Neural Cell News Volume 12.40 | Oct 10 2018

TOP STORY

Stage-Specific Transcription Factors Drive Astrogliogenesis by Remodeling Gene Regulatory Landscapes

Investigators report molecularly distinct phases of astrogliogenesis that exhibit stage- and lineage-specific transcriptomic and epigenetic signatures with unique primed and active chromatin regions, thereby revealing regulatory elements and transcriptional programs underlying astrocyte generation and maturation. [Cell Stem Cell] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Subtype Diversification and Synaptic Specificity of Stem Cell-Derived Spinal Interneurons

The authors developed an embryonic stem cell-based system to model subtype diversification of V1 interneurons, a class of spinal neurons comprising four clades collectively containing dozens of molecularly distinct neuronal subtypes. [Neuron] Abstract

Microglia Innately Develop within Cerebral Organoids

Researchers showed that microglia could innately develop within a cerebral organoid model and display their characteristic ramified morphology. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Notch1 Regulates the Initiation of Metastasis and Self-Renewal of Group 3 Medulloblastoma

Scientists showed that NOTCH1 signaling pathway regulated both the initiation of metastasis and the self-renewal of medulloblastoma. They identified a mechanism in which NOTCH1 activated BMI1 through the activation of TWIST1. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Combined Experimental and System-Level Analyses Reveal the Complex Regulatory Network of miR-124 during Human Neurogenesis

Upon neuronal induction, miR-124-deleted cells underwent neurogenesis and became functional neurons, albeit with altered morphology and neurotransmitter specification. Using RNA-induced-silencing-complex precipitation, the authors identified 98 high-confidence miR-124 targets, of which some directly led to decreased viability. [Cell Syst] Full Article | Press Release | Graphical Abstract

Aβ42 Peptide Promotes Proliferation and Gliogenesis in Human Neural Stem Cells

Researchers analyzed the effects of different concentrations of monomeric amyloid-β 42 (Aβ42) on cell death, proliferation, and cell fate specification of human neural stem cells, specifically the hNS1 cell line, undergoing differentiation. [Mol Neurobiol] Abstract

Oxaliplatin Induces pH Acidification in Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons

Investigators showed that treatment with concentrations of oxaliplatin similar to those found in the plasma of treated patients led to an acidification of the cytosol of mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons in culture and this in turn was responsible for sensitization of TRPA1 channels, thereby providing a mechanistic explanation to toxicity of oxaliplatin. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Aberrant Neuronal Differentiation Is Common in Glioma but Is Associated Neither with Epileptic Seizures nor with Better Survival

Out of eight glioma stem cell lines, seven revealed positivity for the synaptic marker protein synaptophysin. Three had synapse-like structures identified by electron microscopy and were either vGlut1 or GAD67 positive. [Sci Rep] Full Article

OIP5 Expression Sensitize Glioblastoma Cells to Lomustine Treatment

The authors demonstrated that downregulation of the Opa Interacting Protein 5 (OIP5) stimulated glioma cell viability and inhibited cell death-induced necrosis prompted by lomustine. [J Mol Neurosci] Abstract

Mitochondrial Oxidation of the Carbohydrate Fuel Is Required for Neural Precursor/Stem Cell Function and Postnatal Cerebellar Development

Scientists report that knockout of PTPMT1, a mitochondrial phosphoinositide phosphatase, completely blocked postnatal cerebellar development. Proliferation of granule cell progenitors, the most actively replicating cells in the developing cerebellum, was only moderately decreased, and proliferation of Purkinje cell progenitors did not seem to be affected in knockout mice. [Sci Adv] Full Article | Editorial

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Glycosphingolipids and Neural Stem Cells

Glycosphingolipids hold an important role in neural stem cells due to their heterogeneity and their consequent capacity for eclectic interaction with other cell components. [J Neurochem] Abstract | Full Article

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

Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center and Retrotope Announce Collaboration on New Drug Treatment Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center and Retrotope announced a collaboration on a new drug therapy to treat patients with Progressive SupraNuclear Palsy, a type of treatment-resistant Parkinson’s disease. [Retrotope Inc.] Press Release

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Canada Announces Canadian Authorization of RADICAVA™ (Edaravone) to Treat ALS

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Canada, Inc. announced that Health Canada has granted market authorization of RADICAVA™ as an intravenous infusion treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rapidly progressive, neurodegenerative disease. [Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Canada, Inc.] Press Release

MediciNova Announces FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to MN-166 (Ibudilast) for Glioblastoma

MediciNova, Inc. announced that the FDA has granted orphan-drug designation to MN-166 as adjunctive therapy to temozolomide for the treatment of glioblastoma. [MediciNova, Inc.] Press Release

MeiraGTx Announces Acquisition of Vector Neurosciences, Gains Phase II Gene Therapy Program for Parkinson’s Disease

MeiraGTx Holdings Plc announced that it has acquired Vector Neurosciences Inc. in an all-stock transaction. As a result of the acquisition MeiraGTx has expanded its portfolio of clinical stage product candidates to include adeno-associated virus encoding glutamic acid decarboxylase, a gene therapy product candidate ready for continued Phase II clinical development for Parkinson’s disease. [MeiraGTx Holdings Plc] Press Release

Pain Therapeutics Announces $3.5 Million NIH Grant Award to Study Alzheimer’s Disease

Pain Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has been awarded an approximately $3.5 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support a Phase II program with PTI-125, the company’s drug candidate to treat Alzheimer’s disease. [Pain Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Major Publishers File Second Lawsuit against ResearchGate

ResearchGate, a popular networking platform where scientists can post their published work, has a complicated relationship with academic publishers. A number of them have accused the site of illicitly disseminating copyrighted work, and two of these—Elsevier and the American Chemical Society—filed a lawsuit in Germany last year to try to force ResearchGate to change its practices. [The Scientist] Editorial

Ghost Authorship Haunts Industry-Funded Clinical Trials

An analysis of industry-funded clinical trials has found that drug companies are often heavily involved in research — but are not always transparent about it. [Nature News] Editorial

Questions about Funding and Purpose Loom over a Foundation Congress Created to Help the FDA

The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA is supposed to act as a liaison between the FDA itself and drug companies, researchers, nonprofits, or other businesses with regulated products who might want to support a project to make the agency’s job easier. It has raised just under $15 million during its first decade, according to the foundation. [STAT News] Editorial

NEW The Lancet Summit: Inflammation and Immunity in Disorders of the Brain and Mind
November 15-17, 2018
Barcelona, Spain

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

NEW Postdoctoral Research Associate – Neural and Cancer Biology (French National Institute for Health and Biomedical Research)

NEW PhD Positions – Neuroscience (International Max Planck Research School for Neural Circuits)

Assistant Professor – Department of Neuroscience (Columbia University)

Tenure Eligible Investigator – Neurobiology (Universite Bourgogne Franche-Comte)

Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Brain Tumors (Columbia University)

PhD Student – Aging and Neurodegeneration (DZNE Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenratie Erkrankungen)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Cell Biology of Neural Development (St Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

Assistant Professor – Systems Neuroscience (Carnegie Mellon University)

Tenure Eligible Investigator – Neurobiology (Universite Bourgogne Franche-Comté)

Multiple Faculty Positions – Neuroscience and Neuroengineering (Tsinghua University)

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