Saturday, April 08, 2017

Squid and octopus can edit and direct their own brain genes

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2127103-squid-and-octopus-can-edit-and-direct-their-own-brain-genes/
"Unlike other animals, cephalopods – the family that includes octopuses, squid and cuttlefish – do not obey the commands of their DNA to the letter.
Instead, they sometimes interfere with the code as it is being carried by a molecular “messenger”. This has the effect of diversifying the proteins their cells can produce, leading to some interesting variations.
.....
The mechanics of cephalopod RNA editing are still being investigated.
“When do they turn it on, and under what environmental influences? It could be something as simple as temperature changes or as complicated as experience, a form of memory,” says Joshua Rosenthal, lead author from the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, US."

No comments: