The widespread application of high-throughput sequencing methods is resulting in the identification of a rapidly growing number of novel gene fusions caused by tumour-specific chromosomal rearrangements, whose oncogenic potential remains unknown. Here we describe a strategy that builds upon recent
Innate synchronous oscillations in freely-organized small neuronal circuits.
Neurobiology of disease, 124, 263-275 (2018-11-25)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neural disorder gradually leading to paralysis of the whole body. Alterations in superoxide dismutase SOD1 gene have been linked with several variants of familial ALS. Here, we investigated a transgenic (Tg) cloned swine model
Protein phosphorylation plays an important role in learning and memory. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a serine/threonine phosphatase involved in the regulation of neural synaptic plasticity. Here, to determine if PP2A is necessary for successful learning and memory, we have
The tripeptide glycine-proline-glutamate analogue NNZ-2566 (Neuren Pharmaceuticals) demonstrates neuroprotective efficacy in models of traumatic brain injury. In penetrating ballistic-like brain injury (PBBI), it significantly decreases injury-induced upregulation of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-6. However, the mechanism by which
European journal of pain (London, England), 24(2), 312-324 (2019-10-01)
Cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX)-1 and COX-2 are important targets for pain relief after surgery, but the spinal contribution of both isoforms is still unclear, e.g., from a developmental point of view. Here, we studied changes of spinal COX-1 and COX-2 expression
International journal of molecular sciences, 20(23) (2019-12-05)
Status epilepticus (a prolonged seizure activity, SE) differently affects vasogenic edema formation and dystrophin-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) expressions between the rat hippocampus and the piriform cortex (PC). In the present study, we explored whether the 67-kDa laminin receptor (LR) expression was
Adult mammalian brain contains a number of specialized neurovascular structures termed "niches" that act as sources of neuronal cells throughout the individual's life. Some of the niches generate neurons to satisfy the need for 'replacement' neurons within the same or
Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society, 247, 153-166 (2017-01-09)
Glaucoma is a common blinding disease characterized by loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). To date, there is no clinically available treatment directly targeting RGCs. We aim to develop an RGC-targeted intraocular drug delivery system using unimolecular micelle nanoparticles (unimNPs)
Development (Cambridge, England), 141(2), 377-388 (2013-12-18)
During embryonic development, the rostral neuroectoderm is regionalized into broad areas that are subsequently subdivided into progenitor compartments with specialized identity and fate. These events are controlled by signals emitted by organizing centers and interpreted by target progenitors, which activate
The mammalian hippocampus is crucial for episodic memory formation and transiently retains information for about 3-4 weeks in adult mice and longer in humans. Although neuroscientists widely believe that neural synapses are elemental sites of information storage, there has been
International journal of molecular sciences, 22(21) (2021-11-14)
Our earlier findings revealed that interleukin-1 receptor type-1 (IL-1R1) was overexpressed in spinal neurons, and IL-1R1-deficient mice showed significant attenuation of thermal and mechanical allodynia during the course of the Complete Freund adjuvant (CFA)-induced persistent pain model. In the present
Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 11, 47-47 (2017-03-10)
Heat shock protein (HSP) 25 (murine/rodent 25 kDa, human 27 kDa) is one of the major astroglial HSP families, which has a potent anti-apoptotic factor contributing to a higher resistance of astrocytes to the stressful condition. However, impaired removals of
The Journal of comparative neurology, 526(9), 1419-1443 (2017-12-13)
The adult brain contains niches of neural stem cells that continuously add new neurons to selected circuits throughout life. Two niches have been extensively studied in various mammalian species including humans, the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the
American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology, 318(1), R1-R16 (2019-10-03)
This study explored the hypothesis that late gestational reduction of corticosteroids transforms the cerebrovasculature and modulates postnatal vulnerability to mild hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury. Four groups of Sprague-Dawley neonates were studied: 1) Sham-Control, 2) Sham-MET, 3) HI-Control, and 4) HI-MET. Metyrapone
Status epilepticus (SE) induces vasogenic edema in the piriform cortex with disruptions of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, the mechanisms of vasogenic edema formation following SE are still unknown. Here we investigated the endothelin B (ETB) receptor-mediated pathway of SE-induced
Recently, we have reported that dysfunctions of 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR) induced by status epilepticus (SE, a prolonged seizure activity) and 67LR neutralization are involved in vasogenic edema formation, accompanied by the reduced aquaporin 4 (AQP4, an astroglial specific water
The brain, in particular the hypothalamus, plays a role in regulating glucose homeostasis; however, it remains unclear whether this organ is causally and etiologically involved in the development of diabetes. Here, we found that hypothalamic transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) production
Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 15, 784154-784154 (2022-01-04)
Objective: The "Glymphatic" system, a network of perivascular tunnels wrapped by astrocyte endfeet, was reported to be closely associated with the diseases of the central nervous system. Here, we investigated the role of the glymphatic system in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)
Early life stress predisposes to mental illness and behavioral dysfunction in adulthood, but the mechanisms underlying these persistent effects are poorly understood. Stress throughout life impairs the structure and function of the hippocampus, a brain system undergoing considerable development in
Environmental health perspectives, 129(8), 87005-87005 (2021-08-20)
Chronic environmental exposure to manganese (Mn) can cause debilitating damage to the central nervous system. However, its potential toxic effects on the enteric nervous system (ENS) have yet to be assessed. We examined the effect of Mn on the ENS
A major obstacle in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research is the lack of predictive and translatable animal models that reflect disease progression and drug efficacy. Transgenic mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein (App) gene manifest non-physiological and ectopic expression of APP and
The transcriptional coactivator Querkopf controls adult neurogenesis.
Oxidative modification of the voltage-gated K+ channel subfamily B member 1 (KCNB1, Kv2.1) is emerging as a mechanism of neuronal vulnerability potentially capable of affecting multiple conditions associated with oxidative stress, from normal aging to neurodegenerative disease. In this study
Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 13, 741168-741168 (2021-12-07)
Objective: Ischemic stroke is an important cause of death and disability worldwide. Early reperfusion by thrombolysis or thrombectomy has improved the outcome of acute ischemic stroke. However, the therapeutic window for reperfusion therapy is narrow, and adjuvant therapy for neuroprotection
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 39(16), 3159-3169 (2019-02-14)
Refractory focal epilepsy is a devastating disease for which there is frequently no effective treatment. Gene therapy represents a promising alternative, but treating epilepsy in this way involves irreversible changes to brain tissue, so vector design must be carefully optimized
To date, no reliable methods have proven effective for treating spinal cord injury (SCI). Even systemic administration of methylprednisolone (MP) remains controversial. We previously reported that intrathecal (i.t.) administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) improves outcome after experimental spinal cord
Adult primitive neural stem cells (pNSCs) are a rare population of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)- Oct4+ cells in the mouse forebrain subependymal zone bordering the lateral ventricles that give rise to clonal neurospheres in leukemia inhibitory factor in vitro.
The Twist-1 transcription factor and its interacting protein Akirin-2 regulate apoptosis. We found that in glioblastomas, highly malignant brain tumors, Akirin-2 and Twist-1 were expressed in glial fibrillary acidic protein positive tumor regions as well as in tumor endothelial cells
Human molecular genetics, 23(11), 2968-2980 (2014-01-15)
The disease mechanism of Rett syndrome (RTT) is not well understood. Studies in RTT mouse models have suggested a non-cell-autonomous role for astrocytes in RTT pathogenesis. However, it is not clear whether this is also true for human RTT astrocytes.