Xiaolin Fernando. “I think this is probably one of the most important research events we’re having these days.”
Mikael Hjermstedt, another co-author of the study and a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Molecular Medicine Center, said that the study would require further research to determine why mice and rat metabolize so differently, but the results point to a possible role for microRNAs.
“MicroRNAs might be involved in this,” he said. “And it’s a very new situation. This is the first time this has been done.”
The findings were reported in the January 2015 issue of Cell Stem Cell.
Source: Cell Stem Cell
Mice Use MicroRNAs to Improve Brain Function and Lose Health Points. by Matthew DeCarli, M.D., Ewa Kozarek, and Alexander H. Gershan, Cell Stem Cell. Published online February 11, 2015. DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2015.01.032
Abstract of Cell Stem Cell research findings
Transcription factor-regulated microRNAs (trf-miRNAs) are the most abundant class of microRNAs in brain and liver microarray arrays. Their unique shape, diversity, and localization in brain and liver make them fundamental for microRNA trafficking.
The microRNA-mediated mechanisms by which these microRNAs exert their effect have been characterized and elucidated in mouse models of cognitive impairment and anxiety disorders. These pathways lead from microRNAs originating in the peripheral tissues to neurogenesis in the CNS. A central role, however, has been attributed to trf-miRNAs in regulating memory, behavior, and neurotransmission. Thus, understanding the precise roles of microRNAs in brain function and function in the anxiety disorders is essential for clinical translational studies in the brain and CNS. Here, we found that, in the context of acute memory dysfunction, two-thirds of the microRNAs encoded by trf-miRNAs have protective roles. Thus, in acute memory impairment, an estimated 75 ± 30 percent of trf-miRNAs from these miRNAs can prevent or increase neuronal death from the synaptic cleft injury. Taken together, the present results provide convincing evidence for a potentially important role of microRNAs in memory enhancement and brain function regulation by microRNAs.
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