Tangled Web (image)
Caption
Pictured is a mouse hippocampal neuron studded with thousands of synaptic connections (yellow). The number and location of synapses -- not too many or too few -- is critical to healthy brain function. The researchers found that MHCI proteins, known for their role in the immune system, also are one of the only known factors that ensure synapse density is not too high. The protein does so by inhibiting insulin receptors, which promote synapse formation.
Credit
Image courtesy of Lisa Boulanger, Department of Molecular Biology
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