How proteins control the production of nerve cells in the brain

By studying changes in the metabolic profile of neural stem cells, a research team led by Prof.

The YME1L protein is responsible for balancing the conversion of brain neural stem cells into neurons, which are limited in number and cannot be regenerated

Neural stem cells are found in only a few areas of the adult mammalian brain, where they sustain the production of new neurons throughout the lifespan

YME1L is a protease (an enzyme that cuts other proteins) that localizes to mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells

This balance of YME1L activity is required to maintain the stem cell properties of neural stem cells, as impairment of YME1L function forces cells to exit the stem cell state and prematurely differentiate into different types of neural cells, resulting in a global loss of stem cells in brain tissue

"Our findings demonstrate that the activity of a mitochondrial protease can significantly influence neural stem cell fate and the rate at which new neurons are generated

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Cell Reports

DOI

10.