Neural Cell News Volume 11.24 | June 21 2017

TOP STORY

Hypothalamic Regulation of Regionally Distinct Adult Neural Stem Cells and Neurogenesis

Scientists showed that the hypothalamus, a brain area regulating physiological states, provides long-range regionalized input to the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) niche and can regulate specific NSCs subpopulations. Hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin neurons selectively innervated the anterior ventral V-SVZ and promoted the proliferation of Nkx2.1⁺ NSCs and generation of deep granule neurons. [Science] Abstract | Press Release

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Engineering Novel Targeted Boron-10-Enriched Theranostic Nanomedicine to Combat against Murine Brain Tumors via MR Imaging-Guided Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Researchers demonstrated that an unprecedented ¹⁰B-enriched boron nanoparticle nanomedicine surface-modified with a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled RGD-K peptide could pass through the brain blood barrier, selectively target at glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor sites, and deliver high therapeutic dosage of boron atoms to tumor cells with a good tumor-to-blood boron ratio of 2.8. [Adv Mater] Abstract

Differential Expression of miR16 in Glioblastoma and Glioblastoma Stem Cells: Their Correlation with Proliferation, Differentiation, Metastasis and Prognosis

The function of miR16 in glioblastoma multiforme and its stem cells remains elusive. The authors investigated the patterns of miR16 expression in these cells and their correlation with malignant behaviors and clinical outcomes. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that tumor cell proliferation was inhibited by a miR16 mimic, but enhanced by miR16 inhibitor. [Oncogene] Full Article

Gli1 Induced Deubiquitinase USP48 Aids Glioblastoma Tumorigenesis by Stabilizing Gli1

Investigators screened a panel of deubiquitinases that may regulate the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway. They found that deubiquitinase USP48 activates Gli-dependent transcription by stabilizing Gli1 protein. Mechanistically, USP48 interacts with Gli1 and cleaves its ubiquitin off directly. They found that the Sonic Hh pathway induces USP48 expression through Gli1-mediated transcriptional activation, which forms a positive feedback loop to regulate Hh signaling. [EMBO Rep] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Canoe and Scribble Loss Synergizes Causing Tumor-Like Overgrowth via Ras Activation in Neural Stem Cells and Epithelia

The authors showed that the simultaneous loss of the asymmetric cell division regulators canoe and scribble in neuroblast clones leads to tumor-like overgrowth through both a severe disruption of the asymmetric cell division process and a canoe loss-mediated Ras-PI3K-Akt activation. Canoe loss interacted synergistically with scribble to promote overgrowth in epithelial tissues, just by activating the Ras-Raf-MAPK pathway. [Development] Abstract

Lysine Deacetylation by HDAC6 Regulates the Kinase Activity of AKT in Human Neural Progenitor Cells

Researchers report that AKT kinase activity is modulated by a class IIb lysine deacetylase histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), in human NPCs. They found that HDAC6 and AKT physically interacted with each other in the neuronal cells, and, in the presence of selective HDAC6 inhibition, AKT was acetylated at Lys163 and Lys377 located in the kinase domain, two novel sites distinct from the acetylation sites in the pleckstrin homology-domain modulated by the sirtuins. [ACS Chem Biol] Abstract

GPE Promotes the Proliferation and Migration of Mouse Embryonic Neural Stem Cells and Their Progeny In Vitro

The authors investigated a possible role of the N-terminal tripeptide of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I), Gly-Pro-Glu (GPE), physiologically generated in neurons following IGF-I-specific cleavage, in promoting neural regeneration after an injury. The results indicated that GPE treatment promotes the proliferation and the migration of NSCs in vitro through a mechanism that involved the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase PI3K-Akt pathways. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article

Neural Progenitor Cell Proliferation in the Hypothalamus Is Involved in Acquired Heat Tolerance in Long-Term Heat-Acclimated Rats

Researchers investigated neural phenotype and responsiveness to heat in heat-acclimated rats’ hypothalamic newborn cells. The number of hypothalamic bromodeoxyuridine-immunopositive cells in ambient temperature of 32°C for 6 days and 40 days rats was determined immunohistochemically in brain samples and found to be significantly greater than those in respective control groups. [PLoS One] Full Article

2′,3′-Dideoxycytidine Protects Dopaminergic Neurons in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Scientists investigated the neuroprotective effects of a DNA polymerase-β inhibitor 2′,3′-dideoxycytidine in Parkinson’s disease models. In the in vitro studies, primary cultured neurons were challenged with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP⁺). They found that MPP⁺ induced neuronal death and the activation of caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner. [Neurochem Res] Abstract

An Updated Assessment of Microglia Depletion: Current Concepts and Future Directions

The authors highlight the highly plastic and diverse phenotypes of microglia and outline the lessons learned from microglia depletion approaches. [Mol Brain] Full Article

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

Emulate, Inc. Awarded Grant to Fund Use of Human Emulation System aboard the International Space Station

Emulate, Inc. announced that it has received a research grant to use the company’s human Brain-Chip system and develop a fully automated research platform, to conduct experiments on the International Space Station. Studies will analyze the Brain-Chip, which consists of neuronal and vascular endothelial cells in a living micro-engineered environment. [Emulate, Inc.] Press Release

Kadimastem Received Approval from the Hadassah Hospital IRB (Helsinki Committee) for Conducting a Clinical Trial in ALS Patients

Kadimastem announced that it had received approval from the IRB of the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital for the Phase I/IIa clinical trial in ALS patients using the cell therapy product developed by the company. [Kadimastem] Press Release

University of Tokyo Scientist Hit by Anonymous Allegations Fights Back

Anonymous allegations of questionable data and images in 22 papers by six prominent groups at the prestigious University of Tokyo prompted the school to set up an investigating committee. Now, even before the panel completes its investigation, one of the accused researchers has mounted a staunch defense of his work, [ScienceInsider] Editorial

China Cracks Down on Fake Peer Reviews

The Chinese government is going on the offensive against scientists who dupe journals by creating fraudulent reviews of submitted papers. A coalition of agencies led by the science ministry announced that the government would suspend the grants of researchers involved in such fraud, which surfaced earlier this year when a cancer journal retracted 107 research papers from Chinese authors. [Nature News] Editorial

Strengthened US Sanctions on Cuba Disappoint Scientists

US President Donald Trump announced that he would strengthen travel and trade restrictions against Cuba, reversing his predecessor’s attempts to normalize relations with the country. The move is a blow to scientists who hoped that former president Barack Obama’s push to relax US restrictions on Cuba would make it easier for researchers there to travel and to collaborate with colleagues in the United States. [Nature News] Editorial

Macron Consolidates Electoral Victory

The party of France’s recently elected president won an absolute majority in its first general elections, with an agenda that included strong support for research. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Advances in Modeling Cancer in Mice: Technology, Biology, and Beyond
September 24-27, 2017
Orlando, Florida, United States

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

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Developmental Neurobiology (State University of New York)

Assistant Professor – Reparative Medicine (Karolinska Institutet)

Postdoctoral Position – Neurobiology (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neuroscience (State University of New York)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Applied Neural Interfaces (Florida International University)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Neural Stem Cell Biology (Institute for Neuroscience of Montpellier)

Faculty Position(s) – Pain Medicine (Southern University of Science and Technology)

Senior/Principle Research Associate – Cell and Molecular Biology (Editas Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neuroendocrine Biology of Metabolism (The Scripps Research Institute)

Research Fellow – Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders (Duke-NUS Medical School)

Postdoctoral Position – Molecular Biology (KU Leuven)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Neuroscience and Imaging (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Stem Cell Differentiation (University of Oklahoma)

Postdoctoral Positions – Stem Cell Technology/Neuroscience/Drug Discovery (University of California Davis)

Neuroscientist – Precision Neurotherapeutics (University of California Davis)

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