Key differences in RNA editing found between postmortem and living brain

In a recent study in Nature Communications , researchers examined the adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) nucleoside editing of postmortem and live prefrontal cortical tissues. Researchers found that RNA editing levels were significantly higher in postmortem brain tissue compared to living tissue. Alexander W.

Charney, MD, PhD, co-senior author of the study and Associate Professor of Psychiatry , Genetic and Genomic Sciences, Neuroscience, and Neurosurgery at Icahn Mount Sinai and co-lead of the Living Brain Project stated: "Understanding these differences helps improve our knowledge of brain function and disease through the lens of RNA editing modifications, which can potentially lead to better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.” Recent research on molecular alterations in response to ischemia exposures has helped us grasp adenosine-to-inosine editing within the mammalian brain. Fresh brain tissue from living human donors enables a more accurate examination by eliminating postmortem tissue analysis confounds.

Adenosine-to-inosine editing is critical for the central nervous system's function, and incorrect control can result in neurological diseases. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is stable over long postmortem periods, but ribonucleic acid (RNA) is more vulnerable. The distinction between the living and postmortem central nervous system (CNS) tissues is critical for understanding brain illness and aging.

The present study investigated adenosine-to-inosine editing changes in hum.