A retrovirus embedded in the DNA of some vertebrates helps turn on production of a protein needed to insulate nerve cells, aiding speedy thoughts.
helps turn on production of a protein. Such insulation, called myelin, may have helped make speedy thoughts and complex brains possible.
Retroviruses — also known as jumping genes or retrotransposons — are RNA viruses that make DNA copies of themselves to embed in a host’s DNA. Scientists once thought of remnants of ancient viruses as genetic garbage, but that impression is changing, says neuroscientist Jason Shepherd, who was not involved in the study.
Coated nerve fibers can also be thinner and grow longer than they would without insulation, enabling animals to grow bigger, says Robin Franklin, a stem cell biologist at Altos Labs-Cambridge Institute of Science in England. And, he says, thinner fibers can be packed into the nervous system more efficiently.
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