The question of whether there are long-lived molecules in the brain that may be vulnerable to damage is intriguing. While direct evidence is lacking, researchers have found long-lived nuclear pore proteins and now, another group presents evidence for long-lived RNA molecules.
Most cells in the body renew regularly, but exceptions like neurons in the brain do not. Researchers have shown that specific types of RNA in neurons exist as long as the neurons themselves, unlike most short-lived RNA molecules. They identified these long-lived RNAs in older animals, emphasizing their crucial role in regulating chromatin.
Experiments with adult neural stem cells demonstrated that reducing the concentration of long-lived RNAs led to impaired chromatin integrity, further supporting their importance in cell function.
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