Search results for "News & Views"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Formin 2 links neuropsychiatric phenotypes at young age to an increased risk for dementia
2017
Age-associated memory decline is due to variable combinations of genetic and environmental risk factors. How these risk factors interact to drive disease onset is currently unknown. Here we begin to elucidate the mechanisms by which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a young age contributes to an increased risk to develop dementia at old age. We show that the actin nucleator Formin 2 (Fmn2) is deregulated in PTSD and in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Young mice lacking the Fmn2 gene exhibit PTSD-like phenotypes and corresponding impairments of synaptic plasticity, while the consolidation of new memories is unaffected. However, Fmn2 mutant mice develop accelerated age-associated me…
An increase in neural stem cells and olfactory bulb adult neurogenesis improves discrimination of highly similar odorants
2019
Adult neurogenesis is involved in cognitive performance but studies that manipulated this process to improve brain function are scarce. Here, we characterized a genetic mouse model in which neural stem cells (NSC) of the subventricular zone (SVZ) were temporarily expanded by conditional expression of the cell cycle regulators Cdk4/cyclinD1, thus increasing neurogenesis. We found that supernumerary neurons matured and integrated in the olfactory bulb similarly to physiologically generated newborn neurons displaying a correct expression of molecular markers, morphology and electrophysiological activity. Olfactory performance upon increased neurogenesis was unchanged when mice were tested on r…
A novel microglial subset plays a key role in myelinogenesis in developing brain.
2017
Microglia are resident macrophages of the central nervous system that contribute to homeostasis and neuroinflammation. Although known to play an important role in brain development, their exact function has not been fully described. Here, we show that in contrast to healthy adult and inflammation-activated cells, neonatal microglia show a unique myelinogenic and neurogenic phenotype. A CD11c(+) microglial subset that predominates in primary myelinating areas of the developing brain expresses genes for neuronal and glial survival, migration, and differentiation. These cells are the major source of insulin-like growth factor 1, and its selective depletion from CD11c(+) microglia leads to impa…
A Strategy for Origins of Life Research
2015
Contents 1. Introduction 1.1. A workshop and this document 1.2. Framing origins of life science 1.2.1. What do we mean by the origins of life (OoL)? 1.2.2. Defining life 1.2.3. How should we characterize approaches to OoL science? 1.2.4. One path to life or many? 2. A Strategy for Origins of Life Research 2.1. Outcomes—key questions and investigations 2.1.1. Domain 1: Theory 2.1.2. Domain 2: Practice 2.1.3. Domain 3: Process 2.1.4. Domain 4: Future studies 2.2. EON Roadmap 2.3. Relationship to NASA Astrobiology Roadmap and Strategy documents and the European AstRoMap Appendix I Appendix II Supplementary Materials References
Is Myeloperoxidase a Key Component in the ROS-Induced Vascular Damage Related to Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetes?
2013
AbstractIt is still unclear whether microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes correlate with leukocyte-endothelium interactions and/or myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels. In the present study, we found that serum levels of glucose, the rate of ROS and MPO concentration were higher in type 2 diabetic patients. Patients with nephropathy (39.6%) presented higher MPO levels that correlate positively with the albumin/creatinine ratio (r=0.59, p<0.05). In addition, nephropatic patients showed increased leukocyte-endothelium interactions due to an undermining of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) rolling velocity and increased rolling flux and adhesion, which was accompanied by a rise in levels of …
Fetal neurogenesis: breathe HIF you can.
2016
Blood vessels are part of the stem cell niche in the developing cerebral cortex, but their in vivo role in controlling the expansion and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in development has not been studied. Here, we report that relief of hypoxia in the developing cerebral cortex by ingrowth of blood vessels temporo‐spatially coincided with NSC differentiation. Selective perturbation of brain angiogenesis in vessel‐specific Gpr124 null embryos, which prevented the relief from hypoxia, increased NSC expansion at the expense of differentiation. Conversely, exposure to increased oxygen levels rescued NSC differentiation in Gpr124 null embryos and increased it further in WT embryos, s…