“Discovery of the Yap1 protein: Triggering neurogenesis in the hippocampus for memory and learning”

A key protein that triggers neurogenesis in the hippocampus (an area of ​​the brain responsible for memory and learning) has been discovered by a team of researchers, their study was recently published in The EMBO Journal.

Neurogenesis is the process by which new neurons are produced by neural stem cells in the brain. It is a phenomenon with a particularly important role in embryonic development, but also continues in some regions of the brain after birth and throughout adult life. In adulthood, neurogenesis is mainly responsible for brain plasticity.

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“When we talk about neuroplasticity, we’re really talking about our ability to shape our brains and rewrite neural circuits in adulthood. These aspects are extremely important for curing certain psychological problems, for evolution, but also for longevity”, says professor Dumitru Constantin Dulcan in an exclusive interview for CSID.

The protein that “wakes up” the cells responsible for new neurons

In the adult hippocampus, most stem cells are maintained in quiescence, a sleep-like state. This reversible “pause” protects the stem cells from possible damage and controls the rate of neurogenesis, namely the number of new neurons and the survival of newly appeared neurons.

But when needed, these “sleeping” cells can be activated by mechanisms that are not yet fully understood.

Researchers from the Center for Developmental Neurobiology tried to decipher this mechanism underlying neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. Through RNA sequencing, they found that the Yap1 protein is abundantly produced in activated neural stem cells.

Further, they used cell cultures from the hippocampus region and observed that the translocation of the Yap1 protein causes neural stem cells to activate or “wake up”. Conversely, insufficient amounts of Yap1 could favor the development of brain tumors, the researchers believe.

“We hope that this discovery will help dispel the mystery of the mechanism that controls neurogenesis, especially in adulthood. It is possible that understanding these mechanisms will provide effective new treatment methods for aggressive brain cancers such as glioblastoma,” said Professor Benedikt Berninger, lead author of the study.

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