RNA Metabolism in Neurological Disease

Complex networks of RNA-protein interactions regulate post-transcriptional gene expression. RNA metabolism is particularly complex in neurons, involving extensive diversification of gene expression through splicing and redistribution of RNA subsets to the distant compartments where they ultimately function. In recent years, perturbation of RNA metabolism has emerged as a consistent underlying defect in certain neurological diseases, suggesting that aspects of RNA metabolism that are unique to the nervous system may also create unique vulnerabilities.