New technology can identify living brain proteins

New technology can identify living brain proteins

New technology can identify living brain proteins New technology can identify living brain proteins

Researchers can capture protein expression in living mouse brains for mass spectrometry analysis
.

Image source: Northwestern University

Researchers can capture protein expression in living mouse brains for mass spectrometry analysis

Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Pittsburgh have designed a virus that can deliver an enzyme to a precise location in the brain of a living mouse
.

The researchers said that the enzyme extracted from soybeans can mark neighboring proteins in predetermined positions

"In the past, scientists have done similar work in cells in vitro, but cells in petri dishes do not work like cells in the brain
.

" said Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy of Northwestern University, the corresponding author of the paper.

By chemically labeling proteins and their neighbors, researchers can now understand how proteins work in specific controlled regions and how they interact in the proteome
.

In addition to carrying soy enzymes, the researchers also used viruses to carry a green fluorescent protein

"We send green fluorescent protein to show which neurons are labeled
.

If the neurons are green, then we know that the soybean enzyme is expressed in these neurons,

Currently, gene targeting technology has changed biology and neuroscience, but protein targeting technology has fallen behind
.

Generally, researchers can amplify and sequence genes and RNA to determine their exact components

"Protein is the ultimate effector in our cells
.

It is very important to understand where and how proteins work, and how they interact,

"Proteomics based on mass spectrometry is a powerful technique
.

" said Vasin Dumrongprechachan, the first author of the paper and a doctoral candidate in Kozorovitskiy laboratory.
"With this method, we can map the proteins of various brain circuits with high precision and specificity.

Now, researchers can apply this new system to mouse models to better understand neurological diseases
.
In the future, they hope to expand this method to identify biochemical modifications of neuronal proteins
.
"These modifications occur in specific patterns of brain activity or are caused by
neuroactive drugs.
Recognizing them can help promote the development of clinical treatments .
" Dumrongprechachan said
.
(Source: Tang Yichen, China Science News)

Related paper information: https://doi.
org/10.
1038/s41467-021-25144-y

https://doi.
org/10.
1038/s41467-021-25144-y