Scientists open essential protein gateway to learning and memory

A team of researchers was able to observe at the atomic level the “gate” of a protein essential for learning and memory. This discovery could be used to develop drugs against schizophrenia, stroke and other neurological diseases.

This was achieved by researchers from the National Center for Cancer Research (CNIO), the Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB Barcelona), the Network Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (Ciberer) and the University of Barcelona, ​​the results of which were published in the journal Nature Communications. .


In a note published today, the CNIO noted that all human behavior – learning from experience, remembering jokes or changing attitudes – is the result of the exchange of chemical compounds between neurons, so-called neurotransmitters.

And figuring out what exactly happens at the molecular level when neurons communicate with each other, in a process called “synapses,” has important implications for understanding the human brain in general and, in particular, for helping to address mental health problems.

The researchers were able to observe and describe the structure of a protein (Asc-1) present in the membrane of neurons, a protein that acts as a “gate” that opens and closes and also acts as a specific transporter of certain amino acids. learning and memory.

The activity of this protein, as recalled in the CNIO, is associated with various types of mental illnesses, and knowledge of its three-dimensional form will allow the development of new drugs for these pathologies.

Scientist Oscar Llorca from the CNIO explained that modulating the activity of this protein could be a therapeutic strategy for conditions such as stroke and schizophrenia, and elaborated that determining its structure at atomic resolution is important “because it can help in” the search for compounds that change its activity.”

Collaboration between different research centers has been key to unraveling the mysteries of this protein and giving researchers unprecedented insight into its structure and function.

“This discovery not only sheds light on the complex cellular machinery underlying fundamental cognitive processes, but also brings us closer to developing more precise therapeutic interventions for a range of neurological disorders,” said Manuel Palacin, director of the Laboratory of Amino Acid Transporters and Diseases. at the Barcelona IRB and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona.

In addition to Oscar Llorca and Manuel Palacin, the co-authors of this work are Ekaitz Errasti-Murugarren from the University of Barcelona and Ciberer, and the first signatories are Josep Rullo-Tubau (IRB Barcelona) and Maria Martínez Molledo (CNIO). The research centers announced this today, highlighting that most of the funding came from the La Caixa Foundation and the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

All cells of the body have in their membrane “gates” for the exchange of substances with the external environment: proteins that constantly open and close in accordance with the needs of the cell.

This protein (Asc-1) is found primarily in neurons of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, in the brain, and specializes in introducing or removing two amino acids from the neuron, which are fundamental for neural connections (synapses) involved in learning and memory. and brain plasticity—the ability of the nervous system to change its circuits in response to a new environment.

Fluctuations in the supply of these amino acids are associated with schizophrenia, stroke, ALS and other neurological diseases, according to the CNIO, which noted that attempts have been made for some time, so far unsuccessful, to develop regulatory drugs. activity of this disease to treat these diseases, so detailed knowledge of their atomic structure can provide key information to achieve this goal.