Contrary to a long-held consensus among neuroscientists, neurons can and do fuse, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Until now, most researchers assumed nerve cells remained separate, but scientists at the University of Queensland successfully engineered nematode worms to express fusogens in their neurons, causing their brain cells to fuse together.

Fusogens, molecules that control cell fusion in other types of tissue, are rarely found in the nervous system, except as a result of viral infections or neurological diseases, like sclerosis and schizophrenia.

"We have limited knowledge of the effect of fusogens in neurons, and what happens if neurons fuse together, so we explored these questions in the one millimeter-long nematode worm C. elegans, where we can easily visualize neurons under the microscope and manipulate their genes," Massimo Hilliard, professor of biological chemistry at Queensland, said in a news release.

"When the nerve cells fused, we found that their electric circuits became coupled together and this affected the animal's behavior -- we can liken this to two rooms, each with its own light switch -- a problem with the electric circuit causes one switch to turn the lights on in both rooms," said Hilliard, a professor of biological chemistry at Queensland.

For their experiments, Hilliard and his colleagues triggered the fusion of neurons responsible for the nematode's smelling abilities. When the neurons expressed fusogens and fused, the worms were unable to track down food and failed to turn away from the smell of danger.

The study's results suggest cell fusion could play a role in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders.

"We know that viruses can infect the brain -- herpes simplex virus has been found in the brain cells of some patients with Alzheimer's disease -- causing havoc and resulting in disease," Giordano-Santini said.

In followup studies, scientists plan to investigate the possibility of neuron fusion in brain cells of mammals.

"Understanding more about neuronal fusion will allow us to determine how often it occurs in human disease conditions, and eventually develop ways to prevent it or to rescue neurons from this fate," Hilliard said.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Tropical songbirds stop breeding to survive drought
London (AFP) Aug 24, 2020
Songbirds in tropical rainforests curtail their reproduction to help them survive droughts, according to a study Monday. Species with longer lifespans were better able to cope with this environmental volatility than previously thought, researchers found. With more record hot spells gripping parts of the planet and biodiversity threatened by human encroachment on habitats, a crucial question is whether species can adapt to these ever-harsher conditions. Droughts - expected to become more ... read more