Subatomic Protons Act Like Nerve-Signal Transmitters

Muscles usually contract when a neurotransmitter molecule is released from nerve cells onto muscle cells. But University of Utah scientists discovered that bare subatomic protons can act like larger, more complex neurotransmitters, making gut muscles contract in tiny round worms so the worms can poop.”There are relatively few molecules that serve as neurotransmitters to trigger electrical changes in cells.

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Filed under: Biology on January 12th, 2008