Brain cells need microRNA to survive

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Sliced and diced. Compared to healthy mouse Purkinje cells (left) those lacking the Dicer gene which is required for cells to produce microRNAs are significantly degenerated (right). The results suggest that the loss of microRNAs may be involved in n ...
Sliced and diced. Compared to healthy mouse Purkinje cells (left), those lacking the Dicer gene, which is required for cells to produce microRNAs, are significantly degenerated (right). The results suggest that the loss of microRNAs may be involved in neurodegenerative disorders. Credit: Rockefeller University

There are lots of things that brain cells need to survive. Add to that list microRNAs. New research from Rockefeller University shows that neurons that cannot produce microRNAs, tiny single strands of RNA that regulate the expression of genes, slowly die in a manner similar to what is seen in such human neurodegenerative disorders as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.


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