Neural Cell News Volume 8.31 | Aug 13 2014

Polyglutamine-Expanded Androgen Receptor Interferes with TFEB to Elicit Autophagy Defects in SBMA
Scientists reprogrammed patient fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells and then to neuronal precursor cells (NPCs). They compared multiple spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) NPC lines and documented the metabolic and autophagic flux defects that could be rescued by transcription factor EB (TFEB). [Nat Neurosci] Abstract | Press Release

Genetic Validation of a Therapeutic Target in a Mouse Model of ALS
Previously, scientists found that glia from mice carrying the SOD1G93A mutation, a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), were toxic to stem cell-derived human motor neurons. Using pharmacological and genetic approaches, they now demonstrate that the prostanoid receptor DP1 mediates this glial toxicity. [Sci Transl Med] Abstract | Press Release

Bioengineered Functional Brain-Like Cortical Tissue
Scientists report the construction of complex functional 3D brain-like cortical tissue, maintained for months in vitro, formed from primary cortical neurons in modular 3D compartmentalized architectures with electrophysiological function. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Press Release

Primary Cilia Are Required in a Unique Subpopulation of Neural Progenitors
Their unique location facing the ventricular lumen suggests that primary cilia in neural stem cells (NSCs) could play an important role in reception of signals within the cerebrospinal fluid. To directly study the role of adult (B1) NSCs’ primary cilia without the confounding effects of hydrocephalus, researchers stereotaxically targeted elimination of Kif3a from a subpopulation of radial glia, which resulted in ablation of primary cilia in a subset of B1 cells. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

TGFβ Lengthens the G1 Phase of Stem Cells in Aged Mouse Brain
By using an accurate FACS technique, scientists show that a pool of neural stem cells is maintained in the subventricular zone of middle-aged mice while they have a reduced proliferative potential eventually leading to the subsequent decrease of their progeny. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Notch Intracellular Domain Deficiency in Nuclear Localization Activity Retains the Ability to Enhance Neural Stem Cell Character and Block Neurogenesis in Mammalian Brain Development
Investigators assessed the level of contribution of Notch domains to the regulation of mammalian neural stem cells in vivo as well as in vitro. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract

Human Fetal Brain-Derived Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells Grafted into the Adult Epileptic Brain Restrain Seizures in Rat Models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
To evaluate the therapeutic potential of human neural stem/progenitor cells (huNSPCs) for treating temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), researchers transplanted huNSPCs, derived from an aborted fetal telencephalon at 13 weeks of gestation and expanded in culture as neurospheres over a long time period, into the epileptic hippocampus of fully kindled and pilocarpine-treated adult rats exhibiting TLE. [PLoS One] Full Article

Sox2 Acts as a Transcriptional Repressor in Neural Stem Cells
Researchers show that in neural stem cells Sox2 represses as many genes as it activates. They found that Sox2 interacts directly with members of the groucho family of corepressors and that repression of several target genes required this interaction. Strikingly, where many of the genes activated by Sox2 encode transcriptional regulators, no such genes were repressed. [BMC Neurosci] Abstract | Full Article

Global Transcriptome Profiling of Genes that Are Differentially Regulated during Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Neural Stem Cells into Astrocytes
Scientists differentiated neural stem cells (NSCs) from the forebrain of embryonic day 14.5 mouse embryos into astrocytes over one and seven days. They identified transcriptomes of NSCs and astrocytes using RNA sequencing and analyzed enriched gene networks, signal pathways, and ontology. [J Mol Neurosci] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the neural cell research field.

UAB Researcher Obtains Grant to Study Protein Linked to Brain Cancer
A University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researcher has received a significant Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society to further understanding of glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and deadly cancer originating in the brain. [University of Alabama at Birmingham] Press Release

Clinical Trial Evaluates Safety of Stem Cell Transplantation in Spine
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a clinical trial to investigate the safety of neural stem cell transplantation in patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. [UC San Diego] Press Release

From our sponsor: Pluripotent cell isolation for regenerative medicine. Request a free wallchart from Nature.

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)

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

Postdoctoral Researcher – Norlux Neuro-Oncology Laboratory (CRP-Santé Luxembourg)

Research Associate – Neuroscience (University of Cambridge)

Postdoctoral Position – Neural Extracellular Matrix (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases)

Postdoctoral Position – Motor Neuron Biology (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center)

Technical Account Manager (GlobalStem)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunity and Neurogenesis (Karolinska Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cell Biology (Yale University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Experimental Neuroscience, Stem Cell Biology, and Neurotransplantation (Johns Hopkins University)

Scientist – Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Neural Differentiation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Media Development, High Throughput Screening (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Cell Culture Support Products (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Immunology/Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Associate – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach more than 50,000 potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.