A class of small RNA molecules discovered just six years ago has now been detected in the brain, where it seems to regulate the expression of a gene involved in memory. This could help to explain how long-lasting memories are maintained. Researchers in New York led by Thomas Tuschl at the Rockefeller University and Eric Kandel at Columbia University analysed a collection of small RNAs that do not encode proteins, from the central nervous system of the sea-slug Aplysia. The researchers identified a group of RNAs called Piwi-associated RNAs (piRNAs) that bind to a protein called Piwi. Complexes of piRNAs and Piwi protein silence a memory-inhibiting gene called CREB2 by promoting the addition of methyl groups to the gene in the presence of serotonin, a neurotransmitter important in learning and memory.
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