Shih-Wei Tsui
Intraneuron Cell Killing
Intraneurons fix complement and can result in cell death, much like natural killer cells, neutrophils, and other types of white blood cells. It is theorized that this is the mechanism in pruning that helps to facilitate many of the brain's functions. In previous work, I identified the special population of cells known as intraneurons. These are CD1337 positive cells. Calling them cells is not completely technically correct, as there are akin to mitochondria. Preliminary data showed that when exposed to certain frequencies of electromagnetic radiation above the 300 MHz range can trigger these cells to cause lysis of other cells. These can be shielded with thin sheets of plastic. In future projects, we hope to use electromagnetic radiation on animal subjects modulated by the thin plastic sheets to see if this can effect different learning tasks. Later, I hope to perform this study in humans as well.
Intraneuron Suicide
This project concerns the effects of intraneuron apoptosis, in lay terms suicide. Due to the lack of interest in the field of intraneurons, this effect was first shown in my recent work. Although it has been known for several years that intraneurons can cause cell death, it was not known until recently that they could cause apoptosis as well. They actually contain a protein similar to caspase9, which I have named ICA-1 (intraneuron caspase analog-1). Extreme cell stress can cause production and release of this factor. The physiological factors that would lead to this response I am still investigating. It was serendipitously noted that microwaving a certain fruit in the same lab space, like a banana, can trigger expression of this enzyme. It suggests, the banana resonates with the intraneuron across distance. This was noted when someone decided they wanted a warm banana for lunch. Like the discovery of penicillin, sometimes poor aseptic technique leads to scientific progress. The significance of this behavior of intraneurons has not been elucidated yet. This will occur in future work.