What makes a neuron a neuron?
Focusing on two such sibling RNA-binding proteins -- PTBP1 and PTBP2 -- that are important for the nervous system, a team of researchers has found that these proteins serve both redundant and unique functions in the developing brain when neural stem cells are changed into neurons -- cells that process and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. "PTBP1 is expressed in neural stem cells , and PTBP2 in differentiating neurons," said Sika Zheng, an assistant professor of biomedical sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, who led the research project. "Their expressions are almost mutually exclusive. During brain development, cells switch expression of PTBP1 to PTBP2. This contributes to the neuronal differentiating process, and can offer us insights into understanding what makes a neuron a neuron." Study results appear Dec. 6 in Cell Reports . The research, done using multiple mouse models, has imp...