Neuroscience

Articles and news from the latest research reports.

Posts tagged lncRNA

166 notes

Dark matter DNA active in brain during day — night cycle

NIH study of rats shows DNA regions thought inactive highly involved in body’s clock

Long stretches of DNA once considered inert dark matter appear to be uniquely active in a part of the brain known to control the body’s 24-hour cycle, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Working with material from rat brains, the researchers found some expanses of DNA contained the information that generate biologically active molecules. The levels of these molecules rose and fell, in synchrony with 24-hour cycles of light and darkness. Activity of some of the molecules peaked at night and diminished during the day, while the remainder peaked during the day and diminished during the night.

Read more …

Filed under brain pineal gland melatonin lncRNA genomics neuroscience circadian rhythms science

free counters