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Cellular "garbage bags" are built using optineurin (in green) around damaged mitochondria (in red). Credit: WEHI

An old mystery solved: New findings change our understanding of the course of Parkinson's disease

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Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne have solved a long-standing mystery regarding the role of a protein in removing damaged mitochondria from the body. These findings may pave the way for potential new treatments for Parkinson's disease
Tissues removed from mice implanted with lung cancer cells engineered to produce high amounts of PSME4 (left column) or unmodified cancer cells (right column). When the protein is expressed in a high amount, the tumor is larger (top row, the tumor cells are marked in intense and concentrated purple), the number of T cells that can fight the tumor is lower (middle row, in white), and there are more cells that suppress the immune response (bottom row, in green)

The cancer to the basket and eliminated

The cell's garbage disposal system changes in cancer and allows it to escape the immune system
Histological sections of the leg muscles without injury (left) and five days after it (center, right) in a control mouse and a transgenic mouse. It can be seen that the area of ​​the muscle fibers that develop after the injury is smaller in the transgenic mouse, which indicates a disturbance in the differentiation of the stem cells into muscle cells

overcome the damage

Researchers have discovered that two epigenetic events (removing and adding methyl from DNA) lead to the differentiation of stem cells into muscle cells and thus to the regeneration and healing of muscles after their injury
neurons. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The genetic phenomenon that worsens the signs of autism

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The siksak is a chicken whose wings are brown, the rest of its body is "painted" black and white, and its legs are long and thin. Photo: Reut Alon

Who is braver, the city bird or the country bird?

A new Israeli study examined the siksak, a common species of bird - and found that urban siksaks are braver than their rural brethren. Although we usually all appreciate this beautiful feature, it is possible that the change in behavior in question is actually not so positive for these birds
Neri's research focused on species of sharks and bats - important predators whose population has been significantly affected in recent years. Gray racket. Photography: Ilan Burnakash

Caught in the net: what fish in Gaza?

In the Gaza Strip there is no law or supervision against fishing for protected species - therefore, sharks and bats that are in danger of extinction are hunted there freely. A new Israeli study presents a method for collecting data from social networks that allows us to map the phenomenon, and find out what is happening in the Gaza Strip
Stages in ringworm disease in women. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Pioneering research reveals: baldness due to illness or medical treatment has health, mental and social consequences

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The doctoral thesis of Dr. Liat Hooper from the Department of Social Work and the Faculty of Health Sciences revealed for the first time the existence of gender differences in the health and mental consequences of baldness, as a result of the radiation against ringworm
A robotic government official. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The Ministry of Innovation and the BARD Foundation will support Israeli-American R&D in the field of food security

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In addition, the Ministerial Committee for Science and Technology approved: the formulation of a national plan to promote the Blue-Tech field in Israel
bipolar disorder. Illustration: depositphotos.com

With a simple blood test it is possible to identify people dealing with bipolar disorder and whether they will respond to lithium treatment

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One of the most common treatments for bipolar disorder today is the drug lithium - a drug to which only about a third of patients respond. The research aims to understand what causes this
Advanced pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New molecular discoveries on the topic of preeclampsia - in a joint study by scientists from two faculties at the Technion

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Preeclampsia is a life-threatening multisystem disease and one of the main causes of maternal and fetal mortality. Its global prevalence is about 5% of pregnancies
Credit - the research group of Prof. Aviv Metzer and Dr. Tal Shahar

MRI scans can provide information about the iron balance in the brain to help monitor and diagnose various diseases, in a non-invasive manner

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This new measurement method, developed by PhD student Shir Filo and Prof. Metzer, will allow the extraction of precise biological values ​​on the brain, so that it will be possible to derive from an MRI test similar indicators to those obtained from a blood test or from a brain biopsy
The famous prehistoric rock paintings of Tsili N'Air, Algeria. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The evolutionary changes following the extinction of the large animals

The need to hunt small animals caused prehistoric man to improve his mental abilities in order to perfect his hunting tools
The molecule that carries with it a message of regeneration You are here Homepage > Publications > Science news in a friendly language > There is something new under the nerve Share tags Michael Feinzilbermike Feinzilber molecular neurobiology biomolecular sciences nervous system nerve cells communication between nerve cells Like geckos regrowing their tails, the nerve cell extensions in the peripheral nervous system also know how to regenerate after an injury. Unfortunately, the nerve cells of the central nervous system, i.e. the brain and spinal cord, have a much more limited ability to regenerate. Accordingly, diseases that lead to the degeneration and death of nerve cells in the brain, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS, are irreversible and incurable. What exactly gives the peripheral system - the one that connects the brain and the spinal cord to the body's organs - an increased capacity for regeneration? A new study by Weizmann Institute of Science scientists reveals that a protein, which until now has only been observed during embryonic development, has a key role in the regeneration of mature nerve cells of the peripheral nervous system. When embryonic cells differentiate into adult cells, the composition of the proteins they produce changes. In the case of nerve cells, it was common to think that a decrease in the levels of a protein called PTBP1 in embryonic cells is a key part of their transformation into mature cells of the nervous system. Previous studies have even shown that upon completion of the differentiation process and the transformation of the embryonic cells into mature nerve cells of the central nervous system, the production of the protein stops altogether. In recent years, these findings have led research groups to try to reproduce this process in the laboratory: to lower the PTBP1 protein levels in cells that are not nerve cells and thus produce mature nerve cells from them. The hope was that it would be possible to apply this method to patients with neurodegenerative diseases and to produce new nerve cells for them. From the right: Dr. Rinat Nebo, Dr. Natalya Okladnikov, Dr. Agustina Di Physio, Philip Freund, Dr. Ida Rischel, Prof. Michael (Mike) Feinzilber and Pierluigi Di Matteo However, in a new study, led by the researcher PhD candidate Dr. Stephanie Alber and doctoral student Pierluigi Di Matteo from the research group of Prof. Michael (Mike) Feinzylver in the Departments of Biomolecular Sciences and Molecular Neurobiology at the institute, it was surprisingly discovered that the PTBP1 protein is expressed not only in embryonic cells that have not yet undergone differentiation, but also in mature nerve cells - although not nerve cells of the central nervous system, but yes of the peripheral one. The researchers discovered this completely by accident, while studying processes in the sciatic nerve of mice, nerves that leave the spine and reach the foot. The original experiment carried out by the researchers was aimed at finding molecules that regulate the rate of production of another protein called KPNB1 - "postcarriage" - responsible for carrying most of the messages transmitted from the distant extensions of the nerve cells to the cell nucleus. Among its other functions, the KPNB1 protein is responsible for signaling to the cell nucleus that a nerve branch is injured, so that the cell can regenerate it. However, before the mail car can set off and carry messages from the branches to the nucleus, the cell is required to launch messenger RNA molecules that contain the "recipe" for the production of the mail car in the opposite path (from the nucleus to the branches). On the way or when arriving at the destination, other molecules may bind to the messenger, delaying or speeding it up and thus controlling the rate of production of the mail car. The surprising discovery in the new study was that not only was PTBP1 present in the mature cells, but it also bound tightly to the messenger RNA of the mail car. But does and how does it affect its production and the regeneration of nerve cells? "Tens of millions of people around the world suffer from diseases that lead to the degeneration and death of nerve cells in the brain. In order to understand why the central nervous system fails in its attempt to regenerate after an injury, we must first understand how the peripheral nervous system succeeds in doing so." To answer this question, the scientists followed the nerve cells' response to the injury and noticed that after three days the levels of PTBP1 in the cell began to rise and within A week they reached record levels. With the increase in PTBP1 levels, the researchers noticed that the nerve cell extensions begin to regenerate. Sequencing the messenger RNA molecules that bound to PTBP1 after the injury revealed that the protein binds not only to the messenger RNA molecules of the mail car, but also to other proteins that play a role in nerve regeneration. Dr. Stephanie Alber To continue investigating the activity of PTBP1 in adult cells, the researchers removed it from the cells through genetic engineering, and showed that as a result, the regeneration of nerve cells of the "alarm receptor" type - cells whose role is to transmit a sensation of pain in response to a harmful stimulus that could damage the tissue - was impaired. The scientists also examined whether silencing the gene had additional effects and discovered that it increased the sensitivity to mechanical stimuli and heat. In an attempt to deepen the understanding of how PTBP1 affects the regeneration of nerve cells, the researchers examined whether it also affects another protein, RHOA - an important "control switch" in the process of differentiation and regeneration of nerve cells. When the RHOA protein is produced at high levels, it acts as a sort of off switch that inhibits cell growth. The researchers discovered that PTBP1 suppresses the production of the control switch in the extensions of the nerve cells, thus enabling their growth and regeneration. These findings strengthen the possibility that the production of PTBP1 in peripheral nerve cells is what enables their efficient regeneration, unlike in the central nervous system. Sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system in culture.

There is a new one under the sadness

The molecule that carries with it a message of regeneration
Sniper fish. Photo: Dr. Orit Nafha, University of Haifa

Prosocial behavior in fish

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A new study conducted at the University of Haifa found that even the sniper fish, which lack the "higher" areas of the cerebral cortex, which are seen as being responsible for social behavior, act in a pro-social way towards their friends, until they feel "cheated"
The working principle of W. Photo: Ariel University

A robotics system to eradicate lung cancer will allow live imaging during examination and treatment

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The error rate of the existing biopsy tests is 30%. Mistakes that are fatal because the test turns up clay but the cancer exists and continues to spread. Good imaging can improve accuracy
Photo: Yossi Avgana

Buzzards ("Egyptian eagles") born in Israel, disappeared in Yemen - where found thanks to volunteers in Poland and Portugal through watching YouTube

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According to Dr. Motty Charter, the fact that two amateur observers are the ones who identified the raccoon, an endangered species, through watching the Charter Group's Birds Online YouTube channel, highlights the enormous importance of citizen science in protecting wildlife.
food waste Illustration: depositphotos.com

Save food, save the world

The cooperative economy tries to provide an answer to the loss of food
An artificial model of a human embryo in a developmental stage corresponding to day 12. The upper elliptical structure is the part that will become an embryo including the amniotic sac above it; The lower structure is the yolk sac. The interface between the two structures is an essential element for embryonic development in humans. Both parts are surrounded by a layer of cells which will become the placenta

A human embryo without the need for a sperm egg or uterus

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A pregnancy test detected the fetus in the test tube. The artificial models developed from stem cells - without egg, sperm or uterus - and grew in the laboratory until day 14
From 0 to 100%: the prediction provided by the model for metasynergy between different drugs

Drug combination in the fight against cancer: an innovative approach that combines biology, chemistry and artificial intelligence

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The internal structure of an animal cell. Illustration: depositphotos.com

On bacteria and economy - the National Science Foundation

An examination of known growth laws that were discovered recently, led to the discovery of new growth laws
The success of the model can improve the study of bird migration. Pelicans, photo: Reot Alon

If birds were visible to the planes

A new Israeli study presents a solution to the many accidents between aircraft and winged creatures, and for the first time succeeds in identifying with the help of radar flocks of large birds, which until now were considered "invisible"
Brain stimulation using electrodes. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Electrical recording from deep within the brain

Abnormal electrical activity in the brain triggers OCD and Parkinson's symptoms
X and Y chromosomes. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The complete sequence of the human Y chromosome was assembled for the first time

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Scientists have successfully sequenced the entire human Y chromosome, revealing critical genomic features. This groundbreaking research offers deep insights into human biology and potential medical advances. The new sequence reveals genomic factors in fertility, including sperm production.
Prof. Stephen Hawking and the computer he used for his mouth. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Read melodies from the brain with Pink Floyed

A new study, published in mid-August in the prestigious journal PLOS Biology, reveals a way to decipher the songs playing inside the brain. In doing so, he also provides an explanation about the way in which different areas of the brain perceive and respond to acoustic elements
Illustration: Sally Neve

A breakthrough in the treatment of herniated disc

Tissue engineering offers a solution for the treatment of disc herniations: an implant that combines synthetic hydrogel and living cartilage cells
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