BIOCHEMISTRY: PRIONS : ARTICLE: Mad Cow Mechanism May Be Integral to Storing Memory
Whitehead Institute Contacts: Kelli Whitlock or David Cameron Phone: 617.258.5183 E-mail: newsroom @ wi.mit.edu Columbia University Contact: Annie Bayne Phone: 212.305.3900 E-mail: as862 @ columbia.edu Mad Cow Mechanism May Be Integral to Storing Memory <http://www.wi.mit.edu/news/archives/2003/sl_1224.html> "CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Dec. 24, 2003) Scientists have discovered a new process for how memories might be stored, a finding that could help explain one of the least-understood activities of the brain. Whats more, the key player in this process is a protein that acts just like a prion a class of proteins that includes the deadly agents involved in neurodegenerative conditions such as mad cow disease. The study, published as two papers in the Dec. 26 issue of the journal Cell, suggests that this protein does its good work while in a prion state, contradicting a widely held belief that a protein that has prion activity is toxic or at least doesnt function properly. For a while weve known quite a bit about how memory works, but weve had no clear concept of what the key storage device is, says Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Director Susan Lindquist, who coauthored the study with neurobiologist Eric Kandel at Columbia University. This study suggests what the storage device might be but its such a surprising suggestion to find that a prion- like activity may be involved. Central to a proteins function is its shape, and most proteins maintain only one shape throughout their lifetime. Prions, on the other hand, are proteins that can suddenly alter their shape, or misfold. But more than just misfolding themselves, they influence other proteins of the same type to do the same. In all known cases, the proteins in these misfolded clusters cease their normal function and either die or are deadly to the cell and ultimately to the organism. For this reason, Kausik Si, a postdoc in Kandels lab, was surprised to find that a protein related to maintaining long-term memory contained certain distinct prion signatures. The protein, CPEB, resides in central-nervous-system synapses, the junctions that connect neurons in the brain. Memories are contained within that intricate network of approximately 1 trillion neurons and their synapses. With experience and learning, new junctions form and others are strengthened. CPEB synthesizes proteins that strengthen such synapses as memories are formed, enabling the synapses to retain those memories over long periods. For the study, the team extracted the CPEB protein from a sea slug. This lowly creature has achieved high status in neurobiology because its neurons are so big, they can be manipulated and turned into unusually powerful investigative tools. The researchers fused this CPEB to other proteins that would serve as reporters of activity, and then observed its behavior in a variety of yeast models. The researchers discovered that CPEB altered its form and caused other proteins to follow functioning exactly like a prion. A second unexpected finding was that CPEB carried out its normal function protein synthesis when it was in its prion state. This is remarkable not just because the protein executes a positive function in its prion-like state, says Lindquist, who also is professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It also indicates that prions arent just oddballs of nature but might participate in fundamental processes." ------------------------------------------------------ The full article may be read at the URL above. A list or resources and links related to this research report is provided at the end of this document. Sincerely, David Dillard Temple University (215) 204 - 4584 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/TzSHvD/SOnJAA/79vVAA/H4xqlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> <a href= http://www.arizonabiotech.com/ >Arizona Biotech</a> <a href= http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biotech-news/ >Biotech News</a> <a href= http://www.arizonaentrepreneurs.com/ >Arizona Entrepreneurs</a> <a href= http://www.azhttp.com/ >Arizona High Tech</a> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biotech-news/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
