Neural Cell News Volume 14.43 | Nov 18 2020

    By
    Justin.choi
    -
    0
    55







    2020-11-18 | NCN 14.43


    Neural Cell News by STEMCELL Technologies
    Vol. 14.43 – 18 November, 2020
    TOP STORY

    Adult Neural Stem Cells are Alerted by Systemic Inflammation through TNF-α Receptor Signaling

    Researchers developed a multilevel strategy to analyze neural stem cell states with the aim to uncover signals that regulate the level of quiescence/activation. They showed that transitions between states occurred in vivo and that activated and primed, but not quiescent, states could be captured and studied in culture.
    [Cell Stem Cell]

    AbstractGraphical Abstract

    Survey Report: Where Is Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Now?
    PUBLICATIONSRanked by the impact factor of the journal

    Severe Reactive Astrocytes Precipitate Pathological Hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease via H2O2– Production

    Scientists showed the importance of astrocytic reactivity on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease using GiD, a newly developed animal model of reactive astrocytes, where the reactivity of astrocytes could be manipulated as mild or severe.
    [Nature Neuroscience]

    Full Article

    Loss of TAX1BP1-Directed Autophagy Results in Protein Aggregate Accumulation in the Brain

    Researchers compared the requirements for autophagy receptor proteins: OPTN, NBR1, p62, NDP52, and TAX1BP1 in the clearance of proteotoxic aggregates. Endogenous TAX1BP1 was recruited to and required for the clearance of stress-induced aggregates, whereas ectopic expression of TAX1BP1 increased clearance through autophagy, promoting the viability of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons.
    [Molecular Cell]

    AbstractGraphical Abstract

    Enhancer Hijacking Determines Extrachromosomal Circular MYCN Amplicon Architecture in Neuroblastoma

    Scientists analyzed the MYCN amplicon structure using short-read and Nanopore sequencing and its chromatin landscape using ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, and Hi-C. This revealed two distinct classes of amplicons which explained the regulatory requirements for MYCN overexpression.
    [Nature Communications]

    Full Article

    Distinct Oligodendrocyte Populations have Spatial Preference and Different Responses to Spinal Cord Injury

    Investigators showed that distinct mature oligodendrocyte populations have spatial preferences in the mammalian central nervous system.
    [Nature Communications]

    Full Article

    De Novo VPS4A Mutations Cause Multisystem Disease with Abnormal Neurodevelopment

    In cultured cells, overexpression of VPS4A mutants caused enlarged endosomal vacuoles resembling those induced by the expression of known dominant-negative ATPase-defective forms of VPS4A.
    [American Journal of Human Genetics]

    Full Article

    ALS Motor Neurons Exhibit Hallmark Metabolic Defects that are Rescued by SIRT3 Activation

    Induced pluripotent stem cells from healthy controls, familial ALS, and sporadic ALS patients were differentiated toward spinal motor neurons, cortical neurons, and cardiomyocytes.
    [Cell Death & Differentiation]

    Full Article

    Statistical Laws of Protein Motion in Neuronal Dendritic Trees

    Combining in vitro experiments and a theoretical framework, investigators showed that proteins that diffused within the cell plasma membrane are, on average, 35% more effective at reaching downstream locations than proteins that diffused in the cytoplasm.
    [Cell Reports]

    Full ArticleGraphical Abstract

    Coupled Control of Distal Axon Integrity and Somal Responses to Axonal Damage by the Palmitoyl Acyltransferase ZDHHC17

    Retinal ganglion cells somal and distal axon degenerations were previously thought to be controlled by two parallel pathways, involving activation of the kinase dual leucine-zipper kinase (DLK) and loss of the axon survival factor nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase-2 (NMNAT2), respectively. The authors report that palmitoylation of both DLK and NMNAT2 by the palmitoyl acyltransferase ZDHHC17 coupled these signals.
    [Cell Reports]

    Full ArticleGraphical Abstract

    PARK7 Maintains the Stemness of Glioblastoma Stem Cells by Stabilizing Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Variant III

    Deregulation of PARK7 had been implicated in the pathogenesis of various human diseases, including cancer. Scientists clarified the effect of PARK7 on stemness and radioresistance of glioblastoma stem cells.
    [Oncogene]

    Abstract

    Acquired Dysregulation of Dopamine Homeostasis Reproduces Features of Parkinson’s Disease

    The authors presented a new in vivo model demonstrating the induction of Parkinson’s disease-associated pathogenic mechanisms of degeneration resulting from acquired dysregulation of dopamine sequestration in nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in adult rats.
    [npj Parkinson’s Disease]

    Full Article

    Reduced Astrocytic Reactivity in Human Brains and Midbrain Organoids with PRKN Mutations

    Scientists differentiated patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells into midbrain organoids and confirmed decreased numbers of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes in PRKN-mutated organoids compared with age- and sex-matched controls
    [npj Parkinson’s Disease]

    Full Article

    The complex genettics of schizophrenia are unclear. So she developed a new approach.
    REVIEWS

    Encouraging an Excitable Brain State: Mechanisms of Brain Repair in Stroke

    Investigators examine circuit changes after stroke, the shared mechanisms between memory formation and brain repair, the changes in neuronal excitability that underlie stroke recovery, and the molecular and pharmacological interventions that follow from these findings to promote motor recovery in animal models.
    [Nature Reviews Neuroscience]

    Abstract

    Massively Parallel Techniques for Cataloguing the Regulome of the Human Brain

    The authors discuss the use of high-throughput assays in human induced pluripotent stem cell-based neurodevelopmental models to probe genetic risk in a cell-type- and patient-specific manner.
    [Nature Neuroscience]

    Abstract

    INDUSTRY AND POLICY NEWS

    AZTherapies Completes COGNITE Phase III Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial; Top-Line Data Readout Expected in First Quarter of 2021

    AZTherapies, Inc. announced the completion of the last patient/last visit in its COGNITE Phase III clinical trial, which was evaluating the safety and efficacy of ALZT-OP1, an investigational combination treatment for patients with early stage Alzheimer’s disease.
    [AZTherapies, Inc.]

    Press Release

    PTC Therapeutics Announces that PTC518 Has Entered into a Phase I Clinical Trial for the Huntington’s Disease Program

    PTC Therapeutics, Inc announced the initiation of Phase I clinical trial to evaluate PTC518 in healthy volunteers. PTC518 was identified from PTC’s splicing platform and is being developed for the treatment of Huntington’s disease.
    [PTC Therapeutics, Inc]

    Press Release

    FEATURED EVENT

    Keystone Symposia: Single Cell Biology

    March 17 – March 19, 2021
    Virtual

    > See All Events

    JOB OPPORTUNITIES

    Postdoctoral Research Assistant – Glioblastoma

    Queen Mary University of London – London, England, United Kingdom

    Postdoctoral Fellow – Neurosurgery

    Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – New York, New York, United States

    Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Molecular Neuroscience

    Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center – Seattle, Washington, United States

    Research Position – Neural Regeneration

    Northwestern University – Chicago, Illinois, United States

    Postdoctoral Research Fellow Positions – Sensory Networks

    The University of Queensland – Brisbane, Australia

    > See All Jobs

    Submit an article, publication, job or event
    Brought to you by
    stemcell-logo-for newsletter-2
    Science News Neural Cell News Archives Contact Us
    Neural Cell News Twitter