Article
Immunology
Yuting Hu, Xiaoyu Sun, Shang Wang, Chao Zhou, Li Lin, Xiaohui Ding, Jingjing Han, Yan Zhou, Guoliang Jin, Yuqiao Wang, Wei Zhang, Hongjuan Shi, Zuohui Zhang, Xinxin Yang, Fang Hua
Summary: The study found that TLR2KO mice exhibited decreased cognitive function and locomotor activity, as well as increased anxiety from middle age to old age. Furthermore, significant reductions in regional cerebral blood flow, inhibited long-term potentiation, and increased blood-brain barrier permeability were observed in 12-month-old TLR2KO mice. Additionally, TLR2KO mice showed decreased levels of tight junction proteins and increased neurofilament protein, as well as decreased myelin basic protein, compared to age-matched WT mice.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chen Chu, Yaling Zhang, Qingping Liu, Yaxian Pan, Yujie Niu, Rong Zhang
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the neurotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS NPs) in mice and its underlying mechanisms. The results demonstrated that exposure to PS NPs induced cognitive decline and increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and DNA damage in mice. Gene expression analysis revealed significant alterations in synaptic function-related genes upon PS NPs exposure. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed, providing insights into the molecular events associated with nanoplastic toxicity and cognitive dysfunction.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Akiko Tanoue, Kan Katayama, Yugo Ito, Kensuke Joh, Masaaki Toda, Taro Yasuma, Corina N. D'Alessandro-Gabazza, Hiroshi Kawachi, Kunimasa Yan, Masaaki Ito, Esteban C. Gabazza, Karl Tryggvason, Kaoru Dohi
Summary: The study demonstrates that specific deprivation of Crb2 in podocytes leads to altered actin cytoskeleton reorganization, dysfunction, and accelerated apoptosis of podocytes, ultimately causing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. This finding sheds light on the potential mechanism underlying the development of kidney diseases related to Crb2 mutations.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Qinghu Yang, Da Song, Zhen Xie, Guiqiong He, Juan Zhao, Zhe Wang, Zhifang Dong, Heao Zhang, Liang Yang, Ming Jiang, Yili Wu, Qing Shi, Junjie Li, Jun Yang, Zhantao Bai, Zhenzhen Quan, Hong Qing
Summary: This study reveals the role of optogenetic activation of CA3 pyramidal neurons in restoring the spatial memory of APP/PS1 mice. The stimulation enhances synaptic density/strength, synaptic plasticity, and activates astrocytes. Inhibiting the activity of CA3 astrocytes disrupts this restoration effect, resulting in reduced synaptic density/strength and cognitive impairments in the mice.
PROGRESS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Xueqing Chai, Xiaolin Li, Wenxin Zhang, Xiaoyue Tan, Haiyun Wang, Zhuo Yang
Summary: The study revealed that legumain knockout significantly improved cognitive function and reduced neuroinflammation in a chronic cerebral hypoperfusion mouse model. This suggests that legumain may serve as a potential target for future cerebral ischemia treatments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xi Cheng, Yu Tang, D. J. Vidyadhara, Ben-Zheng Li, Michael Zimmerman, Alexandr Pak, Sanghamitra Nareddula, Paige Alyssa Edens, Sreeganga S. Chandra, Alexander A. Chubykin
Summary: The lack of auxilin leads to deficits in presynaptic plasticity and visual cortical functions, as well as affecting eye movement responses. This suggests that abnormalities in presynaptic endocytosis function may have an impact in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rocio Tejero, Mohammad Alsakkal, Luisa Hennlein, Ana M. Lopez-Cabello, Sibylle Jablonka, Lucia Tabares
Summary: In spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), mutations in the SMN1 gene reduce full-length SMN protein which causes motor neuron degeneration. Nifedipine was found to improve the function of spinal cord motor neurons and motor nerve terminals in cultured cells of SMA mice. It increased neurotransmission and prevented developmental defects in SMA neurons, indicating its potential therapeutic effects for SMA.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Mean-Hwan Kim, Cristina Radaelli, Elliot R. Thomsen, Deja Monet, Thomas Chartrand, Nikolas L. Jorstad, Joseph T. Mahoney, Michael J. Taormina, Brian Long, Katherine Baker, Trygve E. Bakken, Luke Campagnola, Tamara Casper, Michael Clark, Nick Dee, Florence D'Orazi, Clare Gamlin, Brian E. Kalmbach, Sara Kebede, Brian R. Lee, Lindsay Ng, Jessica Trinh, Charles Cobbs, Ryder P. Gwinn, C. Dirk Keene, Andrew L. Ko, Jeffrey G. Ojemann, Daniel L. Silbergeld, Staci A. Sorensen, Jim Berg, Kimberly A. Smith, Philip R. Nicovich, Tim Jarsky, Hongkui Zeng, Jonathan T. Ting, Boaz P. Levi, Ed Lein
Summary: The study investigates synaptic properties between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the human cortex, finding that the short-term plasticity of synaptic connections depends on the molecular identity of inhibitory neurons. This indicates the existence of target cell-specific synaptic properties and suggests evolutionary conservation of connectivity principles.
Article
Biology
Mean-Hwan Kim, Cristina Radaelli, Elliot R. Thomsen, Deja Monet, Thomas Chartrand, Nikolas L. Jorstad, Joseph T. Mahoney, Michael J. Taormina, Brian Long, Katherine Baker, Trygve E. Bakken, Luke Campagnola, Tamara Casper, Michael Clark, Nick Dee, Florence D'Orazi, Clare Gamlin, Brian E. Kalmbach, Sara Kebede, Brian R. Lee, Lindsay Ng, Jessica Trinh, Charles Cobbs, Ryder P. Gwinn, C. Dirk Keene, Andrew L. Ko, Jeffrey G. Ojemann, Daniel L. Silbergeld, Staci A. Sorensen, Jim Berg, Kimberly A. Smith, Philip R. Nicovich, Tim Jarsky, Hongkui Zeng, Jonathan T. Ting, Boaz P. Levi, Ed Lein
Summary: This study investigates the synaptic properties between excitatory pyramidal neurons and inhibitory PVALB- vs. SST-positive interneurons in the human cortex. The results show robust molecular differences in synapse-associated genes between these neuron types and heterogeneous synaptic dynamics in different postsynaptic cell types. The findings suggest the existence of target cell-specific synaptic properties in the human cortex, similar to rodents, indicating an evolutionary conservation of local circuit connectivity motifs from excitatory to inhibitory neurons and their synaptic dynamics.
Article
Physiology
Jianxiang Xue, Linto Thomas, Sathish Kumar Murali, Moshe Levi, Robert A. Fenton, Jessica A. Dominguez Rieg, Timo Rieg
Summary: Intestinal NHE3 has a significant contribution to P-i homeostasis. In contrast to effects described for tenapanor on P-i homeostasis, NHE3(IEC-KO) mice show enhanced, rather than reduced, intestinal P-i uptake.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Lucas T. Laudermilk, Kathryn M. Harper, Sheryl S. Moy, Scott Runyon, Bin Zhou, Beverly Koller, Rangan Maitra
Summary: The G-protein-coupled receptor APLNR, along with its ligands apelin and ELABELA/TODDLER/apela, form the apelinergic system crucial for development and physiological balance, potentially offering treatment for heart failure, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. While widely present in the central nervous system, its exact role remains unclear. Knockout of the Aplnr gene in mice showed significant impacts on sensory responses and fear behaviors, especially in male mice displaying heightened fear responses.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jing Wang, Uday P. Pratap, Yujiao Lu, Gangadhara R. Sareddy, Rajeshwar R. Tekmal, Ratna K. Vadlamudi, Darrell W. Brann
Summary: Recent research has found that the steroid hormone 17 beta-estradiol (E-2) is produced in the brain by both neurons and astrocytes. A new inducible knockout mouse model was created to specifically deplete the E-2 in astrocytes of adult mice, providing a better research model for studying brain-derived E-2 and its functions. The characterization of this mouse model confirmed the specific depletion of aromatase and E-2 in astrocytes, and revealed the neuroprotective role of astrocyte-derived E-2 in cerebral ischemia.
Article
Immunology
Jiawei Xu, Jinkun Wen, Lanya Fu, Liqiang Liao, Ying Zou, Jiaqi Zhang, Junyao Deng, Haowen Zhang, Jingmin Liu, Xianghai Wang, Daming Zuo, Jiasong Guo
Summary: The depletion of RhoA in macrophages has a negative impact on Wallerian degeneration and nerve regeneration, mainly due to impaired migration and phagocytosis of macrophages resulting from disrupted RhoA/ROCK/MLCK pathway. Since previous research has shown that RhoA inhibition in neurons promotes axonal regeneration, the study highlights the importance of considering cellular specificity of RhoA-targeted drugs in future applications for treating peripheral nerve injuries.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Daniele Linaro, Matthew J. Levy, David L. Hunt
Summary: The transformation of synaptic input into action potential output is a fundamental process in cellular computation, which is determined by cellular morphology and the expression profile of ion channels. This study uses high-resolution morphological reconstructions and patch-clamp electrophysiology data to build biophysically detailed models of hippocampal neurons, and successfully matches the firing phenotypes of different cell types by adjusting the expression pattern of ion channel genes.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elena McBeath, Keigi Fujiwara, Marie-Claude Hofmann
Summary: Until recently, the methods for generating floxed mice have been challenging, expensive, error-prone, or time-consuming. To overcome these issues, some labs have successfully used a small artificial intron to conditionally knockout a gene of interest in mice. However, others have encountered difficulties with the technique, primarily due to incorrect splicing or insufficient knockout of the gene's protein. This article presents a guide on selecting the appropriate exon and placing the recombinase-regulated artificial intron to prevent splicing disruption and maximize mRNA degradation. Following these recommendations should increase the success rate of producing tissue-specific knockout mice using this alternative technique.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Michelle C. D. Bridi, Roberto de Pasquale, Crystal L. Lantz, Yu Gu, Andrew Borrell, Se-Young Choi, Kaiwen He, Trinh Tran, Su Z. Hong, Andrew Dykman, Hey-Kyoung Lee, Elizabeth M. Quinlan, Alfredo Kirkwood
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Cell Biology
Gabriela Rodriguez, Darpan Chakraborty, Katrina M. Schrode, Rinki Saha, Isabel Uribe, Amanda M. Lauer, Hey-Kyoung Lee
Article
Neurosciences
Dominique Fernandes, Sandra D. Santos, Ester Coutinho, Jessica L. Whitt, Nuno Beltrao, Tiago Rondao, M. Isabel Leite, Camilla Buckley, Hey-Kyoung Lee, Ana Luisa Carvalho
Article
Neurosciences
Varun Chokshi, Brian Druciak, Paul F. Worley, Hey-Kyoung Lee
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Neurosciences
Gabriela Rodriguez, Lukas Mesik, Ming Gao, Samuel Parkins, Rinki Saha, Hey-Kyoung Lee
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Neurosciences
Varun Chokshi, Ming Gao, Bryce D. Grier, Ashley Owens, Hui Wang, Paul F. Worley, Hey-Kyoung Lee
Review
Neurosciences
Hey-Kyoung Lee, Alfredo Kirkwood
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Review
Neurosciences
Gabrielle Ewall, Samuel Parkins, Amy Lin, Yanis Jaoui, Hey-Kyoung Lee
Summary: Cross-modal plasticity refers to the brain's ability to adapt across different sensory modalities in response to the loss of a sensory function. It mainly involves two changes: cross-modal recruitment and compensatory plasticity, where the deprived sensory area is recruited for processing remaining senses, and remaining sensory areas enhance their own processing capabilities, respectively.
FRONTIERS IN NEURAL CIRCUITS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ye-Hyun Kim, Katrina M. Schrode, James Engel, Sergio Vicencio-Jimenez, Gabriela Rodriguez, Hey-Kyoung Lee, Amanda M. Lauer
Summary: Cross-modal plasticity occurs when the remaining senses are enhanced following the loss of a sensory modality. In adult mice, visual deprivation leads to enhanced auditory neural responses, but does not substantially influence auditory behavioral performance.
JARO-JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN OTOLARYNGOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Su Z. Hong, Lukas Mesik, Cooper D. Grossman, Jeremiah Y. Cohen, Boram Lee, Hey-Kyoung Lee, Johannes W. Hell, Alfredo Kirkwood
Summary: The induction and conversion of eligibility traces by neuromodulators potentiates and depresses visual responses, and this process is crucial for ocular dominance plasticity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Su Z. Hong, Lukas Mesik, Cooper D. Grossman, Jeremiah Y. Cohen, Boram Lee, Daniel Severin, Hey-Kyoung Lee, Johannes W. Hell, Alfredo Kirkwood
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jessica L. Whitt, Gabrielle Ewall, Darpan Chakraborty, Ayorinde Adegbesan, Rachel Lee, Patrick O. Kanold, Hey-Kyoung Lee
Summary: Sensory loss leads to plastic changes in the inhibitory synaptic transmission in the thalamus, supporting cross-modal plasticity in the brain. These plastic changes occur at the level of the thalamus and involve increased neurotransmitter release and reduced short-term inhibition. These findings have important implications for understanding sensory processing and adaptive plasticity.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Varun Chokshi, Bryce D. Grier, Andrew Dykman, Crystal L. Lantz, Ernst Niebur, Elizabeth M. Quinlan, Hey-Kyoung Lee
Summary: The history of neural activity modifies the responses of V1 neurons to stimulation, and rapid homeostatic depression of excitatory synapses can be driven by non-patterned input activity.
FRONTIERS IN SYNAPTIC NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Krystyna Solarana, Ji Liu, Zac Bowen, Hey-Kyoung Lee, Patrick O. Kanold
Article
Neurosciences
Xiangying Meng, Joseph P. Y. Kao, Hey-Kyoung Lee, Patrick O. Kanold