Proteins that researchers think are key to long-term memory formation also move genetic material between cells in both mice and flies.
A protein in the neurons of flies (Drosophila) is a surprising communicator.Credit: David Scharf/SPL.
The genomes of plants and animals are littered with the remains of viruses that integrated themselves into their DNA hundreds of millions of years ago. Most of these viral remnants are inactive, but the latest research suggests that some evolved into genes that let cells communicate.
A pair of papers1,2 published in Cell on 11 January suggest that the protein encoded by one such gene uses its virus-like structure to shuttle information between cells: a new form of cellular communication that may be key to long-term memory formation and other neurological functions.
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