NARFL is missing, ACO can't work right. This leads to too much iron and too many free radicals. The cells can't protect themselves. This causes the blood vessels to stop working. Some people have changes in their NARFL gene. These changes can make them more likely to get sick. They might have high blood pressure in their lungs. They might have seizures. They might have diseases that hurt their brains. Scientists think NARFL could be a target for new medicines. If they can find a way to fix NARFL, they might be able to help people with these diseases.