Neural Cell News 12.47 November 28, 2018 | |
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TOP STORYScientists used a combination of cell ablation, retrovirus-mediated single-cell labeling, and signaling pathway modulation, they showed that adult hippocampal neural stem and/or progenitor cells continuously supplied pleiotrophin factor to the newborn neurons. Without this feedforward signal, the newborn neurons displayed defective dendritic development and arborization. [Neuron] Abstract | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)The authors explored the functional significance of maintaining small mitochondria for axonal development in vitro and in vivo. They report that the Drp1 ‘receptor’ mitochondrial fission factor is required for determining the size of mitochondria entering the axon and then for maintenance of their size along the distal portions of the axon without affecting their trafficking properties, presynaptic capture, membrane potential or ability to generate ATP. [Nat Commun] Full Article Through characterizing Six3 and Six6 double knockout retinas (DKOs), researchers demonstrated Six3 and Six6 are jointly required for the maintenance of multipotent neuroretinal progenitors. Phenotypes in DKOs were not found in either Six3 nulls or Six6 nulls. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract PKCε Inhibits Neuronal Dendritic Spine Development through Dual Phosphorylation of Ephexin5 Investigating each brain-enriched protein kinase C (PKC) isoform in early neuronal development, researchers showed PKCε acutely and specifically reduced the number of dendritic spines, sites of eventual synapse formation on developing dendrites. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract Human SPG11 Cerebral Organoids Reveal Cortical Neurogenesis Impairment Scientists revealed that an increased rate of asymmetric divisions of neural progenitor cells led to proliferation defect, causing premature neurogenesis. Correspondingly, SPG11 organoids appeared smaller than controls and had larger ventricles as well as thinner germinal wall. [Hum Mol Genet] Full Article Researchers demonstrated that growth differentiation factor 11 enhances hippocampal neurogenesis, improves vasculature and increases markers of neuronal activity and plasticity in the hippocampus and cortex of old mice. [Sci Rep] Full Article Modeling Diabetic Corneal Neuropathy in a 3D In Vitro Cornea System Researchers applied a novel 3D in vitro model of the human cornea comprising of epithelial, stromal, and neuronal components cultured in silk scaffolds to study the pathological effects of hyperglycemia on development of diabetic corneal neuropathy. [Sci Rep] Full Article The results indicated that poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) microfibers significantly enhanced proliferation of adult rat hippocampal stem/progenitor cells (AHPCs) compared to control, 2D planar substrates. While the AHPCs maintained their multipotent differentiation capacity when cultured on the PCL scaffolds, there was a significant and dramatic increase in immunolabeling for astrocyte and oligodendrocyte differentiation when compared with growth on planar surfaces. [Macromol Biosci] Abstract Scientists studied the effects of resveratrol (RES) on neurospheres (NS) used as an in vitro model to study tumor-initiating cells derived from glioblastomas (GBM) cell lines. Free RES and RES-formulations inhibited the anchorage-independent growth of GBM neurospheres. The NS-derived cells expressed TfRs and the Tf-targeted liposomes showed a significantly higher association with NS versus the non-targeted liposomes. [J Drug Target] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSNecroptosis and RIPK1-Mediated Neuroinflammation in CNS Diseases The authors outline the evidence implicating necroptosis in neurological diseases and suggest that targeting RIPK1 might help to inhibit multiple cell death pathways and ameliorate neuroinflammation. [Nat Rev Neurosci] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the neural cell research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSAlcyone Lifesciences, Inc announced that the first patient was treated with DNAtrix’s DNX-2440, an oncolytic adenovirus expressing OX40 ligand in a Phase I clinical trial for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme a particularly lethal form of brain cancer. [Alcyone Lifesciences, Inc (PR Newswire Association LLC)] Press Release Parkinson Canada together with Brain Canada announced the creation of the Canadian Open Parkinson Network. The $2 million Platform Grant is intended to support the initial development and maintenance of a large-scale research network that is built on the foundation of the established and successful Quebec Parkinson Network, and involve multiple provinces, in the field of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. [BRAIN CANADA] Press Release GW Pharmaceuticals plc announces positive top-line results of the second randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trial of EPIDIOLEX® CV in the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome, a rare and severe form of childhood-onset epilepsy. [GW Pharmaceuticals plc] Press Release Minerva Neurosciences Announces New Patent Application for MIN-117 Related to Broad Effect on Pain Minerva Neurosciences, Inc. announced the filing of a U.S. patent application for use of its investigational proprietary compound, MIN-117, to treat pain. [Minerva Neurosciences, Inc] Press Release Blaze Bioscience, Inc. announced they have enrolled the first patient at Seattle Children’s Hospital in their Phase II/III pivotal study entitled “A randomized, blinded study of fluorescence detection of pediatric primary central nervous system tumors in subjects receiving tozuleristide and imaged with the Canvas System.” [Blaze Bioscience, Inc] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSRomania Cuts Research Budget for Second Time This Year The Romanian government has sliced off another €49 million from its research budget, as the ministry for research and innovation failed to put out funding calls to spend all of the €350 million it had allocated for 2018. [Science|Business] Editorial Researcher Who Created CRISPR Twins Defends His Work but Leaves Many Questions Unanswered The researcher who set off a global firestorm when he announced the birth of the world’s first gene-edited babies defended his study at a meeting. He Jiankui of the Southern University of Science and Technology in nearby Shenzhen, China, said he was “proud” of the work, which he said could lead to disease prevention “for millions of children,” and provided some details about the unpublished research that many scientists and bioethicists—as well as a phalanx of journalists—were clamoring to hear. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW The 14th International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases (AD/PDTM 2019) Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Assistant Professor – Neuroscience (Dalhousie University) NEW Senior Scientist – Neuroscience Drug Discovery (Ionis Pharmaceuticals) NEW PhD – Neuroscience (Institute for Neuroscience) NEW Postdoctoral Associate – Cancer & Stem Cell (Weill Cornell Medicine) Director – Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (University of Toronto) Postdoctoral Scholar – Cancer Stem Cells and Organoids (Cancer Institute of New Jersey) Postdoctoral Position – Neuroscience (Boston Children’s Hospital) Faculty Positions – Translational Neurosciences (Wayne State University) Postdoctoral Scholar – Medulloblastoma (University of California, San Francisco) Postdoctoral Position – Neuroscience/Neuropharmacology (The University of Texas at Austin) Multiple Faculty Positions – Neuroscience and Neuroengineering (Tsinghua University) 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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