Neuroscience & Psychology

How Neurons Pick Just One Scent Receptor

▪️Researchers studying clonal raider ants have uncovered how each sensory neuron manages to express just one odorant receptor gene from a library of hundreds. Unlike fruit flies or mammals, ants employ a unique system of transcriptional interference: once one receptor gene is chosen, surrounding genes are silenced by readthrough and antisense transcripts.

▪️This creates a protective molecular bubble, ensuring the neuron maintains a single identity. The findings not only solve a long-standing puzzle in insect biology but also suggest a general strategy genomes may use to regulate large families of genes.

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294 viewsH., edited  Sep 20 at 17:13

How Neurons Pick Just One Scent Receptor

▪️Researchers studying clonal raider ants have uncovered how each sensory neuron manages to express just one odorant receptor gene from a library of hundreds. Unlike fruit flies or mammals, ants employ a unique system of transcriptional interference: once one receptor gene is chosen, surrounding genes are silenced by readthrough and antisense transcripts.

▪️This creates a protective molecular bubble, ensuring the neuron maintains a single identity. The findings not only solve a long-standing puzzle in insect biology but also suggest a general strategy genomes may use to regulate large families of genes.

🆔@neurocognitionandlearning

BY Neuroscience & Psychology