Kidney cells, just like neurons in the brain, have the ability to store information and recognize patterns, according to a recent study published in Nature Communications. While this doesn’t mean that kidney cells can help you remember your childhood memories or learn complex subjects like trigonometry, it does expand our understanding of how memory works in the body.
In experiments conducted by researchers at New York University, kidney cells displayed a “massed-space effect,” a feature of memory storage where information is stored in small chunks over time rather than all at once. This effect is well-known in the brain but was not previously observed in non-neuronal cells like kidney cells.
The key to this memory processing in cells is a protein called CREB, which is central to the memory process. This protein, along with other molecular components of memory, is found in both neurons and nonneuronal cells. The researchers wanted to determine if CREB in kidney cells responds to signals in the same way as it does in neurons.
To test this, the researchers inserted an artificial gene into human embryonic kidney cells that mimicked the naturally occurring DNA sequence that CREB activates. This artificial gene also included instructions for producing a glowing protein found in fireflies. By observing the cells’ response to artificial chemical signals that mimic memory triggers in neurons, the researchers were able to assess how the memory gene was activated.
Different timing patterns of chemical pulses resulted in varying responses in the kidney cells. For example, when the cells received four three-minute pulses separated by 10 minutes, the glowing protein produced was stronger compared to cells that received a single 12-minute pulse. This suggests that nonneuronal cells, like kidney cells, can exhibit memory-like responses when faced with complex tasks.
While the generalizability of these findings to other types of cells remains uncertain, the study opens up possibilities for understanding gene expression in nonneuronal cells. The research could also have implications for developing potential treatments for diseases that involve memory loss, such as cancer.
The lead researcher, Nikolay Kukushkin, believes that the ability of the body to store information could have significant implications for health. For example, considering cancer cells as having memories could lead to insights on how they respond to chemotherapy treatments. By understanding the time patterns of drug administration, researchers may be able to develop more effective treatment strategies in the future.
