Chloridionen helfen nicht nur dabei, Neuronen zu feuern – sie können auch dabei helfen, die Expression von Genen zu steuern

From the article:

„Chloride ions, best known for helping cells maintain fluid balance and electrical stability, may also play a more direct role in regulating brain development than previously thought. In a new study, published in the journal Science Signaling, scientists have found that the ions can alter the activity of a key RNA-processing enzyme, resulting in severe neurodevelopmental disorders.

Researchers at the Biosciences National Laboratory in Campinas, Brazil found that chloride ions interact with a critical region of an enzyme called DDX3X, interfering with its ability to unwind RNA. The unspooling of RNA, the team underscored, is an essential step in gene expression.

„Chloride homeostasis is pivotal during neurodevelopment and in multiple processes in mature neurons, and its disruption is implicated in several neurodevelopmental disorders,“ writes Dr. Ivan Rosa e Silva, lead author of the new research.

„Given that chloride plays key roles in multiple aspects of brain development and function, and that DDX3X is an important protein during neurodevelopment,“ Rosa e Silva continued, „we sought to investigate the effects of chloride on DDX3X stability and enzymatic activity.“