Article
Cell Biology
John Hageter, Jacob Starkey, Eric J. Horstick
Summary: Using larval zebrafish as a model, this study explores how visual experience affects the functionality of thalamic neurons and their role in critical period timing. The findings demonstrate the complexity of visual plasticity and emphasize the importance of inhibitory signaling in establishing critical period.
Review
Neurosciences
Jacob Starkey, Eric J. Horstick, Sarah D. Ackerman
Summary: Animal behavior relies on the accurate wiring of neurons into neural circuits, which undergo significant remodeling during critical periods. Environmental experiences during these periods can have lasting effects on circuit function and behavior. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate critical period timing is crucial for studying neurodevelopmental disorders, and glial cells may play a role in this process.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jerome Ribot, Rachel Breton, Charles-Felix Calvo, Julien Moulard, Pascal Ezan, Jonathan Zapata, Kevin Samama, Matthieu Moreau, Alexis-Pierre Bemelmans, Valentin Sabatet, Florent Dingli, Damarys Loew, Chantal Milleret, Pierre Billuart, Glenn Dallerac, Nathalie Rouach
Summary: This study found that astrocytes control critical-period closure in the mouse visual cortex, involving regulation of the extracellular matrix to promote interneuron maturation. Unconventional astrocyte connexin signaling inhibits the expression of extracellular matrix-degrading enzyme MMP9 through a pathway involving RhoA-GTPase activation. Astrocytes are not only involved in influencing the activity of single synapses, but are also key elements in the experience-dependent wiring of brain circuits.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah D. Ackerman, Nelson A. Perez-Catalan, Marc R. Freeman, Chris Q. Doe
Summary: The study identifies a critical period in a developing Drosophila motor circuit and demonstrates the essential role of astrocytes in proper critical period termination. Changes in activity during the critical period regulate dendrite length, complexity, and connectivity of motor neurons, while astrocyte ablation prolongs this critical period. Additionally, genetic screening reveals astrocyte-motor neuron signaling pathways that ensure timely critical period closure and proper locomotor behavior.
Review
Neurosciences
Sophia Vinogradov, Matthew V. Chafee, Erik Lee, Hirofumi Morishita
Summary: Emerging research on neuroplasticity processes in psychosis spectrum illnesses highlights their importance in pathophysiology and treatment considerations. These processes involve neuronal ensembles, environmental inputs, and pathological mechanisms, with a focus on the prefrontal cortex's role in these illnesses.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Patrick J. Mulholland, Audrey E. Padula, Larry J. Wilhelm, Byung Park, Kathleen A. Grant, Betsy M. Ferguson, Rita Cervera-Juanes
Summary: This study reveals the important role of epigenetic regulation of the KCNN3 gene in alcohol-induced functional adaptations, by affecting surface trafficking and function of K(Ca)2 channels. The study found differential methylation in a specific region of KCNN3 in the nucleus accumbens tissue of alcohol-drinking monkeys and alcohol-dependent mice, which was associated with increased expression of alternative transcripts encoding apamin-insensitive and dominant-negative K(Ca)2 channel isoforms. Additionally, the study found significantly reduced expression of K(Ca)2.3 channels in the accumbens of heavy-drinking monkeys.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Romain Nardou, Edward Sawyer, Young Jun Song, Makenzie Wilkinson, Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez, Junia Lara de Deus, Noelle Wright, Carine Lama, Sehr Faltin, Loyal A. Goff, Genevieve L. Stein-O'Brien, Gul Dolen
Summary: Psychedelic drugs have the ability to reopen the critical period for social reward learning, which is a common characteristic among different psychedelic drugs. The duration of this ability is related to the duration of the drugs' subjective effects in humans. The restoration of this ability is linked to the reorganization of the extracellular matrix. These findings are important for the clinical application of psychedelics and the development of new drugs.
Review
Plant Sciences
Madhab Kumar Sen, Katerina Hamouzova, Pavlina Kosnarova, Amit Roy, Josef Soukup
Summary: Although herbicides have been successfully used for weed control, their continuous use has led to the evolution of resistance to all major modes of action worldwide. Epigenetic mechanisms play important roles in increasing plants' adaptability in a changing environment. While the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms to survival and fitness under stress is well-documented in model plants and crops, their role in herbicide resistance in weeds is still not well understood.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
You-Wei Wang, Nan Hu, Xiao-Hong Li
Summary: Revealing the mechanisms of neural development and neural diseases is a challenging task in life science. Brain organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells can mimic the development, function, and signal generation of human brains, providing a unique advantage for studying neurology. Single-cell RNA sequencing and multielectrode array analysis have shown the similarity between brain organoids and the immature human brain at early developmental stages.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zengde Chi, Yan Lu, Yinlong Yang, Bingqing Li, Peiyuan Lu
Summary: PD-1 serves as a crucial co-inhibitory receptor in regulating T cell immunity and peripheral tolerance. It plays a dual role in preventing T cell overactivation and maintaining T cell exhaustion. Additionally, the PD-1 signaling pathway is exploited by tumor cells to evade immune responses and is essential for maintaining peripheral tolerance and preventing autoimmune diseases.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Subba Reddy Palli
Summary: Modifications to DNA and core histones play crucial roles in chromatin organization and gene expression, affecting various biological processes. Studies have identified genes encoding enzymes that modify core histones in multiple insect genomes, with some enzymes contributing to post-embryonic development. Research on epigenetic modifiers could help identify inhibitors that may be used to control pests and disease vectors.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Wen Jia, Mohit Kumar Jolly, Herbert Levine
Summary: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial cellular process for wound healing, cancer metastasis, and embryonic development. Recent studies have shown that hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal states, possessing both epithelial and mesenchymal traits, play a significant role in cancer metastasis and resistance to therapies. NRF2 has been identified as a stabilizing factor for these hybrid states. This research incorporates a phenomenological epigenetic feedback effect into a computational model for EMT signaling and demonstrates its stabilizing effect on the hybrid state if NRF2 influences SNAIL at an epigenetic level.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Yueqi Qiu, Delong Feng, Wenjuan Jiang, Tingting Zhang, Qianjin Lu, Ming Zhao
Summary: Three-dimensional (3D) genomics investigates the relationship between gene regulatory function and the spatial structure of chromatin. It uses technologies like chromosome conformation capture (3C) to study chromatin folding and its impact on gene function. Integration of multi-omics data is crucial for a comprehensive analysis of the relationships between regulatory components and gene function. 3D genome folding plays a role in immune cell differentiation, activation, and dysfunction, and is involved in various diseases including autoimmune diseases.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Ying Lyu, Yejing Ge
Summary: Skin, the largest organ in the human body, undergoes aging processes such as wrinkling and hair graying, which are associated with epigenetic and metabolic deregulations. In the skin epithelium, the epigenome and metabolome play important roles in shaping cell lineage plasticity and regulating stem cell function during aging. This review summarizes recent studies on the molecular mechanisms of hair follicle degeneration, comparing findings from skin with model organisms and adult stem cells from other tissues.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Shahrbanou Hosseini, Nares Trakooljul, Marc Hirschfeld, Klaus Wimmers, Henner Simianer, Jens Tetens, Ahmad Reza Sharifi, Bertram Brenig
Summary: The plasticity of sexual phenotype in response to environmental conditions can result in biased sex ratios, which have implications for population dynamics. This study investigated the role of DNA methylation in sex ratio variation in zebrafish families. The results showed significant genome-wide methylation differences between male-biased and female-biased families, with a greater number of methylated sites in testes than ovaries. The study also identified differential methylation of reproduction-related genes and genes involved in epigenetic mechanisms. These findings suggest that epigenetic modifications can influence sex ratio variation in zebrafish families, potentially impacting population fitness under rapid environmental changes.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Sarah E. London
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Somayeh Ahmadiantehrani, Sarah E. London
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2017)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Somayeh Ahmadiantehrani, Sarah E. London
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2017)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karol Bomsztyk, Daniel Mar, Yuliang Wang, Oleg Denisenko, Carol Ware, Christian D. Frazar, Adam Blattler, Adam D. Maxwell, Brian E. MacConaghy, Thomas J. Matula
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Allison L. Lansverk, Katie M. Schroeder, Sarah E. London, Simon C. Griffith, David F. Clayton, Christopher N. Balakrishnan
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Sarah E. London
BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES
(2019)
Article
Neurosciences
Elliot A. Layden, Kathryn E. Schertz, Sarah E. London, Marc G. Berman
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew I. M. Louder, Christopher N. Balakrishnan, Amber A. N. Louder, Robert J. Driver, Sarah E. London, Mark E. Hauber
Review
Biology
Sarah E. London
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joseph Gogola, Elisa O. Gores, Sarah E. London
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Neurosciences
Elliot A. Layden, Huibo Li, Kathryn E. Schertz, Marc G. Berman, Sarah E. London
Editorial Material
Biology
Sarah E. London
Article
Neurosciences
Somayeh Ahmadiantehrani, Elisa O. Gores, Sarah E. London