Newly Discovered Protein Makes Faster Transmissions in Brain

(University of Basel, June 20, 2013)

New findings about the mSYDI protein have been published in the journal 'Neuron' by the research group of Professor Perter Scheiffele at the University Basel. The team has discovered a new mechanism that confirms faster signal transmissions. When a neuron is activated, it opens vesicles at the edge of the synapse, the so-called active zone, and sends the messenger to the neighboring cell. Peter Scheiffele's group has identified a previously unknown protein called mSYD1, which regulates the accumulation of vesicles in the active zone. These results bring a new insight into the mechanisms underlying the creation of neural networks. MSYD1 is located within a group of genes which are inactive in patients with a developmental disorder such as autism. Further, work now includes the exploration of how the inactivation of mSYD1 affects the behavior of mice which could bridge the missing link in the fundamental processes of autistic disorders.