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> > New role found for brain protein septin > Posted on : 2007-10-22 | Author : Science News Editor > News Category : Science > > > CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 22 (UPI) A U.S. study has determined a new role > for a brain protein in a finding that might lead to new treatments for > diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. > > Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Picower > Institute for Learning and Memory have shown the same proteins -- > septins -- that enable a yeast cell to bud into two daughter cells > also helps neurons grow branch-like protrusions that are used to > communicate with other neurons. > > "In yeast, septin is localized exactly at the neck between the yeast > mother cell and the bud or emerging daughter cell," said study leader > Professor Morgan Sheng. "Amazingly, we found septin protein localized > at the base of the neck of neuronal dendritic spines and at the > branchpoint of dendritic branches." > > Moreover, in the cultured hippocampal neurons the researchers used in > the study, septin was found essential for normal branching and spine > formation. An abundance of septin made dendrites grow and proliferate, > while a dearth of septin made them small and malformed. > > The research that also included Alyson Simonetta and Matthew Batterton > of MIT, Picower postdoctoral associates Tomoko Tada and Dieter Edbauer > and Makoto Kinoshita of Kyoto University appears in the journal > Current Biology. > > Copyright 2007 by United Press International > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn