Process leading to protein diversity in cells important for proper neurone firing

Cells have their own version of the cut-and-paste editing function called splicing. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have documented a novel form of splicing in the cytoplasm of a nerve cell, which dictates a special form of a potassium channel protein in the outer membrane. The channel protein is found in the dendrites of hippocampus cells - the seat of memory, learning, and spatial navigation - and is involved in coordinating the electrical firing of nerve cells. Dendrites, which branch from the cell body of the neurone, play a key role in the communication between cells of the nervous system...

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