Neural Cell News Volume 7.08 | Feb 27 2013

Spartin Regulates Synaptic Growth and Neuronal Survival by Inhibiting BMP-Mediated Microtubule Stabilization
Researchers generated a Drosophila disease model showing that Spartin functions presynaptically with endocytic adaptor Eps15 to regulate synaptic growth and function. Spartin inhibits bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling by promoting endocytic degradation of BMP receptor wishful thinking. [Neuron] Abstract

Bisphenol A Delays the Perinatal Chloride Shift in Cortical Neurons by Epigenetic Effects on the Kcc2 Promoter
Scientists demonstrated that bisphenol A exposure in culture led to delay in the perinatal chloride shift caused by significant decrease in potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (Kcc2) mRNA expression in developing rat, mouse, and human cortical neurons. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Full Article | Press Release

Cell Cycle and Lineage Progression of Neural Progenitors in the Ventricular-Subventricular Zones of Adult Mice
Using whole mounts of the walls of the lateral ventricles of adult mice and three cell cycle analysis methods using thymidine analogs, investigators determined the proliferation dynamics of stem cells, intermediate progenitors, and neuroblasts in vivo. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Full Article

Paired Related Homeobox Protein 1 Is a Regulator of Stemness in Adult Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells
Scientists showed that paired related homeobox protein Prx1 plays an important role in the maintenance of adult neural stem cells (NSCs). Prx1 works with the transcription factor Sox2 as a coactivator, and depletion of Prx1 in cultured adult mouse NSCs reduces their self-renewal. [J Neurosci] Abstract

Neuroglobin Upregulation Induced by 17β-Estradiol Sequesters Cytocrome c in the Mitochondria Preventing H₂O₂-Induced Apoptosis of Neuroblastoma Cells
Scientists evaluated the ability of E2 to modulate the intracellular neuroglobin (NGB) localization and the NGB interaction with mitochondrial cytochrome c following the H₂O₂-induced toxicity. Present results demonstrate that NGB is expressed in the nuclei, mitochondria, and cytosol of human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE cells. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Wnt Activation Promotes Neuronal Differentiation of Glioblastoma
Investigators reprogrammed primary glioblastoma multiforme-derived cells towards a more differentiated and less oncogenic phenotype by activating the Wnt pathway in a hypoxic microenvironment. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Cells with Corneal Keratocyte Phenotype
Investigators sought to identify conditions inducing differentiation of pluripotent human embryonic stem (hES) cells to the keratocyte lineage. Neural differentiation of hES cell line WA01(H1) was induced by co-culture with mouse PA6 fibroblasts. [PLoS One] Full Article

MicroRNA let-7d Regulates the TLX/MicroRNA-9 Cascade to Control Neural Cell Fate and Neurogenesis
Scientists showed that microRNA (miRNA) let-7d targets the neural stem cell regulator TLX. Overexpression of let-7d in vivo reduced neural stem cell proliferation and promoted premature neuronal differentiation and migration, a phenotype similar to those induced by TLX knockdown or overexpression of its negatively-regulated target, miRNA-9. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Characterization of Induced Neural Progenitors from Skin Fibroblasts by a Novel Combination of Defined Factors
The authors’ previous experiments generated induced neural progenitor-like cells (iNPCs) by a novel combination of five transcription factors (Sox2, Brn2, TLX, Bmi1 and c-Myc). They demonstrated that the iNPCs not only possess NPC-specific marker genes, but also have qualities of primary brain-derived NPCs, including tripotent differentiation potential, mature neuron differentiation capability and synapse formation. [Sci Rep] Full Article

A Positive Feedback Loop between ATOH7 and a Notch Effector Regulates Cell-Cycle Progression and Neurogenesis in the Retina
Investigators showed that in the differentiating retinal epithelium, the proneural protein ATOH7 is required for the activation of the transcription of the Hes5.3 gene before the penultimate mitosis of progenitor cells. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

The ALS Association Urges U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Expedite Drug Development and Approval Process at First-Ever ALS-Specific Public Hearing
Leaders from The ALS Association, in addition to patients, caregivers, physicians, scientists and other concerned individuals, addressed a panel of representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the agency conducted its first-ever public hearing specific to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Association urged the FDA to partner with the ALS community to help expedite the drug development and approval process and bring new treatments to patients as soon as possible. [The ALS Association] Press Release

Neuroscience Leader Congressman Fattah Addresses Parkinson’s Group
Congressman Chaka Fattah,  the Congressional champion for brain science research, addressed the Parkinson’s Action Network Forum to advocate for additional research and recognition for the million-plus Americans who suffer from this debilitating disease. [United States House of Representatives]
Press Release

Neuralstem Grants Licenses for Central Nervous System Therapy Surgical Devices to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has granted licenses to intellectual property surrounding its spinal cord delivery platform, floating cannula, and method for delivering therapeutic agents to the spinal cord to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a non-profit academic medical center located in Los Angeles, California. [Neuralstem Inc.] Press Release

Expanding Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research
In a policy memorandum, Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren has directed Federal agencies with more than $100 million in R&D expenditures to develop plans to make the published results of federally funded research freely available to the public within one year of publication and requiring researchers to better account for and manage the digital data resulting from federally funded scientific research. [Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House, United States] 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)

Postdoctoral Position – Neurobiology (Weizmann Institute of Science)

Postdoctoral Position(s) – Cell Biology, Biophysics and Neurobiology (University of Missouri, Kansas City)

Postdoctoral Position – Systems Biology, Neurodegenerative Diseases (The Microsoft Research-University of Trento [COSBI])

Postdoctoral Position – Neuroscience (Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School)

Postdoctoral Position – Molecular Pharmacology (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neural Stem Cells and Neurogenesis (UT Southwestern Medical Center)

Lecturer or Reader – Associate Professor (University of Reading)

Postdoctoral Position – Adult Neurogenesis and Neural Survival Signaling (University of Kentucky)

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