One of the most intriguing developments in contemporary biology is the discovery of widespread and common occurrence of so-called natural antisense transcripts (NATs) in higher organisms including humans. The vast majority of NATs can neither be translated into proteins nor perform any structural functions and therefore formally belong to a family of non-coding RNAs. To the surprise of many, most recent studies indicate that NATs are engaged in a variety of important biological functions through the regulation of gene expression. A particularly exciting aspect of research in this area has arisen from observations showing that NATs are especially prevalent in the nervous system. The major focus of our research is a distinct type of NATs that is expressed in the brain tissue and is likely to be involved in the control of the production of a very important signalling molecule known as nitric oxide or NO. NO has been implicated in a variety of physiological (memory formation, neuronal differentiation, blood pressure regulation etc.) and pathophysiological (neuroinflammation, neoplastic and neurodegenerative diseases) processes. Consequently, our studies of a novel mechanism controlling the production of endogenous NO in humans contribute to a better understanding of both fundamental neuronal functions and molecular processes underlying diseases of the central nervous system.

Korneev Gallery

Images from research in the Korneev lab