Neural Cell News Volume 11.25 | Jun 28 2017

TOP STORY

A Light- and Calcium-Gated Transcription Factor for Imaging and Manipulating Activated Neurons

Activity remodels neurons, altering their molecular, structural, and electrical characteristics. To enable the selective characterization and manipulation of these neurons, researchers describe FLARE, an engineered transcription factor that drives the expression of fluorescent proteins, opsins, and other genetically encoded tools only in the subset of neurons that experienced activity during a user-defined time window. [Nat Biotechnol] Abstract | Press Release

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Injection of Microporous Annealing Particle (MAP) Hydrogels in the Stroke Cavity Reduces Gliosis and Inflammation and Promotes NPC Migration to the Lesion

Scientists showed that the injection of a porous hyaluronic acid hydrogel into the stroke cavity significantly reduced the inflammatory response following stroke while increasing peri-infarct vascularization compared to nonporous hydrogel controls and stroke only controls. They showed that the injection of this material impacted NPCs proliferation and migration at the subventricular zone niche and resulted in NPC migration into the stroke site. [Adv Mater] Abstract

Selective Optogenetic Control of Purkinje Cells in Monkey Cerebellum

Investigators constructed AAV vectors carrying the channelrhodopsin-2 gene under the control of a one kb L7/Pcp2 promoter. They injected these vectors into the cerebellar cortex of Rhesus macaques and tested vector efficacy in three ways. [Neuron] Abstract | Press Release

Dendritic Mitoflash as a Putative Signal for Stabilizing Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity

Mitochondrial flashes (mitoflashes) are recently discovered excitable mitochondrial events in many cell types. The authors investigated their occurrence in the context of structural long-term potentiation (sLTP) at hippocampal synapses. At dendritic spines stimulated by electric pulses, glycine, or targeted glutamate uncaging, induction of sLTP was associated with a phasic occurrence of local, quantized mitochondrial activity in the form of one or a few mitoflashes, over a 30 minute window. [Nat Commun] Full Article | Press Release

Discovery of Long-Range Inhibitory Signaling to Ensure Single Axon Formation

Investigators demonstrated that axonal growth triggered by neurotrophin-3 remotely inhibits neurite outgrowth through long-range Ca²⁺ waves, which are delivered from the growing axon to the cell body. These Ca²⁺ waves increased RhoA activity in the cell body through calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I. [Nat Commun] Full Article

REST Suppression Mediates Neural Conversion of Adult Human Fibroblasts via MicroRNA-Dependent and -Independent Pathways

Scientists investigated the difference in reprogramming requirements between fetal and adult human fibroblasts and identified REST as a major reprogramming barrier in adult fibroblasts. Through functional experiments where they overexpressed and knocked down the REST-controlled neuron-specific microRNAs miR-9 and miR-124, they showed that the effect of REST inhibition was only partially mediated via microRNA up-regulation. [EMBO Mol Med] Full Article | Press Release | Graphical Abstract | Video

The Doublesex-Related Dmrta2 Safeguards Neural Progenitor Maintenance Involving Transcriptional Regulation of Hes1

Researchers report that doublesex- and mab-3–related transcription factor a2 (Dmrta2) plays an important role in maintaining NPCs in the cell cycle. Temporally controlled expression of transgenic Dmrta2 in NPCs suppressed differentiation without affecting their neurogenic competence. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Full Article

Alternative RNA Splicing Associated with Mammalian Neuronal Differentiation

Using purified NPCs and their progeny neurons isolated from the embryonic mouse cerebral cortex, the authors characterized the global differences of alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS) events between the two cell types by deep sequencing. The sequencing results revealed cell type-specific AS in NPCs and neurons that are important for distinct functions pertinent to the corresponding cell type. [Cereb Cortex] Abstract

Unique Organization of the Nuclear Envelope in the Post-Natal Quiescent Neural Stem Cells

Investigators found that a subpopulation of B1 cells has a unique nuclear envelope invagination specialization similar to envelope-limited chromatin sheets (ELCS), reported in certain lymphocytes and some cancer cells. Using molecular markers, [³H]thymidine birth-dating, and Ara-C, they found that B1 cells with ELCS correspond to quiescent NSCs. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Efficient Generation of Dopamine Neurons by Synthetic Transcription Factor mRNAs

Scientists generated transformation-free dopamine (DA) neurons by transfection of mRNA encoding dopamine-inducible genes, Nurr1 and FoxA2. The delivery of mRNA encoding dopaminergic fate inducing genes proved sufficient to induce naïve rat forebrain precursor cells to differentiate into neurons exhibiting the biochemical, electrophysiological, and functional properties of DA neurons in vitro. [Mol Ther] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

More Alive than Dead: Non-Apoptotic Roles for Caspases in Neuronal Development, Plasticity and Disease

Investigators highlight the non-apoptotic function of caspases during nervous system development, plasticity and disease, particularly focussing on their role in structural remodeling. [Cell Death Differ] Full Article

Nuclear Receptors in Neural Stem/Progenitor Cell Homeostasis

The authors review recent advances in the understanding of the regulatory roles of steroid, non-steroid, and orphan nuclear receptors in NSC fate decisions. These studies establish nuclear receptors as key therapeutic targets in brain diseases. [Cell Mol Life Sci] Abstract

The Fate of the Brain Cholinergic Neurons in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Researchers describe which cholinergic neurons are affected in brain neurodegenerative diseases leading to dementia, discuss the possible causes of the degeneration of the cholinergic neurons, and summarize the functional consequences of the cholinergic deficit. [Brain Res] Abstract

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

Araclon Biotech Initiates Phase II Clinical Trials of Its Alzheimer’s Vaccine

Araclon Biotech has received approval from the Spanish Agency of Medicinal Products and Medical Devices to begin Phase II clinical trials for its active immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease. [Araclon Biotech (PR Newswire Association LLC.)] Press Release

Voyager Therapeutics Announces Clinical Trial Update with VY-AADC01 for Advanced Parkinson’s Disease

Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. announced the dosing of the first patient in a Phase I trial aimed at further optimizing the surgical delivery of VY-AADC01 for advanced Parkinson’s disease. [Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Putin Tightens Control over Russian Academy of Sciences

The Russian government has taken further steps to tighten its grip on the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) in Moscow. The State Duma—one of the two chambers of the Russian parliament—passed the first draft of a new law that would give president Vladimir Putin the final say in the elections for RAS’s presidency. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Vaccine Ruling from Europe’s Highest Court Isn’t as Crazy as Scientists Think

The Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) in Luxembourg handed down a judgment in a compensation case involving a French man who claimed that a vaccination for hepatitis B caused his multiple sclerosis. The ruling specifies what type of evidence is allowed in EU member states in such cases, but it prompted a flurry of negative press coverage. [Nature News] Editorial

Scientists in Limbo as US Supreme Court Allows Modified Travel Ban

The US Supreme Court has reinstated a limited version of President Donald Trump’s temporary order banning travelers from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The court will hear a legal challenge to the ban in October. The court’s decision casts doubt on the fate of students and scientists from these countries who hope to study or work in the United States. [Nature News] Editorial

US Court Grants Elsevier Millions in Damages from Sci-Hub

One of the world’s largest science publishers, Elsevier, won a default legal judgement against websites that provide illicit access to tens of millions of research papers and books. A New York district court awarded Elsevier US$15 million in damages for copyright infringement by Sci-Hub, the Library of Genesis project and related sites. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Cold Spring Harbor Stem Cell Biology Meeting
September 25-27, 2017
Cold Spring Harbor, New York, United States

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

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Neuroscience/Neuroplasticity (University of Oslo)

NEW Tenure-Track Positions – Neuroscience Research (The State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology of Nankai University)

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)

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