Musings: 2026 (current posts)

Anxiety. 1. A choline connection

January 28, 2026

We have two recent articles on anxiety -- on the biology behind the phenomenon. One reason for the interest is that some people have excessive anxiety responses, which can interfere with normal life. These articles could be steps toward a better understanding of anxiety, including excessive responses. One of them directly leads to considering a common biochemical to see if it might usefully modulate the anxiety response. We'll discuss that article in this post, and the other in the next post, in a few days.

The first article suggests a connection between the nutrient choline and anxiety. The basic finding is that people with anxiety disorders have lower levels of choline in the brain than typical.

That observation is based on magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measurements of the choline level in the brain. It is a complex measurement. (MRS is related to the more familiar MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).) The article is actually a review of 25 studies on the matter -- with a total of only about 350 people in each group: test and control.

This may be an interesting finding. But the authors stress that the reason for the connection is unknown. It could be an accidental correlation, with minimal functional significance. Scientists will follow up the current work, both trying to understand the connection, and testing whether choline supplements might be of benefit. They do caution that taking chorine supplements at this point would be premature, unless with medical supervision. Choline has complex roles in the body, and is not without risk.

* News story: Low Choline Could Be a Hidden Driver of Anxiety. (Neuroscience News (Lisa Howard, University of California Davis), November 10, 2025.)
* The article (open access): Transdiagnostic reduction in cortical choline-containing compounds in anxiety disorders: a 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy meta-analysis. (Richard J Maddock & Jason Smucny, Molecular Psychiatry 30:6020, December 2025.) Review article.

A previous post about the complexity of choline: The importance of choline as a dietary nutrient (April 15, 2023). Again, this is about work with mice.

More about anxiety: Should you give Librium -- an anti-anxiety drug -- to crayfish? (October 6, 2014).

My page for Biotechnology in the News (BITN) -- Other topics includes a section on Brain (autism, schizophrenia). It includes an extensive list of brain-related Musings posts.

The oldest known RNA

A new article reports isolating RNA from a woolly mammoth sample, about 39,000 years old.

That is a surprise. Scientists have developed ways to isolate DNA and protein from very old samples; some examples reported in Musings are listed at the end. However, ancient RNA has been much more elusive. It has seemed likely that most RNA would be degraded by ubiquitous nucleases within hours after death.

It is not clear why the particular sample used here yielded meaningful RNA sequences. Unusually good preservation of the sample, especially immediately after death, is one likely factor. Some technical issues of the isolation procedure also may have contributed.

The work does provide some information about gene function in the woolly mammoth. Some of the RNA could be clearly identified as to the protein it encoded. For example, some of the genes that were active in the muscle sample were muscle genes. Not a very exciting finding, but a start. There was also evidence for expression of genes involved in stress response, suggesting that the animal had been injured.

The article may be of interest mainly for making the step, rather than for any particular findings at this point. It will give impetus to further work looking for RNA in ancient samples. The RNA reported here is more than twice as old than the previous record holder. But it is quite young compared to old DNA and protein that have been found.

Using a tardigrade protein to reduce radiation damage during cancer treatment

January 7, 2026

The tiny animals known as tardigrades (or "water bears") are resistant to various stresses, including radiation. A specific protein has been identified that confers that radiation resistance. It is called Dsup, for damage-suppressor. It binds tightly to DNA, somehow leading to reduced DNA damage during radiation. It seems to be unique to tardigrades.

Previous work showed that human cells engineered to produce that Dsup protein were indeed radiation resistant. That is, the tardigrade protein that reduces radiation damage can function in human cells. No ill effects were seen.

A recent article takes another step toward making real-world use of that tardigrade protein.

The idea is to use the Dsup protein to reduce damage to nearby (healthy) areas when a cancer is being treated with radiation. To do this, the scientists have developed a way to deliver the messenger RNA (mRNA) for Dsup protein to cells in those nearby areas. It is something like an mRNA vaccine, delivered directly to the target area. The mRNA functions, providing radiation resistance to those areas -- without affecting the radiation treatment itself.

Tests in a model system of mouse cancer, reported in the current article, are very encouraging in showing reduced damage from the radiation treatment. Development of this system will continue, with the goal of using it safely in humans during radiation treatment of cancer.

* News story: A protein from tiny tardigrades may help cancer patients tolerate radiation therapy -- When scientists stimulated cells to produce a protein that helps "water bears" survive extreme environments, the tissue showed much less DNA damage after radiation treatment. (Anne Trafton, MIT News, February 26, 2025.)
* The article: Radioprotection of healthy tissue via nanoparticle-delivered mRNA encoding for a damage-suppressor protein found in tardigrades. (Ameya R Kirtane et al, Nature Biomedical Engineering 9:1240, August 2025.)

A recent post on another type of tardigrade resistance: Tardigrade resistance to stress -- how do they do it? (March 27, 2024). Links to more.

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