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Protein That Kills Cells May Help Memory
Champaign, Ill. (UPI) Dec 20, 2006 U.S. scientists say they've determined a protein known to kill cells also plays an important role in memory formation. University of Illinois-Champaign researchers say their work exploring how zebra finches learn songs might have implications for treatment of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. When activated, the enzyme caspase-3 triggers a synaptic process essential for memory storage, according to Graham Huesmann and David Clayton. They say their findings provide "the first direct evidence of a change in the availability of activated caspase-3 in the brain during the process of memory formation." Caspase-3 is best known for its role in a biochemical cascade that leads to apoptotic cell death. The new findings demonstrate the enzyme acts differently under different conditions, and suggest its regulation in the brain is more complex than previously thought. The research appears in the Dec. 21 issue of the journal Neuron. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here
Ancient Ape Ruled Out Of Man's Ancestral Line
Leeds, UK (SPX) Dec 08, 2006Ancient remains, once thought to be a key link in the evolution of mankind, have now been shown to be 400,000 years too young to be a part of man's family tree. The remains of the apeman, dubbed Little Foot, were discovered in a cave complex at Sterkfontein by a local South African team in 1997. Its bones preserved in sediment layers, it is the most complete hominid fossil skeleton ever found. |
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