Neural Cell News Volume 14.02 | Jan 22 2020

TOP STORY

Self-Organizing 3D Human Trunk Neuromuscular Organoids

Single-cell RNA-sequencing of individual organoids revealed reproducibility across experiments and enabled the tracking of the neural and mesodermal differentiation trajectories as organoids developed and matured. Neuromuscular organoids contained functional neuromuscular junctions supported by terminal Schwann cells. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Zika Virus Targets Glioblastoma Stem Cells through a SOX2-Integrin αvβ5 Axis

Researchers demonstrated that Zika virus preferentially infected and killed glioblastoma stem cells and stem-like cells in medulloblastoma and ependymoma in a SOX2-dependent manner. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Calcitonin Receptor Neurons in the Mouse Nucleus Tractus Solitarius Control Energy Balance via the Non-Aversive Suppression of Feeding

While both calcitonin receptor (Calcr)^NTS and Cck^NTS neurons decreased feeding via projections to the PBN, Cck^NTS cells activated aversive CGRP PBN cells while Calcr^NTS cells activated distinct non-CGRP PBN cells. [Cell Metab] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Lipid-Droplet-Accumulating Microglia Represent a Dysfunctional and Proinflammatory State in the Aging Brain

Scientists report a striking buildup of lipid droplets in microglia with aging in mouse and human brains. These cells were defective in phagocytosis, produced high levels of reactive oxygen species and secreted proinflammatory cytokines. [Nat Neurosci] Abstract

JMJD3 and UTX Determine Fidelity and Lineage Specification of Human Neural Progenitor Cells

KDM6-deficient neural progenitor cells exhibited poor proliferation and a failure to differentiate into neurons and glia. Both JMJD3 and UTX were found to be enriched in gene loci essential for neural development in human embryonic stem cells. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Hippocampal Neural Stem Cells and Microglia Response to Experimental Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Investigators sought to characterize the short and long-term effects of colitis on neurogenesis and glia responses in the hippocampus. They showed that acute dextran sodium sulfate colitis enhanced neurogenesis but with deficits in cell cycle kinetics of proliferating progenitors in the hippocampus. [Mol Psychiatry] Abstract

Mir-206 Reduces the Severity of Motor Neuron Degeneration in the Facial Nuclei of the Brain Stem in a Mouse Model of SMA

Researchers demonstrated that miRNA-206 was transiently up-regulated also in the brain stem of a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), in the early phase of the disease, paralleling motor neurons degeneration. [Mol Ther] Abstract

Age-Dependent Remarkable Regenerative Potential of the Dentate Gyrus Provided by Intrinsic Stem Cells

The authors focused on the hippocampus and especially the dentate gyrus, a vulnerable brain region and one of the two sites where adult neuronal stem cells reside. [J Neurosci] Abstract

Estradiol Reverses Excitatory Synapse Loss in a Cellular Model of Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Scientists tested the hypothesis that 17β-estradiol could restore dendritic spine number in a cellular model that recapitulated the loss of synapses associated with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. [Transl Psychiatry] Full Article

MicroRNA-4731-5p Delivered by AD-Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Glioblastoma

To evaluate the function of miR-4731, researchers overexpressed miR-4731 using lentiviral vectors in U-87 and U-251 glioblastoma multiforme cell lines. The effects of miR-4731 on cell proliferation and cell cycle of glioma cells were analyzed by wound test and flow-cytometry assay. [J Cell Physiol] Abstract

Accelerated Neuronal and Synaptic Maturation by BrainPhys Medium Increases Aβ Secretion and Alters Aβ Peptide Ratios from iPSC-Derived Cortical Neurons

Researchers investigated if differentiation of neuroprogenitor cells in BrainPhys medium would accelerate neuronal maturation and increase Aβ secretion as compared to the conventional neural maintenance medium. [Sci Rep] Full Article

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Neutrophils as Emerging Therapeutic Targets

A variety of approaches to therapeutically target neutrophils have emerged, including strategies to enhance, inhibit or restore neutrophil function, with several agents entering clinical trials. [Nat Rev Drug Discov] Abstract

Emerging Technologies to Study Glial Cells

The authors illustrate the potency of several cutting-edge experimental approaches to unravel the role of glial cells in specific brain functions or diseases. [Glia] Abstract

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

Stealth BioTherapeutics Initiates First-in-Human Study of SBT-272

Stealth BioTherapeutics announced the initiation of a first-in-human Phase I trial evaluating its second generation pipeline compound, SBT-272, in healthy subjects. [Stealth BioTherapeutics] Press Release

Clene Nanomedicine Announces First Patient Dosed in the RESCUE-ALS Clinical Trial for the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) with Lead Nanocatalytic Therapeutic, CNM-Au8

Clene Nanomedicine, Inc. announced its Australian subsidiary had completed enrollment and dosing of the first participant in the Phase II RESCUE-ALS study with its lead nanocatalytic therapy, CNM-Au8, for the treatment of ALS. [Clene Nanomedicine, Inc. (PRNewswire, Inc.)] Press Release

Belgian Neurologist Wins €1M Prize for Work on Serious Brain Trauma

Steven Laureys, head of the coma science group at Liège University hospital, plans to use the £850,000 award to improve the diagnosis of coma survivors labelled as being in a “persistent vegetative state”. [Liège University Hospital (The Guardian)] Press Release

Campus Attacks by Nationalists and Police Alarm India’s Scientific Community

The attack on one of India’s most prestigious universities sent shock waves around the country and is the latest sign that the political forces tearing apart Indian society are also affecting the country’s academic community. Students at JNU, a liberal bastion, had been on strike for months against both a major hike in student fees and the government’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, widely decried as discriminatory against Muslims. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Moffitt Cancer Center Details Links of Fired Scientists to Chinese Talent Programs

Six Florida cancer researchers who were dismissed last month for hiding their ties to a Chinese medical university appear to have been motivated by simple greed and a disregard for both institutional and federal rules. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW 4^th DNA Repair/Replication Structures and Cancer Conference
February 16-20, 2020
Nassau, Bahamas

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

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Vascular Dysfunction in Neurodegeneration (Translational Neurology Group)

NEW Postdoctoral Research Positions – Alzheimer’s Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury (University of Colorado Boulder)

Postdoctoral Position – In Vitro Electrophysiology in Brain Regeneration (Italian Institute of Technology)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Neurodegenerative Diseases and Cancer (University of Pennsylvania)

Research Associate – Neural Stem Cells and Neurophysiology (University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden)

Research Cognitive Neurologist (University Health Network)

Postdoctoral Research Position – Neural Reprogramming and Repair (Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science)

Assistant or Associate Professor – Neural Repair (Burke Neurological Institute)

Postdoctoral Associate – Neuron Diversity Mechanisms in Brain Development (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)

Postdoctoral Associate – Glia and Neuron Interaction (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)

Multiple Faculty Positions – Neuroscience and Neuroengineering (Tsinghua University)

Faculty Positions – Brain Disorders (IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research)

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