Article
Neurosciences
Liang-Biao Wang, Xiao-Jing Su, Qiao-Feng Wu, Xiang Xu, Xin-Yue Wang, Mo Chen, Jia-Reng Ye, Abasi Maimaitiabula, Xiao-Qing Liu, Wen Sun, Yan Zhang
Summary: In this study, the researchers used transgenic mice to activate Mrgprd(+) and TRPV1(+) sensory neurons and found that different behavioral responses represent different pain perceptions. This finding has significant implications for the development and evaluation of new analgesic drugs.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haizhu Zhang, Zhaoyu Qin, Xuetong Yue, Yang Liu, Xiaogang Sun, Jinwen Feng, Ziyan Xu, Jiangyan Zhao, Kai Li, Jiange Qiu, Wenjun Yang, Fuchu He, Chen Ding
Summary: ATAC-MS is a method to identify transcriptional protein complexes assembled on accessible chromatin, providing insight into the protein machinery in open chromatin. Combined with ATAC-seq, it allows for high-resolution profiling of chromatin-transcriptional machinery. Additionally, the fusion protein ctATAC-MS enables systematic pinpointing of the transcriptional machinery at specific open chromatin regions.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Elizabeth Heath-Heckman, Shinja Yoo, Christopher Winchell, Maurizio Pellegrino, James Angstadt, Veronica B. Lammardo, Diana Bautista, Francisco F. De-Miguel, David Weisblat
Summary: RNASeq analysis of identified neurons in leeches revealed differentially expressed genes among sensory neurons, neurosecretory cells, and ganglia. Verified expression patterns and identified candidate genes shed light on molecular processes underlying sensory capabilities and cell type specification, laying the groundwork for future investigations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martin Direder, Matthias Wielscher, Tamara Weiss, Maria Laggner, Dragan Copic, Katharina Klas, Daniel Bormann, Vera Vorstandlechner, Erwin Tschachler, Hendrik Jan Ankersmit, Michael Mildner
Summary: A recent study reanalyzed published data on single-cell RNA sequencing of keloids, healthy skin, and normal scars to determine the gene expression profile of keloid-specific Schwann cells. The study confirmed the presence of profibrotic Schwann cells and identified a specific gene-set for these cells. Additionally, the analysis provided evidence for the involvement of transcription factors and IER genes in the dedifferentiation process of keloidal Schwann cells.
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rania Bassiouni, Lee D. Gibbs, David W. Craig, John D. Carpten, Troy A. McEachron
Summary: Spatial transcriptional profiling is a method that provides gene expression information within tissue architecture, making it well suited for studying solid tumors. It can investigate spatial relationships among cell populations and reveal spatial patterns of relevant oncogenic genetic events. The broad utility and flexibility of this approach have been reflected in the development of various strategies and commercial platforms, allowing its widespread applicability in research settings.
Article
Biology
Miguel Turrero Garcia, Sarah K. Stegmann, Tiara E. Lacey, Christopher M. Reid, Sinisa Hrvatin, Caleb Weinreb, Manal A. Adam, M. Aurel Nagy, Corey C. Harwell
Summary: This study investigates how septal neuron diversity is established during neurogenesis, revealing that septal eminence progenitors differ from rostral septal progenitors in molecular profiles, proliferative capacity, and fate potential. Specifically, Nkx2.1-expressing septal eminence progenitors give rise to neurons of at least three morphological classes, born in temporal cohorts distributed across different septal nuclei in a sequential pattern.
Article
Neurosciences
Kelsi N. Dodds, Melinda A. Kyloh, Lee Travis, Elizabeth A. H. Beckett, Nick J. Spencer
Summary: This study provides the first detailed description of spinal afferent nerve endings in the uterus of a vertebrate. Various morphological types of spinal afferent nerve endings were identified in different anatomical layers of the uterine wall. Compared to other visceral organs, the uterine spinal afferent endings displayed less morphological diversity, with few neurons in nodose ganglia innervating the uterus.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Deepak A. Kaji, Angela M. Montero, Roosheel Patel, Alice H. Huang
Summary: This study identifies transcriptional regulators involved in the induction and differentiation of dense connective tissues. By generating tendon and fibrocartilage cells from mouse embryonic stem cells and utilizing scRNA-seq, the authors reveal molecular mechanisms underlying cell fate switch between these lineages. Additionally, the research demonstrates successful generation of 3D engineered tissues using these differentiation protocols for modeling development and disease.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Stephanie B. Syc-Mazurek, Hongtian Stanley Yang, Olivia J. Marola, Gareth R. Howell, Richard T. Libby
Summary: This study identifies the downstream transcriptional networks important for apoptotic signaling after retinal injury, which may be crucial for understanding the progression of neurodegeneration.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anja Schlecht, Julian Wolf, Stefaniya Boneva, Gabriele Prinz, Barbara M. Braunger, Peter Wieghofer, Hansjuergen Agostini, Guenther Schlunck, Clemens Lange
Summary: Macular neovascularization type 3 (RAP) is characterized by the accumulation of myeloid cells, mainly microglia (MG) and infiltrating blood-derived macrophages (MAC). This study investigated the contribution and functions of MG and MAC at RAP sites. It was found that MG are the dominant myeloid cell population at RAP sites and exhibit altered transcriptional profiles, activating immune-associated processes and enhancing proliferation. Interestingly, the upregulation of angiomodulatory factors by MG was relatively low.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Yunsong Zhang, Qian Zhao, Qianqian Chen, Lingchi Xu, Sheng Yi
Summary: Transcription factors play important roles in nerve regeneration after peripheral nerve injury, including regulating axon elongation and Schwann cell phenotype modulation. Understanding these transcription factors can help promote functional recovery of injured peripheral nerves.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Charu Aggarwal, Keshav Saini, Elluri Seetharami Reddy, Mohit Singla, Kaustuv Nayak, Yadya M. Chawla, Deepti Maheshwari, Prabhat Singh, Pragati Sharma, Priya Bhatnagar, Sanjeev Kumar, Kamalvishnu Gottimukkala, Harekrushna Panda, Sivaram Gunisetty, Carl W. Davis, Haydn Thomas Kissick, Sushil Kumar Kabra, Rakesh Lodha, Guruprasad R. Medigeshi, Rafi Ahmed, Kaja Murali-Krishna, Anmol Chandele
Summary: Plasmablasts play a vital role in systemic infections like dengue, regulating the expression of various factors involved in cell interactions, tissue homing, leukocyte extravasation, angiogenesis, and B-cell survival. Their comprehensive transcriptional profiles in dengue patients provide valuable insights into the acute febrile phase of the infection.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Philipp Licht, Volker Mailaender
Summary: Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas (CTCL) exhibit clinical variability and transcriptional heterogeneity, with different T-cell subtypes suggested as sources of the disease. The microbiome may play a role in disease progression and transcriptional heterogeneity, and microbial approaches have the potential to aid in diagnosis and treatment of CTCL.
Article
Neurosciences
Fiona Werland, Michael Hirth, Roman Rukwied, Matthias Ringkamp, Brian Turnquist, Ellen Jorum, Barbara Namer, Martin Schmelz, Otilia Obreja
Summary: Through extracellular single-fibre recordings in pigs, it was found that nerve growth factor can increase the peak following frequency specifically in sensitized mechano-insensitive nociceptors, while having minimal impact on other types of nociceptors.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lin Que, David Lukacsovich, Wenshu Luo, Csaba Foldy
Summary: The study investigated transcriptomic states of morphologically identified parvalbumin interneurons (PV-INs) using single-cell RNA-seq, revealing high transcriptomic similarity among PV-INs with only few genes showing divergent expression. Additionally, PV-INs exhibited a uniform synaptic cell adhesion molecule (CAM) profile, suggesting CAM expression in mature cells does not reflect wiring specificity post-development.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lou Beaulieu-Laroche, Marine Christin, Annmarie Donoghue, Francina Agosti, Noosha Yousefpour, Hugues Petitjean, Albena Davidova, Craig Stanton, Uzair Khan, Connor Dietz, Elise Faure, Tarheen Fatima, Amanda MacPherson, Stephanie Mouchbahani-Constance, Daniel G. Bisson, Lisbet Haglund, Jean A. Ouellet, Laura S. Stone, Jonathan Samson, Mary-Jo Smith, Kjetil Ask, Alfredo Ribeiro-da-Silva, Rikard Blunck, Kate Poole, Emmanuel Bourinet, Reza Sharif-Naeini
Article
Anesthesiology
Tanguy Chaumette, Lauriane Delay, Julie Barbier, Ludivine Boudieu, Youssef Aissouni, Mathieu Meleine, Amandine Lashermes, Wassim Legha, Sophie Antraigue, Frederic Antonio Carvalho, Alain Eschalier, Denis Ardid, Aziz Moqrich, Fabien Marchand
Article
Cell Biology
Chiara Salio, Patrizia Aimar, Pascale Malapert, Aziz Moqrich, Adalberto Merighi
Summary: The study investigated the immunocytochemistry of murine C-type DRG neurons, revealing the expression patterns of specific markers in different subpopulations. Using transgenic mice, the researchers examined the effects of selective ablation of certain neurons on the distribution and density of glomerular terminals, providing insights into interspecies differences and functional relevance.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Vanessa Pereira, Sylvain Lamoine, Melissa Cumenal, Stephane Lolignier, Youssef Aissouni, Anne Pizzoccaro, Laetitia Prival, David Balayssac, Alain Eschalier, Emmanuel Bourinet, Jerome Busserolles
Summary: Peripheral neuropathy induced by oxaliplatin is characterized by acute pain symptoms, primarily caused by ion channel expression modulations in dorsal root ganglia neurons. The downregulation of K+ channels, including TREK and TRAAK, is identified as an important factor contributing to oxaliplatin-induced hypersensitivity. NRSF and HDACs play crucial roles in the dysregulation of K+ channels.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guillaume Hoeffel, Guilhaume Debroas, Anais Roger, Rafaelle Rossignol, Jordi Gouilly, Caroline Laprie, Lionel Chasson, Pierre-Vincent Barbon, Anais Balsamo, Ana Reynders, Aziz Moqrich, Sophie Ugolini
Summary: This study investigated the role of sensory neurons in promoting the tissue-repair function of macrophages and uncovered the regulatory mechanism of the neuropeptide TAFA4 on macrophage inflammatory responses. TAFA4, produced by a subset of sensory neurons, modulates the inflammatory profile of macrophages and promotes the production of IL-10 after skin damage in mice. This neuroimmune regulatory pathway driven by TAFA4 helps prevent fibrosis and promotes tissue regeneration, presenting new therapeutic perspectives for inflammatory diseases.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessica Filtjens, Anais Roger, Linda Quatrini, Elisabeth Wieduwild, Jordi Gouilly, Guillaume Hoeffel, Rafaelle Rossignol, Clara Daher, Guilhaume Debroas, Sandrine Henri, Claerwen M. Jones, Bernard Malissen, Laura K. Mackay, Aziz Moqrich, Francis R. Carbone, Sophie Ugolini
Summary: The study demonstrates that Nav(1.8)(+) sensory neurons play a crucial role in regulating CD8 T cell immune responses against HSV-1 infection, affecting skin damage severity and cytokine production. Sensory neurons are also involved in controlling neutrophil infiltration and dendritic cell responses, highlighting their potential as a therapeutic target.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Pierrelee, Ana Reynders, Fabrice Lopez, Aziz Moqrich, Laurent Tichit, Bianca H. Habermann
Summary: Integrating -omics data with biological networks is an important approach in understanding gene expression changes, and TimeNexus is introduced as a Cytoscape app to project time-series data onto multilayer networks for further analysis. This tool allows researchers to easily create and visualize temporal multilayer networks, and extract relevant cellular pathways and active subnetworks.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Steven J. Middleton, Irene Perini, Andreas C. Themistocleous, Greg A. Weir, Kirsty McCann, Allison M. Barry, Andrew Marshall, Michael Lee, Leah M. Mayo, Manon Bohic, Georgios Baskozos, India Morrison, Line S. Loken, Sarah McIntyre, Saad S. Nagi, Roland Staud, Isac Sehlstedt, Richard D. Johnson, Johan Wessberg, John N. Wood, Christopher G. Woods, Aziz Moqrich, Hakan Olausson, David L. Bennett
Summary: The study shows that Na(v)1.7 plays a crucial role in regulating C-low threshold mechanoreceptor function, cool sensitivity, and affective touch in addition to pain perception. Patients with loss-of-function mutations in Nav1.7 exhibit congenital insensitivity to pain and abnormalities in the encoding of affective touch. Overall, Na(v)1.7 is essential for normal C-LTMR function and pleasant touch perception.
Article
Anesthesiology
Lauriane Delay, Julie Barbier, Youssef Aissouni, Alexandra Jurczak, Ludivine Boudieu, Arnaud Briat, Philippe Auzeloux, Celia Barrachina, Emeric Dubois, Denis Ardid, Elisabeth Miot-Noirault, Camilla I. Svensson, Aziz Moqrich, Fabien Marchand
Summary: Our study using knock-in TrkA/C mice reveals that the TrkA-specific intracellular signaling pathways play a crucial role in mechanical hypersensitivity and bone alterations in rheumatoid arthritis.
Article
Cell Biology
Sungjae Yoo, Catarina Santos, Ana Reynders, Irene Marics, Pascale Malapert, Stephane Gaillard, Aude Charron, Sophie Ugolini, Rafaelle Rossignol, Abderazzak El Khallouqi, Jean-Yves Springael, Marc Parmentier, Andrew J. Saurin, Jean-Marc Goaillard, Francis Castets, Nadine Clerc, Aziz Moqrich
Summary: Pain, whether acute or persistent, is a serious medical problem worldwide. However, the management of pain remains unsatisfactory and new analgesic molecules are needed. The study shows that TAFA4 can reverse different forms of pain-induced mechanical hypersensitivity by restoring normal spinal neuron activity, highlighting its considerable potential as a treatment for injury-induced mechanical pain.
Review
Cell Biology
Nadine Clerc, Aziz Moqrich
Summary: This review highlights recent findings on the amplitude ranges, roles, and modulations of A-type K+ currents (I-A) in excitatory and inhibitory interneurons in mouse spinal cord pain pathways. The study suggests that endogenous neuropeptides may modulate I-A in these pathways, with TAFA4 being the only one that fully reverses the opposing modulations in both neuropathic and inflammatory pain. The review also proposes that the diversity of I-A in spinal cord pain pathways may depend on the expression of Kv4 auxiliary subunits with functionally different N-terminal variants.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Damien Huzard, Miquel Martin, Francois Maingret, Jean Chemin, Freddy Jeanneteau, Pierre-Francois Mery, Pascal Fossat, Emmanuel Bourinet, Amaury Francois
Summary: C-LTMRs play a crucial role in feeling touch and social behaviors. Functional deficiency of C-LTMRs leads to social isolation, while transient increase in C-LTMR excitability is beneficial for social interactions and has prosocial influences.
Article
Biology
Sophie L. Fayad, Guillaume Ourties, Benjamin Le Gac, Baptiste Jouffre, Sylvain Lamoine, Antoine Fruquiere, Sophie Laffray, Laila Gasmi, Bruno Cauli, Christophe Mallet, Emmanuel Bourinet, Thomas Bessaih, Regis C. Lambert, Nathalie Leresche, Gary L. Westbrook
Summary: Cav3.2 channels expressed in GABAergic neurons in the anterior pretectum contribute to high-frequency bursting activity and play a role in neuropathic pain.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucie Pepino, Pascale Malapert, Andrew J. Saurin, Aziz Moqrich, Ana Reynders
Summary: Mounting evidence suggests that women experience more chronic pain than men, but the biological basis for these differences is still not fully understood. In this study, researchers used a mouse model to show that female mice exhibit two distinct types of pain responses to formalin, depending on their estrus cycle phase. They also found that formalin-induced pain is associated with immune modulation, particularly involving neutrophils, and this immune response is more pronounced in males than females. These findings contribute to our understanding of pain perception and immune regulation in a sex-specific manner.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Manon Defaye, Mircea C. Iftinca, Vinicius M. Gadotti, Lilian Basso, Nasser S. Abdullah, Melissa Cumenal, Francina Agosti, Ahmed Hassan, Robyn Flynn, Jeremy Martin, Vanessa Soubeyre, Gaetan Poulen, Nicolas Lonjon, Florence Vachiery-Lahaye, Luc Bauchet, Pierre Francois Mery, Emmanuel Bourinet, Gerald W. Zamponi, Christophe Altier
Summary: ALKAL2/ALK signaling axis plays a central role in nociceptor-induced sensitization, and targeting ALK could be a potential therapeutic strategy for pain conditions.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)
