In a recent study by scientists from Germany, Austria, and the United States, certain ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules have been found within brain neurons to sustain life without renewal, exhibiting remarkable longevity. This discovery promises insights into unraveling the complex aging processes of the brain and understanding degenerative diseases better. The research paper has been published in the latest issue of the journal Science.
Researchers from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany emphasized that aging neurons constitute significant risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Understanding the aging process and identifying key components involved in maintaining cellular function are crucial for developing effective therapies.
The new study identified a critical component of brain aging: certain types of RNA molecules possess lifespans equivalent to that of neurons themselves. This finding is surprising as most RNA molecules have very short lifespans and undergo constant turnover.
To ascertain the lifespan of RNA molecules, researchers labeled RNA with fluorescent molecules and tracked their longevity within mouse brain cells. They even identified notably long-lived RNA molecules in two-year-old animals. These RNA molecules were found not only in animal neurons but also in their adult brain stem cells.
Furthermore, they discovered that Longevity RNA (LL-RNA) tends to reside within the cell nucleus, closely associated with chromatin. Chromatin is a complex of DNA and proteins that forms chromosomes. This suggests that LL-RNA plays a crucial role in chromatin regulation. To validate this hypothesis, the research team reduced the concentration of LL-RNA within adult neural stem cell models, resulting in severe impairment of chromatin integrity.
The research team believes that LL-RNA plays a significant role in long-term regulation of genome stability, contributing to lifelong protection for neuronal cells. They plan to delve deeper into understanding the biophysical mechanisms behind this protection, the biological functions of LL-RNA in chromatin regulation, and the impact of aging on these mechanisms.
