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The new study focused on Wnt7a, a protein essential for development, growth, regeneration, and cancer. “Researchers have been trying for years to turn Wnt7a into a muscle regeneration drug, but it is very difficult to deliver Wnt7a throughout the body, since it is covered in fatty molecules that don’t mix well with body fluid,” said first author Uxia Gurriaran-Rodriguez, PhD, Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE).

Wnt7a was identified as a long-distance signaling molecule found on the surface of exosomes following muscle injury. Due to its many hydrophobic components, it was necessary to isolate smaller portions of the Wnt7a protein to determine the smallest functional segment required for attachment to an exosome. Through selective deletion of various components of Wnt7a, the team found the smallest functional segment needed for exosome binding.

This segment turned out to be an 18-amino-acid sequence, which the team termed Exosome Binding Peptide (EBP). The team found that “addition of EBP to an unrelated protein directed secretion on extracellular vesicles.” EBP binds to coatomer proteins, proteins that coat membrane-bound transport vesicles, on exosomes, and through follow-up structural experiments, the team determined this is a conserved function across the Wnt protein family. EBP can be used to direct other proteins to exosomes, effectively allowing for targeted delivery of exosomes and their contents.

Scientists from the Kavli Institute of Delft University of Technology and the IMP Vienna Biocenter have discovered a new property of the molecular motors that shape our chromosomes. While six years ago they found that these so-called SMC motor proteins make long loops in our DNA, they have now discovered that these motors also put significant twists into the loops that they form.

These findings help us better understand the structure and function of our chromosomes. They also provide insight into how disruption of twisted DNA looping can affect health—for instance, in developmental diseases like “cohesinopathies.” The scientists published their findings in Science Advances.

Imagine trying to fit two meters of rope into a space much smaller than the tip of a needle—that’s the challenge every cell in your body faces when packing its DNA into its tiny nucleus. To achieve this, nature employs ingenious strategies, like twisting the DNA into coils of coils, so-called “supercoils” and wrapping it around special proteins for compact storage.

Boosting the endocannabinoid 2-AG in the brain can counteract opioid addiction while preserving their pain relief, a Weill Cornell Medicine study finds. This approach, tested in mice using the chemical JZL184, may lead to safer treatments for pain management.

The natural enhancement of chemicals produced by the body, known as endocannabinoids, may mitigate the addictive properties of opioids like morphine and oxycodone while preserving their pain-relieving effects, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine in collaboration with The Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian. Endocannabinoids interact with cannabinoid receptors found throughout the body, which play a role in regulating functions such as learning and memory, emotions, sleep, immune response, and appetite.

Opioids prescribed to control pain can become addictive because they not only dull pain, but also produce a sense of euphoria. The preclinical study, published recently in the journal Science Advances, may lead to a new type of therapeutic that could be taken with an opioid regimen to only reduce the reward aspect of opioids.

The Tbx1 gene influences brain volume and social behavior in autism and schizophrenia, with its deficiency linked to amygdala shrinkage and impaired social incentive evaluation.

A study published in Molecular Psychiatry has linked changes in brain volume to differences in social behavior associated with psychiatric conditions like autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.

The research, led by Noboru Hiroi, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), revealed that a deficiency in a specific gene was connected to social behavior differences in mice. These behavioral differences are similar to those often observed in psychiatric disorders.

Researchers have developed a method using viruses to track neuronal development in frogs, shedding light on the evolution of vertebrate nervous systems and offering comparative insights with mammals.

Although viruses are typically associated with illnesses, not all viruses are harmful or cause disease. Some are instrumental in therapeutic treatments and vaccinations. In scientific research, viruses are often used to infect certain cells, genetically modify them, or visualize neurons in the organism’s central nervous system (CNS)—the command center made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

The highlighting process has now been successfully applied to amphibians, which are crucial for understanding the brain and spinal cord of tetrapods—four-limbed animals, including humans. This has been shown in a new study by an international EDGE consortium jointly led by the Sweeney Lab at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Tosches Lab at Columbia University.

Russian telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor has blocked the Viber encrypted messaging app, used by hundreds of millions worldwide, for violating the country’s legislation.

“Access to the Viber service is restricted due to the violation of the requirements of Russian legislation for organizers of information dissemination,” Russia’s internet regulator said in a press statement.

“Compliance with the requirements is necessary to prevent threats of using the messenger for terrorist and extremist purposes, recruiting citizens to commit them, selling drugs, as well as in connection with the posting of illegal information.”

In a world’s first, surgeons from NYU Langone Health performed a successful fully roboitc double lung transplant.

A research team led by Prof. Wang Haoyi from the Institute of Zoology (IOZ) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell exhaustion model and a functional screening platform for identifying compounds that can rejuvenate exhausted T cells.

Using this innovative platform, the team identified the small-molecule compound miltefosine, which significantly enhances the tumor-killing activity of CAR-T cells. This study was published in Cell Reports Medicine on December 9.

T cell exhaustion is a differentiation state that arises when T cells are exposed to persistent antigen stimulation. This state is characterized by a progressive loss of effector functions, sustained expression of inhibitory receptors, impaired proliferation, and compromised mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis capacity.

Though Elon Musk’s Neuralink put wireless brain implants in the spotlight — in early 2024, Musk announced his company’s first implant was successful — the research and development of these devices has spanned decades. The BrainGate clinical trials have been underway for 20 years, and the consortium’s wireless implant marks the first time a person has used an implant with high bandwidth capabilities.

Wireless technologies are opening doors in neuroscience, enabling new capabilities in communication, treatment, and research. Because wireless implants can monitor the brain for long periods of time, they offer a unique opportunity to examine neural dynamics, increasing our understanding of the human mind. Their cord-free design also benefits people hoping to use these devices outside a research setting and improve their quality of life.

The first brain implant is credited to neurologist Phil Kennedy, who had the device surgically affixed to his brain. Today, wired implants are less invasive and widely used. They can help prevent seizures, manage OCD symptoms, and treat movement disorders.