Calpain Determines the Propensity of Adult Hippocampal Neural Stem Cells to Autophagic Cell Death following Insulin Withdrawal Scientists report a switch in the mode of cell death in hippocampal neural stem (HCN) cells with calpain as a critical determinant. In HCN cells, calpain 1 expression was barely detectable while calpain 2 was predominant. [Stem Cells] Abstract A New Model for Post-Integration Latency in Macroglial Cells to Study HIV-1 Reservoirs of the Brain Human neural stem cells were used to generate a system that models HIV-1 transcriptional latency in proliferating progenitor, as well as differentiated macroglial cell populations and latency-modulating effects of latency reversing agents and compounds targeting HIV-1 transcription were analyzed. [AIDS] Abstract | Press Release Gephyrin Cleavage in In Vitro Brain Ischemia Decreases GABAA Receptor Clustering and Contributes to Neuronal Death Researchers investigated the changes in gephyrin protein levels during brain ischemia and in excitotoxic conditions, which may affect synaptic clustering of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptors. They found that gephyrin is cleaved by calpains following excitotoxic stimulation of hippocampal neurons with glutamate, as well as after intrahippocampal injection of kainate, giving rise to a stable cleavage product. [Mol Neurobiol] Abstract Aberrant Purkinje Cell Activity Is the Cause of Dystonia in a shRNA-Based Mouse Model of Rapid Onset Dystonia-Parkinsonism Knockdown of α3-containing sodium pumps mimicked both the behavioral and electrophysiological changes seen in the pharmacologic model of Rapid Onset Dystonia-Parkinsonism, recapitulating key aspects of the human disorder. Scientists found that knockdown of the α3 isoform altered the intrinsic pacemaking of Purkinje cells, but not the neurons of the deep cerebellar nuclei. [Neurobiol Dis] Abstract Tet3 Mediates Stable Glucocorticoid-Induced Alterations in DNA Methylation and Dnmt3a/Dkk1 Expression in Neural Progenitors Scientists investigated the effects of dexamethasone (Dex) by MeDIP-like genome-wide analysis of differentially methylated DNA regions in neural stem cells (NSCs) isolated from embryonic rat cortices. They found that Dex-induced genome-wide DNA hypomethylation in the NSCs in vitro. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article Neural Stem Cell Transplantation at Critical Period Improves Learning and Memory through Restoring Synaptic Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model Investigators demonstrated that transplantation of neural stem cells into 12-month-old Tg2576 brains markedly improved both cognitive impairments and neuropathological features by reducing β-amyloid processing and upregulating clearance of β-amyloid, secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines, endogenous neurogenesis, as well as synapse formation. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article STAM2, A Member of the Endosome-Associated Complex ESCRT-0 Is Highly Expressed in Neurons To analyze signal transducing adaptor molecule 2 (STAM2) in the nervous system, its gene expression and protein localization in the mouse brain were identified using three methods: mRNA in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and via lacZ reporter in frame with Stam2 gene using the gene trap mouse line Stam2Gt1Gaj. [Mol Cell Neurosci] Full Article Microglia Activate Migration of Glioma Cells through a Pyk2 Intracellular Pathway Investigators demonstrated that microglia can promote glioma migration through a mechanism independent of extracellular matrix degradation. Using western blot analysis, they found upregulation of proline rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) protein phosphorylated at Tyr579/580 in glioma cells treated with microglia conditioned medium. [PLoS One] Full Article A Critical Role of RBM8a in Proliferation and Differentiation of Embryonic Neural Progenitors The authors found that RBM8a is critical for proliferation and differentiation in cortical neural progenitor cells (NPCs). RBM8a overexpression stimulates embryonic NPC proliferation and suppresses neuronal differentiation. [Neural Dev] Full Article RE1 Silencing Transcription Factor/Neuron-Restrictive Silencing Factor Regulates Expansion of Adult Mouse Subventricular Zone-Derived Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells In Vitro Researchers showed that repressor element 1 (RE1) silencing transcription factor knockdown affects the capacity of progenitor cells to generate neurospheres, reduces cell proliferation, and triggers cell differentiation despite the presence of growth factors. [J Neurosci Res] Abstract | Full Article Characterization of Molecular and Cellular Phenotypes Associated with a Heterozygous CNTNAP2 Deletion Using Patient-Derived hiPSC Neural Cells Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) derived from two individuals with a large heterozygous deletion in contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) and discordant clinical outcomes, researchers characterized CNTNAP2 expression patterns in hiPSC neural progenitor cells, two independent populations of hiPSC-derived neurons and hiPSC-derived oligodendrocyte precursor cells. [npj Schizophrenia] Full Article Precursor States of Brain Tumor Initiating Cell Lines Are Predictive of Survival in Xenografts and Associated with Glioblastoma Subtypes The authors applied a stem cell biology approach and compared self-renewal, marker expression, label retention, and asymmetric cell division in 20 brain-tumor-initiating cell lines. [Stem Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract |