Genes have a major role in memory development

Scientists from the American Institute of Children's Medicine have discovered Prox1 plays a key role in the normal development of the learning and memory areas in the brain.

The Prox1 gene always ensures flexibility throughout a person's life, moreover, it is important for mammals.

Scientists have for the first time explained in detail the function of the Prox1 gene in the human brain.

Photos are for illustrative purposes only. (Source: Internet)

The aim of the research is to focus on the dentate gyrus region in the brain. This is the area that forms the function of memory and learning control, and is also a place of granulosa cell subduction from nerve stem cells.

In the dentate gyrus area, neural stem cells continuously produce precursor cells and eventually form neurons.

Prox1 is a transcription factor. Previous research has shown that, during the growth of dentate gyrus, the Prox1 gene has been shown to play a certain role in some cancers.

In the dentate gyrus area of ​​the adult brain of mature mammals, nerve stem cells have turned into granulosa cells from pristine mother cells and intermediate primary cells.

During this period, the Prox1 gene is very flexible and produced from intermediate primary cells. However, the lack of Prox1 gene will cause intermediate primary cell death. Without intermediate primary cells, new granulosa cells will not be produced.

In the experiment, the scientists removed the Prox1 gene during various stages of the mouse's development, which caused the dentate gyrus area to function abnormally.

Scientists say that intermediate cells lose the Prox1 gene, causing their mother cells, ie, nerve cells to disappear. The existence of daughter cells is necessary to maintain mother cells. This shows that Prox1 gene has a close relationship with signal feedback mechanism when stem cells stop differentiating.