Neural Cell News Volume 7.44 | Nov 6 2013

Oscillatory Control of Factors Determining Multipotency and Fate in Mouse Neural Progenitors
Investigators used optogenetics to control expression of Ascl1, and found that although sustained Ascl1 expression promotes neuronal fate determination, oscillatory Ascl1 expression maintains proliferating neural progenitor cells. [Science] Abstract

The Mouse C9ORF72 Ortholog Is Enriched in Neurons Known to Degenerate in ALS and FTD
Using transgenic mice harboring a targeted LacZ insertion, researchers studied the expression pattern of the C9ORF72 mouse ortholog. Unlike most genes that are mutated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which are ubiquitously expressed, the C9ORF72 ortholog was most highly transcribed in the neuronal populations that are sensitive to degeneration in ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). [Nat Neurosci] Abstract

Familial Dysautonomia Model Reveals Ikbkap Deletion Causes Apoptosis of Pax3⁺ Progenitors and Peripheral Neurons
Scientists showed that Ikbkap is not required for trunk neural crest migration or pathfinding, nor for the formation of dorsal root or sympathetic ganglia, or the adrenal medulla. Instead, Ikbkap is essential for the second wave of neurogenesis during which the majority of tropomyosin-related kinase A nociceptors and thermoreceptors arise. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

X-Linked Microtubule-Associated Protein, Mid1, Regulates Axon Development
Scientists provide data from in vitro and in vivo experiments suggesting that silencing midline-1 (Mid1) in developing neurons promotes axon growth and branch formation, resulting in a disruption of callosal axon projections in the contralateral cortex. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

Titration of GLI3 Repressor Activity by Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Is Critical for Maintaining Multiple Adult Neural Stem Cell and Astrocyte Functions
Researchers found that the majority of slow-cycling neural stem cells (NSCs) express Gli2 and Gli3, whereas Gli1 is restricted ventrally and all three genes are downregulated when NSCs transition into proliferating progenitors. [J Neurosci] Abstract

Excitotoxic Cell Death Induces Delayed Proliferation of Endogenous Neuroprogenitor Cells in Organotypic Slice Cultures of the Rat Spinal Cord
Researchers investigated whether, in the mammalian spinal cord, cell death induced by transient excitotoxic stress could trigger activation and proliferation of endogenous neuroprogenitor cells as a potential source of a lesion repair process and the underlying time course. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Derivation of Neural Stem Cells from an Animal Model of Psychiatric Disease
To investigate the role of resident neural stem cells (NSCs) in a murine model of psychiatric disease, scientists sought to isolate and characterize NSCs from alpha-calcium-/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II heterozygous knockout mice, a model of schizophrenia/bipolar disorder. [Transl Psych] Full Article

High Yields of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells at Physiological Oxygen Tensions for Evaluation of Translational Biology
Researchers established an efficient system to specify NG2/PDGF-Ra/OLIG2+ oligodendrocyte precursor cells from human embryonic stem cells at low, physiological oxygen levels. This was achieved via both forebrain and spinal cord origins, with up to 98% of cells expressing NG2. [Stem Cell Rep] Full Article

A Molecular Mechanism Regulating the Timing of Corticogeniculate Innervation
Scientists identified a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) that regulates the timing of corticogeniculate innervation. Aggrecan, a repulsive CSPG, is enriched in neonatal dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and inhibits cortical axons from prematurely entering the dLGN. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

UPMC Expands the Use of Next-Generation Sequencing for Cancer Patients to Guide New Therapies
In a move away from a one-size-fits-most approach to treating cancer, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and the University of Pittsburgh are significantly expanding capabilities to use next-generation sequencing to provide personalized care for cancer patients. [UPMC] Press Release

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NEW A Truce in the BAP-tist/Tau-ist War? Progress Toward a Unified Understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease
December 10, 2013
New York, United States