Neural Cell News Volume 13.01 | Jan 16 2019

TOP STORY

ALS-Implicated Protein TDP-43 Sustains Levels of STMN2, a Mediator of Motor Neuron Growth and Repair

Investigators report transcripts whose abundances in human motor neurons are sensitive to TDP-43 depletion. Notably, expression of STMN2, which encodes a microtubule regulator, declined after TDP-43 knockdown and TDP-43 mislocalization as well as in patient-specific motor neurons and postmortem patient spinal cord. [Nat Neurosci] Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Become Regionally Diverse and Heterogeneous with Age

Scientists showed by using single-cell electrophysiological recordings, that oligodendrocyte progenitor cells start out as a homogeneous population but become functionally heterogeneous, varying both within and between brain regions and with age. [Neuron] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Chi3l3 Induces Oligodendrogenesis in an Experimental Model of Autoimmune Neuroinflammation

Investigators demonstrated that murine Chitinase 3-like-3 (Chi3l3/Ym1), human Chi3L1 and Chit1 induced oligodendrogenesis. In mice, Chi3l3 was highly expressed in the subventricular zone, a stem cell niche of the adult brain, and in inflammatory brain lesions during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. [Nat Commun] Full Article

An Alginate Hydrogel Modified with a Ligand Interacting with α3β1 Integrin Receptor Promotes the Differentiation of 3D Neural Spheroids towards Oligodendrocytes In Vitro

Mouse neural progenitor cell (NPC) spheres were differentiated into viable neurons, astrocytes and mature oligodendrocytes (OLs) by day 60 in all groups whereas human NPC spheres were differentiated into neurons and later into GFAP positive astrocytes and O4 positive pre-OL within 90 days. [ACS Appl Mater Interfaces] Abstract

TIPE3 Is a Regulator of Cell Apoptosis in Glioblastoma

Scientists demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 8-like 3 (TIPE3) is upregulated in glioblastoma (GBM), and its high expression predicts poor prognosis. TIPE3 depletion induces GBM cell apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. [Cancer Lett] Abstract

Lysophosphatidic Acid Activates Satellite Glia Cells and Schwann Cells

Investigators showed that in a culture of dorsal root ganglia lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) 18:1 surprisingly activated a large fraction of satellite glia cells, and responses to LPA correlated inversely with responses to neuronal expressed transient receptor potential channels. [Glia] Abstract

Melatonin Enhances Proliferation and Modulates Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells via Autophagy in Hyperglycemia

Scientists found that hyperglycemia (HG) increased autophagy and autophagic flux of neural stem cells as evidenced by increasing LC3B II/I ratio, Beclin-1 expression, and autophagosomes. Moreover, melatonin enhanced neural stem cells proliferation and self-renewal in HG with decreasing autophagy and activated mTOR signaling. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Altered Spinogenesis in iPSC-Derived Cortical Neurons from Patients with Autism Carrying De Novo SHANK3 Mutations

The Authors analyzed the pyramidal cortical neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells from four patients with autism spectrum disorders carrying SHANK3 de novo truncating mutations. At 40-45 days after the differentiation of neural stem cells, dendritic spines from pyramidal neurons presented variable morphologies: filopodia, thin, stubby and mushroom, as measured in 3D using GFP labeling and immunofluorescence. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Behaviors of Glioblastoma Cells in In Vitro Microenvironments

In this study, four types of typical glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines were cultured in a microfabricated 3-D model to study their in vitro behaviors. The 3-D in vitro model provided hollow micro-chamber arrays containing a natural collagen interface and thus allowed the GBM cells to grow in the 3-D chambers. [Sci Rep] Full Article

LRRK2 Kinase Plays a Critical Role in Manganese-Induced Inflammation and Apoptosis in Microglia

Researchers investigated the role of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) in manganese-induced toxicity using human microglial cells, LRRK2-wild-type and LRRK2-knockout RAW264.7 macrophage cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

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Neural Stem Cell Niche Heterogeneity

The authors evaluate recent advances that change the understanding of the neural stem cell niche heterogeneity and its influence on neural stem cell function. [Semin Cell Dev Biol] Abstract

Repair Schwann Cell Update: Adaptive Reprogramming, EMT, and Stemness in Regenerating Nerves

In this review, scientists discuss the emerging similarities between the injury response seen in nerves and in other tissues and survey the transcription factors, epigenetic mechanisms, and signaling cascades that control repair Schwann cells, with emphasis on systems that selectively regulate the Schwann cell injury response. [Glia] Abstract

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

Pain Therapeutics Awarded $1.5 Million Research Grant by National Institutes of Health

Pain Therapeutics, Inc. announced it has been awarded $1.5 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health. [Pain Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Vaccinex, Inc. Announces Completion of Enrollment for Its “SIGNAL” Huntington’s Disease Trial

Vaccinex, Inc. announced that it has completed subject enrollment for the SIGNAL trial. SIGNAL is a Phase II, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study in subjects with early manifest and late prodromal Huntington’s disease to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of VX15/2503. [Vaccinex, Inc.] Press Release

Aptinyx Reports Top-Line Results from Phase II Clinical Study of NYX-2925 in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Aptinyx Inc. announced top-line results from a Phase II clinical study of NYX-2925 in subjects with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. [Aptinyx Inc.] Press Release

OSE Immunotherapeutics Receives First Notice of Allowance of a Patent for Use of Tedopi^® to Treat Brain Metastasis

OSE Immunotherapeutics announced that the Japanese Patent Office has issued the notice of allowance for a new patent family related to Tedopi^®, a combination of neoepitopes, for use in the treatment of brain metastasis originating from cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, in HLA-A2 positive patients. [OSE Immunotherapeutics] Press Release

Brain Tumor Funders’ Collaborative Announces $3 Million in Grants

The Brain Tumor Funders’ Collaborative – six private funders of brain tumor research – announced $3 million in grants to four multi-institutional teams of researchers and clinicians studying immunotherapy in primary brain tumors. [The Brain Tumor Funders’ Collaborative] Press Release

Groundbreaking Deal Makes Large Number of German Studies Free to Public

Three years ago, a group of German libraries, universities, and research institutes teamed up to force the three largest scientific publishers to offer an entirely new type of contract. In exchange for an annual lump sum, they wanted a nationwide agreement making papers by German authors free to read around the world, while giving researchers in Germany access to all of the publishers’ online content. [Science Insider] Editorial

Government Shutdown Keeps Young Scientists in Limbo

With the lapse in government funding in its fourth week, early-career researchers tell The Scientist how their businesses, jobs, and research have been affected. [The Scientist] Editorial

NEW 3^rd International Brain Stimulation Conference
February 24-27, 2019
Vancouver, Canada

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NEW Research Assistant – Cellular Neuroscience (Cardiff University)

Group Leader – Neuroscience (Bordeaux Neurocampus – Universite de Bordeaux)

Research Fellow (University College London)

Associate Professor/Assistant Professor – Neuroscience (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Alzheimer’s & Cerebrovascular Disease (Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Eaar)

Associate Professor – Neurophysiology (University of Copenhagen)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neurotrauma and Neural Repair Mechanisms (University of Pennsylvania)

Senior Scientist – Neuroscience Drug Discovery (Ionis Pharmaceuticals)

PhD – Neuroscience (Institute for Neuroscience)

Postdoctoral Associate – Cancer & Stem Cell (Weill Cornell Medicine)

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