ROUNDWORM STUDY IDENTIFIES PROTEINS THAT COULD MEDIATE NEURON-GLIA COMMUNICATION AS BRAIN AGES

The human brain is comprised of two main types of cells - neurons and glia.

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The first are responsible for transmitting electrical and chemical signals, while the latter support and protect neurons. The communication between neurons and glia is central to the development of the brain and the maintenance of its functions. Past findings suggest that this communication takes place via the binding of ligands (i.e. signalling molecules) to specific proteins or receptors on the surface of a cell.

By studying Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), commonly known as roundworms, researchers at Duke University Medical Centre have unveiled a new mechanism that could mediate neuron-glia communications during ageing. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that heat shock proteins (i.e. proteins that play a role in protecting cells from stress) can act as signalling molecules and mediate communications between neurons and glia as worms age.