Neural Cell News Volume 6.22 | Jun 6 2012

The Circadian Neuropeptide PDF Signals Preferentially through a Specific Adenylate Cyclase Isoform AC3 in M Pacemakers of Drosophila
The Pigment Dispersing Factor receptor (PDF-R) is present in both M and subsets of E cells. Activation of PDF-R stimulates cAMP increases in vitro and in M cells in vivo. This study examined the identity of downstream signaling components that are associated with PDF receptor in specific circadian pacemaker neurons. [PLoS Biol] Full Article

Distinct Traces for Appetitive versus Aversive Olfactory Memories in DPM Neurons of Drosophila
Researchers contrasted the cellular memory traces that form in the dorsal paired medial (DPM) neurons of Drosophila after conditioning flies with odors associated with aversive or appetitive unconditioned stimuli. [Curr Biol] Abstract

Headless Myo10 Is a Negative Regulator of Full-Length Myo10 and Inhibits Axon Outgrowth in Cortical Neurons
Researchers found that cortical neurons express both headless and full-length Myo10 and report the first isoform-specific localization of Myo10 in brain, which shows enrichment of headless Myo10 in regions of proliferating and migrating cells, including the embryonic ventricular zone and the postnatal rostral migratory stream. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

Lewis X-Carrying N-Glycans Regulate the Proliferation of Mouse Embryonic Neural Stem Cells via the Notch Signaling Pathway
Researchers suggest that Lewis X carbohydrates, which have so far been characterized as undifferentiation markers, actually operate as activators of the Notch signaling pathway for the maintenance of neural stem cell stemness during brain development. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

Assembling Neurospheres: Dynamics of Neural Progenitor/Stem Cell Aggregation Probed Using an Optical Trap
Researchers studied and quantified the spatial characteristics of filopodial- and membrane-mediated adhesion, and probed the functional dynamics of neural stem cells (NSCs) to quantify a lower limit of the adhesive force by which NSCs aggregate. [PLoS One] Full Article

Adult Human Brain Neural Progenitor Cells (NPCs) and Fibroblast-Like Cells Have Similar Properties In Vitro but Only NPCs Differentiate into Neurons
To achieve a reliable and reproducible adult human neural progenitor cell (AhNPC) culture system, researchers fully characterized the cellular composition of the AhNPC cultures, as well as the possible changes to this in vitro system over prolonged culture periods. [PLoS One] Full Article

Key Physiological Parameters Dictate Triggering of Activity-Dependent Bulk Endocytosis in Hippocampal Synapses
Researchers found that activity-dependent bulk endocytosis in hippocampal synaptic terminals is tightly coupled to stimulation frequency and is more likely to occur in terminals with large synaptic vesicle pools. [PLoS One] Full Article

Generation of Regionally Specified Neural Progenitors and Functional Neurons from Human Embryonic Stem Cells under Defined Conditions
Through the addition of a small molecule that activates canonical WNT signaling, researchers induced rapid and efficient dose-dependent specification of regionally defined neural progenitors ranging from telencephalic forebrain to posterior hindbrain fates. Ten days after initiation of differentiation, the progenitors could be transplanted to the adult rat striatum, where they formed neuron-rich and tumor-free grafts with maintained regional specification. [Cell Rep] Abstract

Backpropagating Action Potentials Enable Detection of Extrasynaptic Glutamate by NMDA Receptors
Scientists found that in CA1 pyramidal neurons, backpropagating action potentials recruit shaft NMDA receptors (NMDARs) exposed to ambient glutamate. In contrast, spine NMDARs are protected, under baseline conditions, from such glutamate influences by perisynaptic transporters. [Cell Rep] Abstract

Children’s Hospital of Orange County Children’s Research Project Awarded $5.5 Million Grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
The grant will be used to develop a stem cell-based therapy for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis, a fatal metabolic disease that causes neurodegeneration, as well as defects in other major organ systems. [Children’s Hospital of Orange County] Press Release

29 Johns Hopkins Stem Cell Researchers Awarded Funding From the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund
This year the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund awarded 29 of 40 grants to Johns Hopkins researchers for the study of stem cell metabolism and regulation, the creation of new cell models for human diseases such as schizophrenia and Rett syndrome and the development of new potential therapies. [The Johns Hopkins University] Press Release

Actium Research and McMaster University Collaborate to Commercialize Stem Cell Technologies
Actium Research Inc. and McMaster University have entered into a landmark collaboration covering McMaster’s proprietary adult human stem cell lines, cancer stem cells and the directed differentiation platform developed by Dr. Mick Bhatia and his team at the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute. [McMaster University] Press Release

Scientists: Your Number Is Up
Just as barcodes at the supermarket allow the till to distinguish a tomato from a turnip, Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) aims to reliably attribute research outputs to their true author by assigning every scientist on the planet a machine-readable, 16-digit unique digital identifier. [ORCID Committee] 
Press Release

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

NEW The Movement Disorder Society’s 16th International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders
June 17-21, 2012
Dublin, Ireland

NEW New Zealand Applied Neurosciences Conference (NZANC)
September 14-16, 2012
Auckland, New Zealand

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

Scientist – Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Scientist – Epithelial Cell Research (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Scientist – Mesenchymal Cell Research (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Business Analyst – Product Management (STEMSOFT Software, Inc.)

Research Associate – Chemistry (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Research Associate – Particle Chemistry (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Research Technologist – Contract Assay Services (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Research Technologist – Media Development (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Postdoctoral Position – GIGA-Neurosciences (University of Liège)

Postdoctoral Position – Spinal Cord Neural Stem Cells (Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier)

Postdoctoral Position – Neurophysiology (National Institute of Neuroscience)

Research Scientist – Neurology (Vertex Pharmaceuticals)

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