Neural Cell News Volume 5.27 | Jul 13 2011

Researchers Demystify a Fountain of Youth
Researchers have deciphered what sustains new neuron production in the adult brain, a “fountain of youth” in rodents that is also believed to be present in the human brain. [Press release from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences discussing online prepublication in Neuron]

Foxp2 Helps Wiring of Neurons in Developing Brain
Foxp2, a gene involved in speech and language, helps regulate the wiring of neurons in the brain, according to a study. [Press release from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics discussing online prepublication in PLoS Genetics]

Scientists Discover How Best to Excite Brain Cells
Researchers studied neuronal excitation using mathematical models and experiments with the squid giant axon. [Press release from the University of Michigan discussing online prepublication in PLoS Computational Biology]

SUMO Defeats Protein Aggregates
Sumoylation might prevent the protein aggregations that typify Parkinson’s disease, scientists report. [Press release from The Rockefeller University Press discussing online prepublication in The Journal of Cell Biology]

Neural Stem Progenitor Cell Transplantation’s Potential to Aid Spinal Cord Injury Tested
A study investigating optimal routes for transplanting neural stem/progenitor cells in animal models of spinal cord injury has demonstrated that intralesional injection conferred benefits over intravenous injection and intrathecal injection. [Press release from EurekAlert! discussing online prepublication in Cell Transplantation]

Unexpected Cell Repairs the Injured Spinal Cord
A study has revealed how scar tissue is formed after damage to the central nervous system. [Press release from the Karolinska Institutet discussing online prepublication in Science]

Mosaic Analysis with Double Markers Reveals Tumor Cell of Origin in Glioma
Here, researchers use mosaic analysis with double markers in mice to model gliomagenesis by initiating concurrent p53/Nf1 mutations sporadically in neural stem cells. [Cell]

A Pericyte Origin of Spinal Cord Scar Tissue
Here researchers show that a specific pericyte subtype gives rise to scar-forming stromal cells, which outnumber astrocytes, in the injured spinal cord. [Science]

Laminin-332 Coordinates Mechanotransduction and Growth Cone Bifurcation in Sensory Neurons
Researchers found that mouse epidermal keratinocytes produce a matrix that is inhibitory for sensory mechanotransduction and that the active molecular component is laminin-332. [Nat Neurosci]

Ank3-Dependent SVZ Niche Assembly Is Required for the Continued Production of New Neurons
Researchers discovered that the adapter molecule Ankyrin-3 (Ank3) is specifically upregulated in ventricular progenitors destined to become ependymal cells, but not in neural stem cells, and is required for subventricular zone (SVZ) niche assembly through progenitor lateral adhesion. [Neuron]

Sumoylation Inhibits α-Synuclein Aggregation and Toxicity
Using purified α-synuclein researchers compared the aggregation kinetics of unmodified and modified α-synuclein. [J Cell Biol]

Foxp2 Regulates Gene Networks Implicated in Neurite Outgrowth in the Developing Brain
Researchers used an integrated functional genomics strategy to robustly define Foxp2-dependent pathways, both direct and indirect targets, in the embryonic brain. [PLoS Genet]

Jagged2 Controls the Generation of Motor Neuron and Oligodendrocyte Progenitors in the Ventral Spinal Cord
A transcriptome analysis identified the Notch ligand Jagged2 as a Sonic hedgehog-regulated factor transiently expressed in motor neuron progenitors. [Cell Death Differ]

Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β Inhibitors Protect Hippocampal Neurons from Radiation-Induced Apoptosis by Regulating MDM2-p53 Pathway
Here researchers show that pretreatment of irradiated HT-22 hippocampal-derived neurons with small molecule inhibitors of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) SB216763 or SB415286, or with GSK-3β-specific shRNA resulted in accumulation of the p53-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2. [Cell Death Differ]

Comparative Study of Methods for Administering Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells to Treat Spinal Cord Injury in Mice
The purpose of the present study was to determine the optimal method of cell transplantation to the spinal cord injury site in terms of grafted cell survival and safety. [Cell Transplant]

Optimal Stimulus Shapes for Neuronal Excitation
Here researchers show in the Hodgkin & Huxley model of the action potential and in experiments on squid giant axons that spike generation in a neuron can be highly discriminatory for stimulus shape and the optimal stimulus shape is dependent upon inputs to the neuron. [PLoS Comput Biol]

Anavex Rapidly Advances ANAVEX 2-73 for Alzheimer’s Disease, Phase I Clinical Trial Progressing Well
Anavex Life Sciences Corp. has commenced the 30 mg dose step in its ongoing Phase I clinical trial to evaluate ANAVEX 2-73, the company’s lead drug candidate for Alzheimer’s disease. [Anavex Life Sciences Corp. Press Release]

National Parkinson Foundation Awards More Than $1 Million for Research
The National Parkinson Foundation has awarded more than $1 million dollars in clinical research projects in 2011. [National Parkinson Foundation Press Release]

Almirall Strengthens Its German Business with Two New Products: Sativex® and Actikerall®
Almirall, S.A. announced the launch, in Germany, of Sativex® for the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis and the approval of Actikerall® for the treatment of hyperkeratotic actinic keratosis (grade I/II) in adult patients. [Almirall, S.A. Press Release]

Sanofi Reports Positive Top-Line Results from First Phase III Study of Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada™) in Multiple Sclerosis
Sanofi and its subsidiary Genzyme announced positive top-line results from CARE-MS I, the first of two randomized, Phase III clinical trials comparing the investigational drug alemtuzumab to the approved multiple sclerosis therapy Rebif® (high dose subcutaneous interferon beta-1a) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. [Sanofi Press Release]

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

Lab Technologist – Tissue Culture (STEMCELL Technologies)               

Research and Development Technologist, hPSC Media (STEMCELL Technologies) 

Scientist (iPSC) (STEMCELL Technologies) 

Information Management Scientist – Scientific Data Management (Databases) (Dart Neuroscience LLC)

Microarray Lab Scientist and Manager (NeuroScience Inc.)

Postdoc Position (University of California, Davis)

Postdoctoral Position in Developmental Neurobiology (Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal) 

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