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Category: futurism – Page 149

Study links gene-regulating brain circuit formation to autism and seizures

The gene neuropilin2 encodes a receptor involved in cell-cell interactions in the brain and plays a key role in regulating the development of neural circuits. Neuropilin2 controls migration of inhibitory neurons as well as the formation and maintenance of synaptic connections in excitatory neurons—two crucial components of brain activity.

A study led by neuroscientist Viji Santhakumar at the University of California, Riverside, and collaborators at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, now offers insights into how this gene contributes to the development of behavioral changes associated with and epilepsy.

The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, offers a pathway for future treatments aimed at alleviating some challenging symptoms of these frequently co-occurring conditions.

Fluorescent RNA complexes offer new insights into cellular dynamics

The specific labeling of RNA in living cells poses many challenges. In a new article published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, researchers from the University of Innsbruck describe a structure-guided approach to the formation of covalent (i.e., irreversibly tethered) RNA-ligand complexes.

The key to this is the modification of the original ligand with a reactive “handle” that allows it to react with a nucleobase at the RNA binding site. This was first demonstrated in vitro and in vivo using the example of an RNA riboswitch.

The versatility of the approach is highlighted by the first covalent “fluorescent light-up RNA aptamer” (coFLAP). This system retains its strong fluorescence during imaging in living cells even after washing, can be used for high-resolution microscopy and is particularly suitable for FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) for monitoring intracellular RNA dynamics.

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