Neural Cell News 11.32 August 16, 2017 | |
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TOP STORYAlzheimer’s Risk Linked to Energy Shortage in Brain’s Immune Cells People with specific mutations in the gene TREM2 are three times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who carry more common variants of the gene. But until now, scientists had no explanation for the link. New research in mice indicates that the high-risk mutations in TREM2 cause an energy deficit in cells that clear away debris in the brain. [Press release from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis discussing online prepublication in Cell] Press Release | Abstract | Graphical Abstract | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)Researchers generated a human Aicardi-Goutières syndrome model that recapitulates disease-relevant phenotypes using pluripotent stem cells lacking three-prime repair exonuclease 1 (TREX1). They observed abundant extrachromosomal DNA in TREX1-deficient neural cells, of which endogenous long interspersed element-1 retrotransposons were a major source. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Press Release | Graphical Abstract Because chromatin openness strongly influences transcriptional activity, scientists hypothesized that cell-type-specific open chromatin regions (OCRs) might highlight disease-relevant noncoding sequences. To investigate, they mapped global OCRs in neurons differentiating from hiPSCs, a cellular model for studying neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Press Release | Graphical Abstract Cerebellar Granule Cell Replenishment Postinjury by Adaptive Reprogramming of Nestin+ Progenitors The authors found that the developing cerebellum has unappreciated progenitor plasticity, since it undergoes near full growth and functional recovery following acute depletion of granule cells, the most plentiful neuron population in the brain. They demonstrated that following postnatal ablation of granule cell progenitors, Nestin-expressing progenitors, specified during mid-embryogenesis to produce astroglia and interneurons, switch their fate and generate granule neurons in mice. [Nat Neurosci] Abstract Network-Based Genomic Analysis of Human Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Differentiation Researchers determined the gene expression profile of PDGFαR+ human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells during initial oligodendrocyte commitment. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis was used to define progenitor and differentiation-specific gene expression modules and functionally important hub genes. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article Scientists screened for neural stem cells (NSCs) by surface marker analysis using flow cytometry. Isolated inferior colliculus cells expressing prominin-1 exhibited the cardinal NSC properties self-renewal capacity, expression of known NSC markers, and multipotency. [Mol Neurobiol] Full Article Identification and Characterization of a New Source of Adult Human Neural Progenitors Investigators showed that ultrasonic aspirate samples currently considered as ‘biological waste after surgery,’ offer a good source for adult neural progenitor cells. Furthermore, they showed that culture conditions dictated the phenotype of cells across patients. The neurosphere-enriched cells were more similar to freshly isolated brain cells, while cells expanded adherently in serum conditions were similar to mesenchymal stem cells. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article The authors investigated the role of DACT2, underlying molecular mechanisms and its clinical significance in glioma patients. Downexpression of DACT2 in gliomas compared with adjacent normal brain tissues was correlated with glioma grade and poor survival. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article Researchers found that miR-214-3p was highly expressed in neural progenitor cells and dynamically regulated during neocortical development. Their in vivo and in vitro studies showed that miR-214 inhibited self-renewal of neural progenitor cells and promoted neurogenesis. [Sci Rep] Full Article Investigators showed the deubiquitylating enzyme, Usp9x, regulates components of both intrinsic and extrinsic fate determinants. Nestin–cre mediated ablation of Usp9x from embryonic neural progenitors in vivo resulted in a transient disruption of cell adhesion and apical-basal polarity and, an increased number and ectopic localization of intermediate neural progenitors. [Sci Rep] Full Article Researchers evaluated the number of neuronal and non-neuronal cells using isotropic fractionation and the expression and activation of intracellular proteins in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal formation of the rats submitted to a physical exercise program on a treadmill during adolescence. Results showed that physical exercise increases the number of neuronal and non-neuronal cortical cells and hippocampal neuronal cells in adolescent rats. [Neuroscience] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSInduced Neural Stem Cells as a Means of Treatment in Huntington’s Disease The authors describe the use of induced neural stem cells by direct conversion technology, which offers great advantages as a therapeutic cell type to treat Huntington’s disease. [Expert Opin Biol Ther] Abstract Vascular Niche Contribution to Age Associated Neural Stem Cell Dysfunction Scientists discuss emerging evidence that changes in the vascular niche both structurally and functionally contribute to reduced neurogenesis during aging, and how this might contribute to reduced plasticity and repair in the aged brain. [Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the neural cell research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSChildren’s National Part of Pediatric Cancer Research Collective Awarded Millions by NIH Children’s National Health System was awarded up to $14.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch a data resource center for cancer researchers around the world in order to accelerate the discovery of novel treatments for childhood tumors. [Children’s National Health System] Press Release Applied StemCell Awarded $1.3 Mil USD from NIH for TARGATT™ Gene Editing Applied StemCell, Inc. has been awarded close to $1.3 million US dollars (USD) in a small Business Innovation Research grant from the NIH. The grant award will support the establishment of a Cre/LoxP rat repository for enabling better rat models of human disease. [Applied StemCell, Inc.] Press Release Feinstein Scientist Receives NIH Grant to Identify Genetic Risks for Alzheimer’s Disease Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Assistant Professor Yun Freudenberg-Hua, MD, has been awarded a five-year, $600,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s National Institute on Aging to identify genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. [Feinstein Institute for Medical Research] Press Release VBI Vaccines Inc. announced that the FDA has accepted the company’s Investigational New Drug Application for VBI-1901, a novel immunotherapy targeting glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumors in humans. [VBI Vaccines Inc.] Press Release Halloran Consulting Group announced their role as US regulatory consultants for Curtana Pharmaceuticals. The FDA granted orphan drug designation to CT-179, Curtana Pharmaceuticals’ lead Olig2 inhibitor for the treatment of gliomas, including glioblastoma in adults and pediatric high-grade glioma in children. [Halloran Consulting Group] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSChina’s Embrace of Embryo Selection Raises Thorny Questions Fertility centers are making a massive push to increase preimplantation genetic diagnosis in a bid to eradicate certain diseases. [Nature News] Editorial Budget Cuts Fuel Frustration among Japan’s Academics Japan’s premier scientific research institution, RIKEN, turned 100 this year, and celebrated with a grand ceremony attended by the empress and emperor. But not everybody was in the mood to party. In the old days, RIKEN was known as a paradise for scientists because of its generous funding. No longer: as Japan cuts off funds in the face of continuing financial uncertainty, the cracks are starting to show. [Nature News] Editorial New FDA Security Rules Will Bar Agency from Hiring Some Foreign Nationals The FDA is moving to adopt a new policy on security background checks that is sowing confusion and alarm among some of its scientists. The change, described in a “communications plan” shared with the agency’s senior staff, appears to effectively bar the agency from hiring—as employees or contractors—foreign nationals who have not lived in the United States for a total of three out of the last five years. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Regenerative Biology and Applications: Cell Differentiation, Tissue Organization and Biomedical Engineering NEW Cell Symposia: CRISPR: From Biology to Technology and Novel Therapeutics Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Research Associate – Neuroscience (Thomas Jefferson University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Glioblastoma Multiforme (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine) Postdoctoral Fellow/Associate Positions – Neuroscience (State University of New York) Postdoctoral Researchers – Glial Cells (University of California, Davis) Faculty Scientists – Neuroscience (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) Postdoctoral Fellow – Neural Regeneration (Johns Hopkins University) Postdoctoral Fellow Position – Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) Postdoctoral Position – Neuroscience (Max Planck Society) Postdoctoral Fellow – Development and Function of Neural Circuits (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) Postdoctoral Position – Developmental Neurobiology (State University of New York) Postdoctoral Scientist – Neural Stem Cell Biology (Institute for Neuroscience of Montpellier) Postdoctoral Researcher – Stem Cell Differentiation (University of Oklahoma) Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
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