They found that the Mirnas of these rats were comparable with those of germ-free mice.
Mirnas are short,
non-coding RNAs- a molecule that is simpler than DNA but can also encode information.
When Mirnas were supplied alone to mice lacking
stem cells they actually showed similar improvements to those who received stem-cell treatment.
Mature Mirnas are structurally similar to siRNAs produced from exogenous dsRNA,
but before reaching maturity, Mirnas must first undergo extensive post-transcriptional modification.
Specifically, we will examine the expression of Mirnas in normal
and glaucomatous ONH astrocytes and lamina cribrosa cells to determine which Mirnas are associated with glaucoma.
Importantly, when the researchers introduced bacteria to the guts of the germ-free mice in later life,
some of the differences in Mirnas within the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex disappeared.
This is early-stage research but
the possibility of achieving the desired impact on Mirnas in specific brain regions by targeting the gut microbiota-
for example, by using psychobiotics- is an appealing prospect.".