Neural Cell News Volume 10.29 | Jul 27 2016

TOP STORY

Newfound Brain Microcircuit Is Critical for Breathing Control

Researchers have discovered a brain-cell network that drives a respiratory phase important for the control of exhalation. [Press release from the University of Washington discussing online prepublication in Nature] Press Release | Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

A Trans-Synaptic Nanocolumn Aligns Neurotransmitter Release to Receptors

While it has long been recognized that this spatial relationship modulates synaptic strength, it has not been precisely described, owing in part to the limited resolution of light microscopy. Using localization microscopy, the authors showed that key proteins mediating vesicle priming and fusion are mutually co-enriched within nanometre-scale subregions of the presynaptic active zone. [Nature] Abstract | Press Release

Transfer of Mitochondria from Astrocytes to Neurons After Stroke

Neurons can release damaged mitochondria and transfer them to astrocytes for disposal and recycling. This ability to exchange mitochondria may represent a potential mode of cell-to-cell signaling in the central nervous system. Scientists showed that astrocytes in mice can also release functional mitochondria that enter neurons. [Nature] Abstract | Editorial

Age-Dependent Niche Signals from the Choroid Plexus Regulate Adult Neural Stem Cells

Investigators showed that the lateral ventricle choroid plexus, in addition to performing important homeostatic support functions, secretes factors that promote colony formation and proliferation of purified quiescent and activated ventricular-subventricular zone stem cells and transit-amplifying cells. [Stem Cells] Abstract | Graphical Abstract | Press Release

G2019S-LRRK2 Expression Augments α-Synuclein Sequestration into Inclusions in Neurons

Investigators showed that G2019S-LRRK2 expression, in both cultured neurons and dopaminergic neurons in the rat substantia nigra pars compact, increases the recruitment of endogenous α-synuclein into inclusions in response to α-synuclein fibril exposure [J Neurosci] Abstract | Press Release

RhoA Inhibits Neural Differentiation in Murine Stem Cells Through Multiple Mechanisms

Scientists found that disruption of Syx, a gene encoding a RhoA-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor, accelerated retinoic acid–induced neural differentiation in murine embryonic stem cells aggregated into embryoid bodies. [Sci Signal] Abstract

Disrupting GluA2-GAPDH Interaction Affects Axon and Dendrite Development

Investigators report that the interaction between GluA2 and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is necessary for neuron and cortical development. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Intermittent High Oxygen Influences the Formation of Neural Retinal Tissue from Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Using three-dimensional culture of human stem cells, researchers examined the effect of intermittent high oxygen treatment on the formation and cellular behavior of neural retinas in the embryonic body. [Sci Rep] Full Article

In Vitro Characterization of Neurite Extension Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived from Lissencephaly Patients with TUBA1A Missense Mutations

Scientists generated induced pluripotent stem cells from the umbilical cord and peripheral blood of two lissencephaly patients with different clinical severities carrying alpha tubulin (TUBA1A) missense mutations. [Mol Brain] Full Article

From Glioblastoma to Endothelial Cells through Extracellular Vesicles: Messages for Angiogenesis

Researchers assessed in detail the extracellular vesicles phenomenon in the human glioblastoma cell line U251 and evaluates extracellular vesicles ability to promote the processes required to achieve the formation of new blood vessels in human brain microvascular endothelial cells, highlighting that they stimulate proliferation, motility, and tube formation in a dose-response manner. [Tumour Biol] Abstract

GABAergic Interneurons in the Neocortex: From Cellular Properties to Circuits

The authors review the current understanding of neocortical interneuron diversity and the properties that distinguish cell types. [Neuron] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the neural cell research field.

TauRx Reports First Phase III Results for LMTX^®

TauRx Therapeutics Ltd announced Phase III clinical trial results that show treatment with LMTX^®, the company’s novel tau aggregation inhibitor, had a marked beneficial effect on key measures of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with mild or moderate forms of the disease. [Press release from TauRx Pharmaceuticals discussing research presented at the 2016 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Toronto] Download Press Release

TSRI Scientists Receive Funding to Advance Stem Cell-Based Parkinson’s Therapy

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Scripps Clinic have received a grant of nearly $2.4 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to support safety and quality tests of a potential stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease. [The Scripps Research Institute] Press Release

National Stem Cell Foundation Funds Research at New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute to Advance Understanding of Cell Cross-Talk in Neurodegeneration.

The National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) and the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute announced that a grant from NSCF will be used to fund NYSCF research being conducted by Dr. Valentina Fossati, a NYSCF Senior Investigator, and her team. The researchers are studying how astrocytes, the “power convertors” of cells in the central nervous system, can be manipulated to halt or prevent neurodegeneration. [The NYSCF Research Institute] Press Release

Stemedica Begins First Clinical Trials in the U.S. Using Adult Allogeneic Stem Cells to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc. announced the opening of enrollment into a new study at Emory University in Atlanta and University of California, Irvine. The study is entitled, “A Phase IIa Multicenter, Randomized, Single-blind, Placebo-controlled, Crossover Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, and Preliminary Efficacy of a Single Intravenous Dose of Allogeneic Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Subjects with Mild to Moderate Dementia Due to Alzheimer’s Disease. [Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc.] Press Release

Europe’s Premier Funding Agency Measures Its Impact

The European Research Council, which sits within the European Union’s Framework funding programs and has a €1.7-billion budget this year, has embarked on an unusual exercise: to retrospectively evaluate the success of the projects it funds. [Nature News] Editorial

Trump vs Clinton: Worlds Apart on Science

Science is slowly coming into focus in the US presidential campaign. Although neither Republican Donald Trump nor Democrat Hillary Clinton has emphasized core research issues, the candidates — and their parties — are beginning to flesh out their positions on climate change, education, biomedical research and other topics that involve the scientific community. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering 2016
October 23-26, 2016
Toronto, Canada

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the neural cell community.

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – Neuroscience/Stem Cell Biology (State University of New York)

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – Enhancer and Chromatin Mapping in Childhood Brain Tumors (German Cancer Research Center)

Senior Scientist – Neurology (Korea Brain Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Neuroscience (Max Planck Society)

Postdoctoral Research Fellows – Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (The University of Queensland)

Assistant Professor – Neuroimaging and Informatics (University of Southern California)

Researcher – Neuroanatomy, Neuroinformatics and Brain Atlasing (University of Oslo)

Director of the NIH Brain Initiative (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institutes of Health)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neural Stem Cell/Gene Therapy Research (Thomas Jefferson University)

Postdoctoral Position – Brain Injury and Repair (University of Pennsylvania)

Postdoctoral Fellow Positions – Pharmacology (The University of Tennessee Health Science Center)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cell Biology (Boston University)

Postdoctoral Position – Neuroscience (Inserm-ENS)

Faculty Positions – Brain Research (IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Peking University)

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