Memory gene goes viral

(NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Two independent teams of scientists from the University of Utah and the University of Massachusetts Medical School have discovered that a gene crucial for learning, called Arc, can send its genetic material from one neuron to another by employing a strategy commonly used by viruses. The studies, both published in Cell, unveil a new way that nervous system cells interact.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/nion-mgg011618.php

Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 16, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: news