Penn Researchers Reveal Inner Workings of Transcription Factor Protein in Neuronal Cell Dendrites; Cell-Death Protein Could Play a Role in Neurodegeneration and Schizophrenia.

AScribe Health News Service, June, 2006

Byline: University of Pennsylvania Health System

PHILADELPHIA, June 6 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a protein called Elk-1 interacts with mitochondria, the energy storehouse of a cell, suggesting that this protein - typically active in the nucleus - could play a role in cell death, and mitochondria-related diseases such as neurodegeneration and schizophrenia.

The neuron is a particular type of cell in the brain that is responsible for, among other tasks, learning and memory, cognitive function, and other higher-order physiologies. The neuronal cell exhibits a complex structure where fine hairlike structures called dendrites receive signals from other neurons. These signals are...

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