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Science On The Cutting Edge from page 20 problem for Florida and the nation to understand and solve, modulated the activity of one specifically involved in
Puthanveettil said. Exploring the molecular workings of memory formation, CaMKII.
Sathya Puthanveettil, Ph.D., the study’s corresponding learning and memory can provide new insights about such This discovery opens many new avenues for further
author, said the research also adds an important piece to disease processes, he said. study, Puthanveettil said.
the enormously complex puzzle of how and why neurons Jenna L. Wingfield, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in “We need to pinpoint its role in development and
deliver such RNAs long distances, to their synapses, the Puthanveettil’s group and co-first author on the new study, disease,” Puthanveettil said. “There are a lot of molecular
junctions between neurons. said despite how it sounds, SLAMR’s name wasn’t chosen insights that need to be explored further.”
“This actually changes the ways that we think about because it evoked images of noisy prison doors. Rather, The study, “Synaptically targeted long non-coding
how synapses work,” Puthanveettil said. it’s short for “Synaptically Localized Activity Modulated RNA SLAMR promotes structural plasticity by increasing
Having the lncRNAs.” The “lncRNA” part of its name is shorthand for translation and CaMKII activity,” appeared online on
RNA right where “long noncoding RNA,” which are RNA of more than 200 March 27 in the journal Nature Communications. In
it’s needed, at the bases not involved in building proteins, but in coordinating addition to Wingfield, Espadas, Kiebler, Yasuda, Rangaraju
ends of elongated certain cell activities. and Puthanveettil, authors included Yoshihisa Nakahta,
brain cells, enables Other authors include Ryohei Yasuda, Ph.D., scientific Ilika Ghosh from the Max Planck Florida Institute for
the brain’s rapid director, and Vidhya Rangaraju, Ph.D., group leader, at the Neuroscience; Kaushik Chanda, Eddie Grinman and
response to an alarm Max Plank Florida Institute for Neuroscience; Michael Bindu Raveendra from The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps
signal. But how does Kiebler, Ph.D., of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology; and
it move there? The Munich, Germany; and members of their labs. The other Karl E. Bauer from Ludwig-Maximilian University
study also discerned first author was Isabel Espadas, Ph.D., then a postdoctoral Munich, in Germany.
the molecular researcher with Puthanveettil’s lab. This research was supported by grants from the National
motor, or courier, Green, blue and pink tags show the Long noncoding RNAs play important roles in Institutes of Health (5R01MH094607-05,1R21DA039417-
that neurons use to path of the SLAMR noncoding RNA managing the activities inside cells. Which ones and 01A1, 1F32MH131420-01A1, and 1R01MH119541-
move SLAMR from as it moves within a neuron. Bumps precisely how they carry out their duties aren’t well 01A1), the Max Planck Society and the German Research
cell body to synapse. on the branches are dendritic spines, understood, Puthanveettil said. Cells have tens of Foundation. Posted in Neuroscience, News.
Coincidentally, the critical for memory. Image by Jenna thousands of them.
courier, KIF5C, was Wingfield, Ph.D., at The Wertheim Their study originated with a discussion Puthanveettil
one discovered by UF Scripps Institute. had with Espadas in 2016, about how to search for long
their lab in a 2021 noncoding RNAs involved in fear conditioning. The
paper. They found it helped neurons build connections scientists opted for a standard mouse experiment, a mild
during memory formation. foot shock, and monitored whether the mice later recalled
The scientists’ findings raise many questions, including the experience. Mice that remembered would freeze when
whether changes in SLAMR and its interacting partners reintroduced to the chamber. MPFI Establishes Its First
may play a role in memory loss, a hallmark of diseases Sequencing the RNA from their neurons in specific
such as Alzheimer’s. regions of their brain revealed elevation of SLAMR. More International Partner Group
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that about study showed that if it’s not present, mice fail to build
580,000 Floridians over age 65 have Alzheimer’s. densely branched dendrites, leading to fewer synaptic The Max Planck Partner Group Will Be
Nationally, about 7 million people in the United States connections, Puthanveettil said. Enriching it created Headed By Dr. Anant Jain Of CHINTA, TCG
live with Alzheimer’s. That number is expected to rise more dense and complex connections. They traced how CREST In Kolkata, India
to 13 million by 2050, making it an urgently important SLAMR directed production of multiple proteins, and The Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI) for Neuroscience
Dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, will establish its first International Partner Group in India. Dr.

Anant Jain, a former MPFI scientist in the lab of Dr. Ryohei
Gifted Testing Yasuda, will begin his own research group at the Centres for
High Impact Neuroscience and Translational Applications
(CHINTA), TCG Centres for Research Education Science
and Technology (CREST).
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Drs. Anant Jain (left) and Ryohel Yasuda (right) discuss their
new partnership.
Susan Has Moved To A “I am thrilled to head the Max Planck Partner Group,

which will create a formal channel of collaboration between
New Location! my new group and the experts at MPFI. This partnership will
help launch my research program in India,” says Jain.
The Max Planck Partner Group program aims to
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collaborations with countries interested in strengthening their
research. The program is aimed at talented junior researchers
4031 Hood Rd., Suite C-108 who have previously worked at a Max Planck Institute and
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 enables them to continue their work while establishing a new
research group abroad. There are more than 70 Max Planck
Susan Partner Groups worldwide.

Jain’s research will focus on mechanisms that maintain
brain stability. These mechanisms, known as homeostatic
Swafford plasticity, compensate for rapid changes during learning
to maintain brain activity within a range required for brain
health. “These changes are critical to rebalance our brain
circuits and maintain the ability to keep learning throughout
561-312-0457 life,” explains Jain. “We have a limited understanding of how
homeostatic mechanisms work in the context of learning, and
hope to provide insights into this.” Jain’s research will also
use cellular models of autism to investigate how homeostatic
10% processes work differently in people with autism. Children
with autism have a much higher incidence of epileptic
seizures, which are a hallmark of homeostatic failure.
OFF biosensors to see homeostatic mechanisms as they function.
Critical to Jain’s work is the development of novel
This biotechnology innovation is one area that will be aided
Tues. by his partnership with MPFI, home to two world experts in
biosensor development, Dr. Ryohei Yasuda and Dr. Lin Tian.
Products starting at 69 Yasuda describes his enthusiasm for the partnership, “I
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Science On The Cutting Edge on page 23