Genomic blueprints underlying unique neuronal organization are enigmatic. A new study reveals the recruitment of ancient, larger genes for synaptic machinery, providing evolutionary constraints and flexibility, with increasing gene sizes being found in animal lineages that led to cephalopods and vertebrates.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.016 | DOI Listing |
Nat Ecol Evol
January 2025
Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, Human Genetics Branch, NIMH IRP, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Sex chromosomes are a fundamental aspect of sex-biased biology, but the extent to which homologous X-Y gene pairs ('the gametologs') contribute to sex-biased phenotypes remains hotly debated. Although these genes tend to exhibit large sex differences in expression throughout the body (XX females can express both X members, and XY males can express one X and one Y member), there is conflicting evidence regarding the degree of functional divergence between the X and Y members. Here we develop and apply co-expression fingerprint analysis to characterize functional divergence between the X and Y members of 17 gametolog gene pairs across >40 human tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElife
December 2024
Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sorting nexin 4 (SNX4) is an evolutionary conserved organizer of membrane recycling. In neurons, SNX4 accumulates in synapses, but how SNX4 affects synapse function remains unknown. We generated a conditional SNX4 knock-out mouse model and report that SNX4 cKO synapses show enhanced neurotransmission during train stimulation, while the first evoked EPSC was normal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Microbiol
November 2024
Department of Biological Sciences, Munster Technological University, Bishopstown, Cork, T12 P928, Ireland.
Prions are proteinaceous infectious particles implicated in fatal neurodegenerative disorders known as prion diseases. Herein, we provide an overview of prion biology, emphasizing the structural, functional, and evolutionary aspects of prions, along with their potential applications in protein engineering. Understanding the structure-function relationships of both healthy and disease-associated prion proteins enables a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of prion-induced neurotoxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNucleic Acids Res
November 2024
Neurogenomics Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Dr. Aiguader, 88, Barcelona 08003, Catalonia, Spain.
Proneural factors of the basic helix-loop-helix family coordinate neurogenesis and neurodifferentiation. Among them, NEUROG2 and NEUROD2 subsequently act to specify neurons of the glutamatergic lineage. Disruption of these factors, their target genes and binding DNA motifs has been linked to various neuropsychiatric disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurosci Insights
October 2024
Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
The human brain contains multiple cell types that are spatially organized into functionally distinct regions. The proper development of the brain requires complex gene regulation mechanisms in both neurons and the non-neuronal cell types that support neuronal function. Studies across the last decade have discovered that the 3D nuclear organization of the genome is instrumental in the regulation of gene expression in the diverse cell types of the brain.
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