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Updated: Nov 20, 2025

Single-cell Microinjection for Cell Communication Analysis
Published on: February 26, 2017
Intercellular Communication in the Nervous System Goes Viral
Michael P Hantak1, Jenifer Einstein1, Rachel B Kearns1
1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Abstract:
Viruses and transposable elements are major drivers of evolution and make up over half the sequences in the human genome. In some cases, these elements are co-opted to perform biological functions for the host. Recent studies made the surprising observation that the neuronal gene Arc forms virus-like protein capsids that can transfer RNA between neurons to mediate a novel intercellular communication pathway. Phylogenetic analyses showed that mammalian Arc is derived from an ancient retrotransposon of the Ty3/gypsy family and contains homology to the retroviral Gag polyproteins. The Drosophila Arc homologs, which are independently derived from the same family of retrotransposons, also mediate cell-to-cell signaling of RNA at the neuromuscular junction; a striking example of convergent evolution. Here we propose an Arc 'life cycle', based on what is known about retroviral Gag, and discuss how elucidating these biological processes may lead to novel insights into brain plasticity and memory.
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