Neural stem cell lineage-specific cannabinoid type-1 receptor regulates neurogenesis and plasticity in the adult mouse hippocampus
Abstract Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mouse hippocampus occur in a specific neurogenic niche, where a multitude of extracellular signaling molecules converges to regulate NSC proliferation as well as fate and functional integration. However, the underlying mechanisms how NSCs react to extrinsic signals and convert them to intracellular responses still remains elusive. NSCs contain a functional endocannabinoid system, including the cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB1). To decipher whether CB1 regulates adult neurogenesis directly or indirectly in vivo, we performed NSC-specific conditional inactivation of CB1 by using triple-transgenic mice. Here, we show that lack of CB1 in NSCs is su…
Long non-coding RNA and messenger RNA—the meeting of two worlds
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), defined as transcripts without protein-coding potential, have recently emerged as key mediators in numerous biological functions. LncRNAs act as regulators of gene expression at different levels including transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation as well as chromatin organization.