Neural Cell News Volume 8.40 | Oct 15 2014

A Latent Neurogenic Program in Astrocytes Regulated by Notch Signaling in the Mouse
Investigators report that stroke elicits a latent neurogenic program in striatal astrocytes in mice. Notch1 signaling is reduced in astrocytes after stroke, and attenuated Notch1 signaling is necessary for neurogenesis by striatal astrocytes. [Science] Abstract | Press Release

​Pin1-Dependent Signaling Negatively Affects GABAergic Transmission by Modulating ​Neuroligin2/​Gephyrin Interaction
Researchers demonstrate that endogenous ​Neuroligin2 (NL2) undergoes proline-directed phosphorylation at its unique S714-P consensus site, leading to the recruitment of the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase ​Pin1. This signaling cascade negatively regulates ​NL2’s ability to interact with ​gephyrin at GABAergic post-synaptic sites. [Nat Commun] Full Article | Press Release

Direct Evidence of Parkinson Pathology Spread from the Gastrointestinal Tract to the Brain in Rats
Investigators provide the first experimental evidence that different α-synuclein forms can propagate from the gut to the brain, and that microtubule-associated transport is involved in the translocation of aggregated α-synuclein in neurons. [Acta Neuropathol] Abstract | Press Release

Disruption of Astrocyte-Neuron Cholesterol Cross Talk Affects Neuronal Function in Huntington’s Disease
In Huntington’s disease (HD), cholesterol biosynthesis in the brain is severely reduced. Researchers show that this defect, occurring in astrocytes, is detrimental for HD neurons. [Cell Death Differ] Abstract

Dual mTORC1/2 Blockade Inhibits Glioblastoma Brain Tumor Initiating Cells In Vitro and In Vivo and Synergizes with Temozolomide to Increase Orthotopic Xenograft Survival
Human brain tumor-initiating cell lines with different combinations of endogenous EGFR wild-type, EGFRvIII, and PTEN mutations were used to investigate response to the EGFR inhibitor gefitinib, mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin, and dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor AZD8055 alone and in combination with temozolomide. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract | Press Release

Adult Neurogenesis Is Necessary to Refine and Maintain Circuit Specificity
Scientists demonstrate that eliminating adult-born interneurons in naive animals leads to an expansion of tufted cell axons that are identical to the changes caused by sensory block, revealing an essential role for new neurons in circuit maintenance under baseline conditions. [J Neurosci] Abstract | Press Release

Maternal Inflammation Contributes to Brain Overgrowth and Autism-Associated Behaviors through Altered Redox Signaling in Stem and Progenitor Cells
Investigators tested the hypothesis that maternal inflammation during critical periods of embryonic development can cause brain overgrowth and autism-associated behaviors as a result of altered neural stem cell function. [Stem Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract | Press Release

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UMD Researchers Receive Grants under New Federal BRAIN Initiative
A University of Maryland/National Institute of Mental Health research team has been awarded a three-year $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop new imaging technologies and data analysis techniques that will further our understanding of how large networks of neurons in the brain interact to process sensory information. [University of Maryland] Press Release

Funding for Better Understanding of Neural Stem Cells
A team of scientists led by a researcher from Plymouth University has received funding of more than £400,000 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to investigate how neural stem cells differ from each other. [Plymouth University] Press Release

First Patient Treated in Neuralstem Phase I Spinal Cord Injury Stem Cell Trial through the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center
Neuralstem, Inc. announced that the first patient was treated last week in the Phase I trial testing NSI-566 human neural stem cells in the treatment of chronic spinal cord injury at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. [Neuralstem, Inc.] Press Release

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Assistant Professor – Neurobiology (University of California, Berkeley)

Postdoctoral Research Assistant – Cell Polarity (University of Dundee)

Tenure Track Positions – Neuroscience (Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Gottesman Stem Cell Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Research (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Tissue Engineering & Spinal Cord Injury (Nanyang Technological University)

Postdoctoral Candidate – Dynamic Organization of Synapses (INSERM)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (The University of Texas Medical School At Houston)

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.)

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