Introducing the brain: modulating synapses (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, April 23, 2022, 19:30 (943 days ago) @ David Turell

Another finding:

https://www.sciencealert.com/proteins-that-keeps-your-brain-under-control-could-help-ex...

"The two proteins – Rab3-interacting molecule 1 (RIM1) and an enzyme called serine arginine protein kinase 2 (SRPK2) – work together to modify the transmission of information across the gaps between nerves called synapses.

"Without their efficient policing of neural activity, messages could either get lost due to insufficient signal, or flood important junctions, overwhelming key networks and burying important signals in a cacophony of noise.

***

"They found the enzyme SRPK2 modifies RIM1 by adding molecules with phosphate groups onto specific links of its amino-acid structure, increasing or decreasing the number of neurotransmitter bubbles that are released into the synapse.

"'Which effect occurs depends on the phosphorylated amino acid," says Johannes Alexander Müller, a neurophysiologist at University Hospital Bonn.

"What happens to the phosphorylated RIM1 proteins after they've done their job isn't clear, leaving room for a range of other enzymes to be at work, further fine-tuning the process.

"As with any biological function, it can be just as handy knowing what happens when it doesn't all go according to plan. There are already genetic hints that RIM1 could be involved in conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.

"'We now want to further elucidate these relationships," says McGovern.

"'Perhaps new therapeutic options for these diseases will emerge from our findings in the long term, although there is certainly a long way to go before that happens.'"

Comment: We all recognize the last point; free-floating molecules can make mistakes. But this is a classic example of careful design for precise control