Junk DNA – required for a beautiful mind
If you’ve seen the 2002 Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe, then you’ll know that “junk DNA” – non-protein related products of the central dogma – are definitely worth examining.
Schizophrenia is a severe and complex neural disorder, and one whose cause and pathology is poorly understood. In the past decade, experimental evidence has strongly implicated the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs – small RNA strands that regulate gene expression) , a type of “junk DNA”, in neural development, function and plasticity.
Kocerha et al. (2009) considered the link between miRNAs and schizophrenia. Previous studies had evidenced decreased NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) glutamate receptor signaling – a neurotransmitter – in neural disorders like schizophrenia. Using a mouse model, they investigated the effect of miRNA expression on the NMDA receptor. Their study showed that the expression of a particular miRNA – miR-219 – is involved in neural disorders that are linked to downregulation of the NMDA receptor.
So, it seems that even “junk” is important for a beautiful mind.
Juliana Ip
42265416
Original article:
Kocerha, J., Faghigik, MA., Lopez-Toledano, MA., Huang, J., Ramsey, AJ., Caron, MG., et al. (2009). MicroRNA-219 modulates NMDA receptor-mediated neurobehavioral dysfunction. PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106 (9): 3507-3512
Schizophrenia is a severe and complex neural disorder, and one whose cause and pathology is poorly understood. In the past decade, experimental evidence has strongly implicated the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs – small RNA strands that regulate gene expression) , a type of “junk DNA”, in neural development, function and plasticity.
Kocerha et al. (2009) considered the link between miRNAs and schizophrenia. Previous studies had evidenced decreased NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) glutamate receptor signaling – a neurotransmitter – in neural disorders like schizophrenia. Using a mouse model, they investigated the effect of miRNA expression on the NMDA receptor. Their study showed that the expression of a particular miRNA – miR-219 – is involved in neural disorders that are linked to downregulation of the NMDA receptor.
So, it seems that even “junk” is important for a beautiful mind.
Juliana Ip
42265416
Original article:
Kocerha, J., Faghigik, MA., Lopez-Toledano, MA., Huang, J., Ramsey, AJ., Caron, MG., et al. (2009). MicroRNA-219 modulates NMDA receptor-mediated neurobehavioral dysfunction. PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106 (9): 3507-3512
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