Learning Gene Passes between Neurons via Retrovirus-Like Mechanism

A neuron’s genetic material can literally “go viral.” The genetic material, messenger RNA (mRNA) from the Arc gene, can be passed from neuron to neuron via extracellular vesicles and capsids, rather like retroviral RNA. This finding, which emerged from two recent studies, helps explain why the Arc protein shares features with proteins found in certain viruses like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Apparently, infectious retroelements have been repurposed during evolution to d