Article
Neurosciences
Devanshi Mishra, Ishitha Reddy, Chinmoy Sankar Dey
Summary: Overexpression of PKC alpha inhibits insulin signaling by disrupting IRS-1 and Akt phosphorylations in skeletal muscle. PKC alpha is not necessary for insulin-stimulated glucose transport in skeletal muscles. Controversial studies have reported opposite expression pattern of PKC alpha in insulin-resistant skeletal muscles. Our study demonstrates that PKC alpha inhibits insulin signaling in neuronal cells through IRS-Akt pathway and PP2A-dependent mechanism, and silencing of PKC alpha improves insulin sensitivity. PKC alpha regulates GSK3 isoforms differently in insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant conditions. These findings provide insights into the role of PKC alpha in regulating insulin resistance and diabetes in neuronal cells.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yujiao Lu, Jing Wang, Fulei Tang, Uday P. Pratap, Gangadhara R. Sareddy, Krishnan M. Dhandapani, Ana Capuano, Zoe Arvanitakis, Ratna K. Vadlamudi, Darrell W. Brann
Summary: Hemoglobin plays an important role in regulating neuronal oxygenation and neuroprotection. The levels of neuronal hemoglobin decrease with age in mice, leading to increased hypoxia.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Biology
Igor Pomytkin, Vsevolod Pinelis
Summary: Insulin resistance in the brain is implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic disorders, with disturbances in signal transduction playing a key role. Lower activation of the insulin receptor is identified as a common, yet less discussed mechanism, in the development of insulin resistance in the brain.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrija Stajduhar, Tomislav Lipic, Sven Loncaric, Milos Judas, Goran Sedmak
Summary: This study presents a quantitative histology data science methodology that focuses on neuron-level representations of cortical regions, rather than image-level investigations. The methodology involves automatic segmentation of neurons and the use of engineered features to map phenotype to cortical layers. The approach offers high interpretability and can help deepen our understanding of human cortex organization.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexander O. Shpakov, Inna I. Zorina, Kira V. Derkach
Summary: A decrease in the activity of the insulin signaling system of the brain, due to both central insulin resistance and insulin deficiency, leads to various dysfunctions in the body. One potential approach to restore brain insulin activity is the use of intranasally administered insulin (INI), which shows promise in treating Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Marco Ghibaudi, Nicole Marchetti, Elena Vergnano, Chiara La Rosa, Bruno Benedetti, Sebastien Couillard-Despres, Stefano Farioli-Vecchioli, Luca Bonfanti
Summary: The recent discovery of cortical immature neurons (cINs) in the piriform cortex raises questions about their maintenance or reduction throughout the lifespan. Unlike most brain structural plasticity forms, which decline with age due to stem cell depletion, all cINs are produced during embryogenesis and retain their immaturity until they fully mature and integrate into neural circuits. This study analyzed the abundance, maturation stage, and expression of markers of maturity/immaturity in cINs in the mouse piriform cortex from postnatal to advanced ages. The results show that while the number of cINs decreases with age, a small population of highly immature cINs persists in advanced ages.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Alisa Junakovic, Janja Kopic, Alvaro Duque, Pasko Rakic, Zeljka Krsnik, Ivica Kostovic
Summary: This study reveals the laminar and cellular development of various cingulate regions during the critical period before the formation of Brodmann type arealization. The deep projection neuron markers show the earliest sign of regional differentiation, while the width of the fibrillar marginal zone, the narrowing of cortical plate and the diminishment of subventricular zone are reliable landmarks of early mesocortical differentiation. The formation pattern of subplate is a crucial event in the isocortical cingulate portion.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Ivan Banovac, Dora Sedmak, Milos Judas, Zdravko Petanjek
Summary: The work by von Economo in 1925 identified a specialized and unique cell type called von Economo neurons (VENs) in the human fronto-insular and anterior cingulate cortex. These neurons have distinct somato-dendritic morphology and are abundant in the human brain, but more research is needed to understand their presence in other species. Cajal's earlier observations of similar cells have been overlooked in modern studies, highlighting the importance of further investigation into VENs.
FRONTIERS IN NEURAL CIRCUITS
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Alfredo Llorca, Ruben Deogracias
Summary: This review describes the diversity of interneurons that make up local circuits in the neocortex and summarizes the mechanisms underlying their development and assembly into functional networks.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elena Rodriguez-Vieitez, Victor Montal, Jorge Sepulcre, Cristina Lois, Bernard Hanseeuw, Eduard Vilaplana, Aaron P. Schultz, Michael J. Properzi, Matthew R. Scott, Rebecca Amariglio, Kathryn Papp, Gad A. Marshall, Juan Fortea, Keith A. Johnson, Reisa A. Sperling, Patrizia Vannini
Summary: The study found that cortical microstructure independently predicts subsequent cognitive decline, neurodegeneration and clinical progression, suggesting potential utility in clinical trials.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhiqiang Sha, Antonietta Pepe, Dick Schijven, Amaia Carrion-Castillo, James M. Roe, Rene Westerhausen, Marc Joliot, Simon E. Fisher, Fabrice Crivello, Clyde Francks
Summary: This study examined the neuroanatomical and genetic differences between left-handers and right-handers, identifying higher asymmetries in certain regions among left-handers. It also found that some genetic variations were associated with left-handedness and structural brain asymmetries.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Gianpaolo Antonio Basile, Salvatore Bertino, Alessia Bramanti, Rosella Ciurleo, Giuseppe Pio Anastasi, Demetrio Milardi, Alberto Cacciola
Summary: Novel imaging techniques have been developed for precise delineation of thalamic nuclei, allowing for reliable identification of up to 13 distinct nuclei bilaterally. These high-resolution imaging methods have potential implications for studying thalamic connectivity, basic research, and presurgical planning.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eiji Funajima, Ginga Ito, Eri Ishiyama, Kinji Ishida, Taku Ozaki
Summary: In this study, the mitochondrial localization of a novel mitochondrial calpain, calpain-13, in the mouse brain was investigated. The presence of calpain-13 in both the mitochondrial membrane and soluble fractions was confirmed, and its expression in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus was observed. Further studies on the enzymatic properties and physiological functions of calpain-13 in both the cytosol and mitochondria will provide insights into its potential involvement in neurodegenerative diseases.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Vibhu Sahni, Yasuhiro Itoh, Sara J. Shnider, Jeffrey D. Macklis
Summary: This study identified molecular controls, such as Crim1 and Klhl14, that play critical roles in directing corticospinal axons to specific spinal segmental levels. These findings provide insights into the regulatory mechanisms of descending spinal projections and contribute to a better understanding of diverse circuitry in the central nervous system.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ernst Schwartz, Karl-Heinz Nenning, Katja Heuer, Nathan Jeffery, Ornella C. Bertrand, Roberto Toro, Gregor Kasprian, Daniela Prayer, Georg Langs
Summary: By studying a unified cerebral cortex map of ninety species, this study explores the intricate evolutionary relationship between cortical morphology and its functional topography, revealing that variability in surface geometry is related to species' ecology and behavior. The study also uncovers the deep evolutionary history of the shape of the human cortical surface and its associations with function.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Leonard Schmiester, Yannik Schaelte, Frank T. Bergmann, Tacio Camba, Erika Dudkin, Janine Egert, Fabian Froehlich, Lara Fuhrmann, Adrian L. Hauber, Svenja Kemmer, Polina Lakrisenko, Carolin Loos, Simon Merkt, Wolfgang Mueller, Dilan Pathirana, Elba Raimundez, Lukas Refisch, Marcus Rosenblatt, Paul L. Stapor, Philipp Staedter, Dantong Wang, Franz-Georg Wieland, Julio R. Banga, Jens Timmer, Alejandro F. Villaverde, Sven Sahle, Clemens Kreutz, Jan Hasenauer, Daniel Weindl
Summary: Reproducibility and reusability of results in data-based modeling studies are essential, and PEtab provides a standardized format for specification of parameter estimation problems in systems biology. The format has been implemented by eight software tools with hundreds of users, showing great potential impact in the modeling and algorithm development community.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Shalaka Wahane, Michael V. Sofroniew
Summary: Scar formation in the CNS involves complex interactions among multiple types of CNS glia and non-neural stromal cells, and dysfunctions of these cells may contribute to different neuropathological mechanisms. Insights into specific neuropathological mechanisms and potential interventions are emerging as potential targets for diverse CNS disorders.
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tim Litwin, Jens Timmer, Mathias Berger, Andreas Wahl-Kordon, Matthias J. Mueller, Clemens Kreutz
Summary: This study establishes an individual-based model to compare different testing strategies and finds that active testing in mental health hospitals and similar facilities can significantly reduce the number of COVID-19 outbreaks.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Correction
Cell Biology
Shalaka Wahane, Michael V. Sofroniew
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua E. Burda, Timothy M. O'Shea, Yan Ao, Keshav B. Suresh, Shinong Wang, Alexander M. Bernstein, Ashu Chandra, Sandeep Deverasetty, Riki Kawaguchi, Jae H. Kim, Sarah McCallum, Alexandra Rogers, Shalaka Wahane, Michael Sofroniew
Summary: This study reveals the regulatory mechanism of genes associated with astrocyte reactivity through biological and informatic analyses. These genes show heterogeneity across different central nervous system disorders and are regulated by transcriptional regulators. By modulating reactivity, these transcriptional regulators can alter the outcome of the disorders and may serve as therapeutic targets.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria Thuermer, Andre Gollowitzer, Helmut Pein, Konstantin Neukirch, Elif Gelmez, Lorenz Waltl, Natalie Wielsch, Rene Winkler, Konstantin Loeser, Julia Grander, Madlen Hotze, Sonke Harder, Annika Doeding, Martina Messner, Fabiana Troisi, Maximilian Ardelt, Hartmut Schlueter, Johanna Pachmayr, Oscar Gutierrez-Gutierrez, Karl Lenhard Rudolph, Kathrin Thedieck, Ulrike Schulze-Spaete, Cristina Gonzalez-Estevez, Christian Kosan, Ales Svatos, Marcel Kwiatkowski, Andreas Koeberle
Summary: The study reveals that PI(18:1/18:1) is a signaling lipid derived from SCD1 that connects fatty acid unsaturation with stress responses, regulating stress adaption, protecting against cell death, and promoting proliferation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yang Zhang, Benjamin Dreyer, Natalia Govorukhina, Alexander M. Heberle, Sasa Koncarevic, Christoph Krisp, Christiane A. . Opitz, Pauline Pfander, Rainer Bischoff, Hartmut Schlueter, Marcel Kwiatkowski, Kathrin Thedieck, Peter L. Horvatovich
Summary: The study compares three different quantitation techniques for tumor tissue phosphoproteomics and highlights the strengths and limitations of each method. The choice of quantitative methodology is critical for study design and comparison of published cancer phosphoproteomes. The results provide a resource for the design and analysis of quantitative phosphoproteomic studies in cancer research and diagnostics.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mahmoud Abdellatif, Viktoria Trummer-Herbst, Alexander Martin Heberle, Alina Humnig, Tobias Pendl, Sylvere Durand, Giulia Cerrato, Sebastian J. Hofer, Moydul Islam, Julia Voglhuber, Jose Miguel Ramos Pittol, Oliver Kepp, Gerald Hoefler, Albrecht Schmidt, Peter P. Rainer, Daniel Scherr, Dirk von Lewinski, Egbert Bisping, Julie R. McMullen, Abhinav Diwan, Tobias Eisenberg, Frank Madeo, Kathrin Thedieck, Guido Kroemer, Simon Sedej
Summary: This study suggests a biphasic relationship between insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) signaling and cardiac health. Higher IGF1R signaling in young mice leads to declining cardiac function and shorter lifespan, while lower IGF1R signaling improves cardiac function and extends lifespan in aging mice.
Editorial Material
Immunology
Mirja Tamara Prentzell, Christiane A. Opitz
Summary: The IDO1-Kyn-AHR axis has been identified as a metabolic signaling pathway through which conventional dendritic cell subsets communicate and induce tolerogenicity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jakob Ankerhold, Sebastian Giese, Philipp Kolb, Andrea Maul-Pavicic, Reinhard E. Voll, Nathalie Goppert, Kevin Ciminski, Clemens Kreutz, Achim Lother, Ulrich Salzer, Wolfgang Bildl, Tim Welsink, Nils G. Morgenthaler, Andrea Busse Grawitz, Florian Emmerich, Daniel Steinmann, Daniela Huzly, Martin Schwemmle, Hartmut Hengel, Valeria Falcone
Summary: Severe or critical COVID-19 patients exhibit dysregulated immune response with high levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibodies. Excessive activation of FcγRIIIA/CD16A is observed in these patients, and two independent ligands are identified as the mediators of extreme activation. Soluble circulating IgG immune complexes (sICs), similar to those found in systemic lupus erythematosus, are detected in about 80% of severe and critical COVID-19 patients.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Alienke van Pijkeren, Anna-Sophia Egger, Madlen Hotze, Elisabeth Zimmermann, Tobias Kipura, Julia Grander, Andre Gollowitzer, Andreas Koeberle, Rainer Bischoff, Kathrin Thedieck, Marcel Kwiatkowski
Summary: Proteomics and metabolomics play vital roles in systems biology, and the simultaneous extraction of proteome and metabolome from the same sample is important. This study compared the performance of different surfactants and urea for proteome extraction and found that urea showed the best efficiency for simultaneous proteo-metabolome analysis.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Anna L. Fricke, Wignand W. D. Muhlhauser, Lena Reimann, Johannes P. Zimmermann, Christa Reichenbach, Bettina Knapp, Christian D. Peikert, Alexander M. Heberle, Erik Faessler, Sascha Schauble, Udo Hahn, Kathrin Thedieck, Gerald Radziwill, Bettina Warscheid
Summary: Phosphorylation-dependent signal transduction involving protein kinases AKT, S6K, and RSK plays a crucial role in regulating skeletal muscle cells. However, the specific targets of these kinases are still not completely understood. In this study, we used quantitative phosphoproteomics to investigate the effects of kinase inhibition in skeletal myotubes, revealing AKT-RAF cross talk, a negative feedback loop of RSK on ERK, and a potential connection between RSK and PI3K signaling. Our findings provide valuable insights into the kinase target landscape and the intricate signaling network involved in skeletal muscle regulation, including muscle development, integrity, and translation processes.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Catriona Ling, Christian J. Versloot, Matilda E. Arvidsson Kvissberg, Guanlan Hu, Nathan Swain, Jose M. Horcas-Nieto, Emily Miraglia, Mehakpreet K. Thind, Amber Farooqui, Albert Gerding, Karen van Eunen, Mirjam H. Koster, Niels J. Kloosterhuis, Lijun Chi, YueYing ChenMi, Miriam Langelaar-Makkinje, Celine Bourdon, Jonathan Swann, Marieke Smit, Alain de Bruin, Sameh A. Youssef, Marjon Feenstra, Theo H. van Dijk, Kathrin Thedieck, Johan W. Jonker, Peter K. Kim, Barbara M. Bakker, Robert H. J. Bandsma
Summary: Severe malnutrition leads to structural and functional changes in the intestine, increasing the risk of infection and mortality. This study reveals the mechanisms underlying malnutrition enteropathy, including dysregulation of autophagy and mitochondrial homeostasis, as well as abnormalities in reactive oxygen species. The findings suggest that nicotinamide supplementation and modulation of SIRT1 and mTORC1 pathways may ameliorate malnutrition enteropathy in children with severe malnutrition.
Review
Microbiology
Ann-Kathrin Lederer, Hannah Rasel, Eva Kohnert, Clemens Kreutz, Roman Huber, Mohamed Tarek Badr, Patricia K. E. Dellweg, Fabian Bartsch, Hauke Lang
Summary: This article provides a scoping review of the current research on the associations between gut microbiota and diagnosis, progression, and prognosis of biliary tract cancer. The findings suggest differences in gut microbiota between biliary tract cancer patients and healthy controls, but no specific species have been identified. However, due to methodological flaws in most of the studies, there is currently insufficient evidence to support the use of gut microbiota diagnostics in the management of biliary tract cancer.
Article
Cell Biology
Mahmoud Abdellatif, Tobias Eisenberg, Alexander Martin Heberle, Kathrin Thedieck, Guido Kroemer, Simon Sedej
Summary: Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is a key molecule that controls cellular metabolism and growth. In model organisms, reducing PI3K signaling can extend lifespan, but this effect is sex-specific and may increase the risk of cardiac disease in young mice. However, experimental attenuation of PI3K signaling in aged mice can slow down cardiac function decline and extend lifespan. In humans, increased PI3K signaling has been observed in failing hearts.
