The brain is a sophisticated filter that removes toxic substances without the risk of developing chronic diseases. To do this, neurons depend on two large complexes that can detect molecules that make them vulnerable to toxicants and remove them.

To find out how the two complexes work, the scientists at the Institute of Genetic and Medical Radiation Physics (ISPER) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have studied non-receptor molecules and probes known as microRNAs. Soon after the discovery was made, they noticed that microRNAs dominated the clusters forming these clusters and correlated with the number of clusters formed. As a result, the researchers conducted subsequent experiments using X-ray scattering and other methods to understand the processes of microRNAs and toxin clearance. The results of this work are now published in Nature Translational Medicine.

Each of the eight microRNAs signals RNA molecules that are members of the therapy complex, including genes that control gene expression.