ScholarPeer Editorial Team

Written and edited by the ScholarPeer Editorial Team. Please see our Editorial Policy, Standards & Corrections for more information on how we select topics and write about them.
Colorful DNA sculpture inside Valencia's science complex, showcasing modern architecture and art.

What is SRSF1 (or Serine/Arginine-Rich Splicing Factor 1)?

SRSF1 is a protein that helps cells edit RNA before using it to make proteins. Its best-known job is RNA splicing, the process that removes unneeded sections from a new RNA copy and joins the useful pieces together. By helping decide which pieces stay and which go, SRSF1 can change the final instructions a gene sends to the cell. Scientists have also linked SRSF1 to cancer, development, fertility, liver health, blood-vessel growth, and, more recently, aging.

3D rendered abstract design featuring a digital brain visual with vibrant colors.

What Is TIMP2?

TIMP2 helps control the material surrounding cells, but its role goes far beyond acting as a simple molecular brake. Research in mice links this youth-associated protein to memory, brain plasticity, immune-cell function, and aging, while clinical tests already use it to help assess kidney injury risk.

Abstract image of DNA strands

What is Meis2 (or MEIS2)?

MEIS2 is a developmental transcription factor that helps cells choose their identities, shaping the brain, retina, heart, and craniofacial structures. Research is revealing how this conserved gene influences neurogenesis, human developmental disorders, and emerging areas of cancer biology.

A long-sought aperiodic pattern composed of Smith hat shapes

What Is the Smith Hat?

A 13-sided shape that a retired print technician cut out of card in 2022 settled a question mathematicians had been chewing on for 60 years.