Review
Neurosciences
Chad W. Sauvola, J. Troy Littleton
Summary: Membrane fusion in eukaryotic protein trafficking is mediated by the SNARE protein family, with diverse SRPs ensuring fusion occurs at the right time and place. Neurons have specialized SRPs for synaptic vesicle fusion, allowing precise SNARE dynamics and neurotransmitter release control. Calcium influx at release sites triggers SNARE zippering for membrane fusion and neurotransmitter release in neuronal communication.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jieyu Wu, Liuyang Wang, John F. Ervin, Shih-Hsiu J. Wang, Erik Soderblom, Dennis Ko, Dong Yan
Summary: Aging is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, leading to functional decline and degeneration of neurons. Through a new method of neuronal proteomic profiling, certain proteins, including TMC-1, were found to have increased expression levels during aging, and TMC-1 was shown to have an anti-aging function in all tested neurons by regulating GABA signaling. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the vital role of metabotropic GABA receptors and G protein GOA-1 in the anti-neuronal aging functions of TMC-1 and GABA, and the activation of GABA receptors prevents neuronal aging by inhibiting the PLC ss-PKC pathway.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shiling Feng, Chunyan Zhang, Tao Chen, Lijun Zhou, Yan Huang, Ming Yuan, Tian Li, Chunbang Ding
Summary: The study found that OLE significantly prolongs the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans and increases their resistance to lethal heat shock and oxidative stress. OLE regulates stress resistance and lifespan extension in nematodes through the activation of the IIS and SKN-1/Nrf2 signaling pathways.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Murugesh Padmanarayana, Haowen Liu, Francesco Michelassi, Lei Li, Daniel Betensky, Matthew J. Dominguez, R. Bryan Sutton, Zhitao Hu, Jeremy S. Dittman
Summary: The HC2M module is a crucial part of Munc13-1, necessary for synaptic vesicle priming during neurotransmitter release, and can be functionally replaced by protein domains that localize to synaptic vesicles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Eric S. Luth, Molly Hodul, Bethany J. Rennich, Carmino Riccio, Julia Hofer, Kaitlin Markoja, Peter Juo
Summary: Sensation, behavior, and cognition rely on the proper function of neuronal connections known as synapses, with glutamate synapses being the most common in the brain and playing a key role in learning and memory. Research indicates that factors released from other cells can also impact synaptic communication. Through experiments with C. elegans worms, certain proteins were identified as crucial for glutamate synapse function.
Article
Biology
Chanhyun Park, Yuki Sakurai, Hirofumi Sato, Shinji Kanda, Yuichi Iino, Hirofumi Kunitomo
Summary: Research has found that CIC chloride channels play a crucial role in salt concentration chemotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans, with mutant CLH-1 reducing the responsiveness of salt-sensing neuron ASER to salt stimuli. This disruption affects the navigation strategy towards preferred salt concentrations.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michael R. Harris, Thomas P. Wytock, Istvan A. Kovacs
Summary: The difficulty of mapping synaptic polarity is addressed through computational inference in this study. The researchers use different experimental scenarios, including the integration of gene expression data and a connectome model, to infer synaptic polarities. They introduce a high-performance method that successfully infers a large number of synaptic polarities, contributing to a more realistic understanding of brain models.
Article
Cell Biology
May Bakr, Damien Jullie, Julia Krapivkina, Vincent Paget-Blanc, Lou Bouit, Jennifer D. Petersen, Natacha Retailleau, Christelle Breillat, Etienne Herzog, Daniel Choquet, David Perrais
Summary: The study identifies VAMP4 as the vesicular SNARE that mediates most dendritic recycling endosome exocytosis, while VAMP2 plays a minor role in this process. Knock down of VAMP4 reduces TfR recycling but increases AMPAR recycling, leading to increased AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission and occlusion of LTP expression. The opposing changes in AMPAR and TfR recycling upon VAMP4 knock down reveal their sorting into separate endosomal populations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Siqi Jiang, Na Deng, Bisheng Zheng, Tong Li, Rui Hai Liu
Summary: Rhodiola extract was found to significantly extend the lifespan of C. elegans and enhance its stress resistance by regulating gene expression and promoting protein translocation.
Article
Biology
Xinwei Yu, Matthew S. Creamer, Francesco Randi, Anuj K. Sharma, Scott W. Linderman, Andrew M. Leifer
Summary: A method called fDNC, based on the transformer network architecture, is proposed for automated tracking and identifying neurons in C. elegans. This method predicts neural correspondence quickly without requiring straightening or transforming the animal into a canonical coordinate system, making it suitable for future real-time applications.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valentina Brandi, Fabio Polticelli
Summary: Huntington's disease is caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene, resulting in abnormal protein aggregation. Analysis of Htt homologs can help understand the functional conservation of Htt in different eukaryotes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Klaas Koop, Weimin Yuan, Federico Tessadori, Wilmer R. Rodriguez-Polanco, Jeremy Grubbs, Bo Zhang, Matt Osmond, Gail Graham, Sarah Sawyer, Erin Conboy, Francesco Vetrini, Kayla Treat, Rafal Ploski, Victor Murcia Pienkowski, Anna Klosowska, Elizabeth Fieg, Joel Krier, Coralie Mallebranche, Ziegler Alban, Kimberly A. Aldinger, Deborah Ritter, Ellen Macnamara, Bonnie Sullivan, John Herriges, Joseph T. Alaimo, Catherine Helbig, Colin A. Ellis, Clare van Eyk, Jozef Gecz, Daniel Farrugia, Ikeoluwa Osei-Owusu, Lesley Ades, Marie-Jose van den Boogaard, Sabine Fuchs, Jeroen Bakker, Karen Duran, Zachary D. Dawson, Anika Lindsey, Huiyan Huang, Dustin Baldridge, Gary A. Silverman, Barth D. Grant, David Raizen, Gijs van Haaften, Stephen C. Pak, Holger Rehmann, Tim Schedl, Peter van Hasselt
Summary: RAB5C gene mutations are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by macrocephaly and mild-to-moderate developmental delay, through disruption of the endocytic pathway.
HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cheng-Rung Huang, Cheng-Ju Kuo, Chih-Wen Huang, Yu-Ting Chen, Bang-Yu Liu, Chung-Ta Lee, Po-Lin Chen, Wen-Tsan Chang, Yun-Wen Chen, Tzer-Min Lee, Hui-Chen Hsieh, Chang-Shi Chen
Summary: Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) induces attaching and effacing lesions in the intestine through a host signaling pathway involving cyclin-dependent kinase CDK1 and formin CYK1, as demonstrated using human intestinal cells and a C. elegans model of infection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Luca Pannone, Valentina Muto, Francesca Nardecchia, Martina Di Rocco, Emilia Marchei, Federica Tosato, Stefania Petrini, Giada Onorato, Enrico Lanza, Lucia Bertuccini, Filippo Manti, Viola Folli, Serena Galosi, Elia Di Schiavi, Vincenzo Leuzzi, Marco Tartaglia, Simone Martinelli
Summary: De novo CLTC mutations are responsible for a spectrum of early-onset neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by developmental delay/intellectual disability, epilepsy, and movement disorders. The mutations lead to defective endocytosis and cell cycle transition, resulting in aberrant synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter release, ultimately affecting neurodevelopment and function.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Omer Yuval, Yael Iosilevskii, Anna Meledin, Benjamin Podbilewicz, Tom Shemesh
Summary: Complex dendritic trees are a distinctive feature of neurons, and alterations in dendritic morphology are associated with developmental, behavioral, and neurodegenerative changes. Using deep-learning and fitting algorithms, a method for neuronal feature extraction was presented, revealing uneven distribution of dendritic junctions and three-way-symmetrical junctions on average in the PVD neuron of C. elegans. Further analysis showed localized reduction in junctions due to mutations, shedding new light on PVD architecture and suggesting molecular control mechanisms.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2021)