[FRIAM] Arc gene transports mRNA's across synapses

[Barry MacKichan]

Object-oriented programming in the cell, with encapsulated code!

--Barry


On 13 Jan 2018, at 17:47, Roger Critchlow wrote:

> In case you thought you understood the general molecular biology of life,
> here's another curve ball for you:
>
> http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)31504-0
>
> Summary
>
> The neuronal gene *Arc* is essential for long-lasting information storage
> in the mammalian brain, mediates various forms of synaptic plasticity, and
> has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. However, little is
> known about Arc’s molecular function and evolutionary origins. Here, we
> show that Arc self-assembles into virus-like capsids that encapsulate RNA.
> Endogenous Arc protein is released from neurons in extracellular vesicles
> that mediate the transfer of *Arc* mRNA into new target cells, where it can
> undergo activity-dependent translation. Purified Arc capsids are
> endocytosed and are able to transfer *Arc* mRNA into the cytoplasm of
> neurons. These results show that Arc exhibits similar molecular properties
> to retroviral Gag proteins. Evolutionary analysis indicates that Arc is
> derived from a vertebrate lineage of Ty3/*gypsy* retrotransposons, which
> are also ancestors to retroviruses. These findings suggest that Gag
> retroelements have been repurposed during evolution to mediate
> intercellular communication in the nervous system.
> -- rec --


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