One gene links newborn neurons with those that die in diseases such as Alzheimer's ( he replaceable neurons send projections...)

One gene links newborn neurons with those that die in diseases such as Alzheimer's

he replaceable neurons send projections to another part of the brain a few millimeters away from the high vocal center to form part of the brain pathway that controls muscle movements related to singing. The neurons that are not replaced send their projections to a different brain region, one that controls the song learning pathway. In order to label the two cell types, the scientists injected dyes of different colors, one green and one red, into the brain regions where the neurons project. The dyes then traveled back to the bodies of the cells in the high vocal center. As a result, replaceable and nonreplaceable neurons could easily be distinguished under the microscope.

Then, looking at very thin slices of brain tissue, the researchers used a technique called laser capture microdissection to collect cells of each type. From these they purified RNA, the quantity of which corresponds to the activity of the particular gene producing it. The microdissection technique uses a low-power laser to melt a small circle of film into the tissue. When the film is lifted, the cell body - including its RNA - comes with it, as if removed by a hole punch.

After collecting, purifying, and amplifying the RNA from 3,500 cells for each bird, the researchers used a microarray created in the lab to find out which of the genes in the cells were turned on. This technique allowed them to identify which genes were active, or expressed, by comparing them with 800 known genes from the zebra finch.

They expected to find a few overactive genes in the replaceable neurons. But instead, one gene turned up in consistently low levels.

The gene was UCHL1.

"We expected UCHL1 would be high in all kinds of neurons," says first author Anthony Lombardino, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Nottebohm's laboratory. The gene is known to be highly expressed throughout the brain, and in fact, the UCHL1 protein is thought to make up as much as 2 percent of total soluble brain
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Source:Rockefeller University

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( he replaceable neurons send projections...)One gene links newborn neurons with those that die in diseases such as Alzheimer's