Article
Biology
Evan H. Lyall, Daniel P. Mossing, Scott R. Pluta, Yun Wen Chu, Amir Dudai, Hillel Adesnik
Summary: The study investigates how the brain constructs representations of complex objects and found that there is a heterogeneous logic of input-specific supra-linear summation in neural populations for the synthesis of sparse higher-order feature codes. Different somatosensory cortical neurons sum specific combinations of sensory inputs supra-linearly, leading to selective responses to higher-order features, while visual cortical populations employ a nearly identical scheme to generate a comprehensive population code for contextual stimuli.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ju Lu, Michelle Tjia, Brian Mullen, Bing Cao, Kacper Lukasiewicz, Sajita Shah-Morales, Sydney Weiser, Lindsay P. Cameron, David E. Olson, Lu Chen, Yi Zuo
Summary: The study shows that TBG can reduce anxiety levels and rescue deficits in sensory processing and cognitive flexibility in mice under stress. Furthermore, TBG promotes the regrowth of excitatory neuron dendritic spines and enhances neural activity in the somatosensory cortex.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ingrid M. Esteves, HaoRan Chang, Adam R. Neumann, JianJun Sun, Majid H. Mohajerani, Bruce L. McNaughton
Summary: Research has shown a significant population of neurons in the brain encoding for different aspects of space, with recent studies highlighting spatially modulated neurons in the cortex. Imaging experiments on mice revealed a cortex-wide phenomenon of spatially localized neuron activity in the absence of the hippocampus, indicating the necessity of hippocampal outflow in organizing this continuous representation of the explored environment.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Christina Georgiou, Vassilis Kehayas, Kok Sin Lee, Federico Brandalise, Daniela A. Sahlender, Jerome Blanc, Graham Knott, Anthony Holtmaat
Summary: This study identifies a subset of superficial multipolar inhibitory interneurons expressing VIP with high dynamics, located in layer 1 of the cortex, and exhibiting the electrophysiological characteristics of bursting cells. The structural plasticity of these neurons is distinct from that of excitatory neurons.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Edward E. Large, Michael S. Chapman
Summary: Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are widely used for gene therapy, and monoclonal antibodies against various AAV serotypes have been developed. Previous studies suggested that neutralizing antibodies inhibit binding to glycan receptors or interfere with post-entry steps. However, recent research has identified a protein receptor and revealed that antibody interference with protein receptor binding may be the predominant mechanism of neutralization.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Virology
Susanne K. Golm, Wolfgang Huebner, Kristian M. Mueller
Summary: Research on adeno-associated virus (AAV) and its recombinant vectors, as well as fluorescence microscopy imaging, is rapidly advancing due to clinical applications and new technologies. These topics intersect as high and super-resolution microscopes enable the study of spatial and temporal aspects of cellular virus biology. Methods for labeling and detecting AAV proteins and DNA have also evolved. This review provides an overview of these interdisciplinary developments and their technological and biological implications.
Article
Neurosciences
C. S. Barz, P. M. Garderes, D. A. Ganea, S. Reischauer, D. Feldmeyer, F. Haiss
Summary: Using two-photon calcium imaging, researchers identified a subset of highly active neurons in layer L2/3 of the mouse primary somatosensory cortex that responded strongly to principal whisker vibrotactile stimulation. These high responders exhibited increased stimulus-evoked and spontaneous activity, elevated noise and spontaneous pairwise correlations, and stronger coupling to the population response compared to less responsive neurons. The intrinsic excitability of the high responders was reduced, suggesting that network connectivity may play a larger role in determining neuron participation in stimulus encoding than cellular structure and function.
Article
Neurosciences
Hidenobu Mizuno, Madhura S. Rao, Hiromi Mizuno, Takuya Sato, Shingo Nakazawa, Takuji Iwasato
Summary: The study shows that NMDA receptors in L4 neurons are important for enhancing spontaneous activity correlation, and disruption of NMDAR subunits can reduce this correlation. Changes in activity correlation can be detected in L4 neuron pairs in neighboring barrels, especially when located at the barrel edge.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Candice Lee, Emerson F. Harkin, Xuming Yin, Richard Naud, Simon Chen
Summary: The response properties of different cell types in the primary motor cortex (M1) change after cue-reward conditioning, with each cell type showing differential reliability to the conditioned cue stimulus and reward.
Article
Neurosciences
Tobias Maximilian Breuer, Patrik Krieger
Summary: The effect of sensory deprivation on the anatomical and physiological properties of two types of layer 6 corticothalamic pyramidal cells in mouse somatosensory barrel cortex was investigated. The study found differences in dendritic morphology and firing frequency between the two cell types, as well as the impact of sensory deprivation on these differences.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Virology
Samuel L. Junod, Jason Saredy, Weidong Yang
Summary: Understanding the detailed nuclear import kinetics of AAV through NPCs is important for drug development. Recent advances in single-molecule fluorescence microscopy allow imaging and quantifying the transport dynamics of AAV particles in live human cells. Utilizing SPEED microscopy, researchers can track the entire nuclear import process of AAV particles and summarize major findings in this field.
Review
Neurosciences
Andrew F. Iannone, Natalia V. De Marco Garcia
Summary: Patterned activity in neural populations plays a key role in the development of sensory cortices across mammalian species. In murine somatosensory cortex, neuronal co-activation is believed to guide the formation of sensory maps and prepare for sensory processing after birth. Recent studies have highlighted the crucial role of inhibitory interneurons in refining the spatial and temporal dynamics of patterned activity during development.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Horst A. Obenhaus, Weijian Zong, R. Irene Jacobsen, Tobias Rose, Flavio Donato, Liangyi Chen, Heping Cheng, Tobias Bonhoeffer, May-Britt Moser, Edvard Moser
Summary: The study found that grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) exhibit distinct organization compared to border, head-direction, and object-vector cells, with strong coupling among themselves but weaker connections to other cell types.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Dominik F. Aschauer, Jens-Bastian Eppler, Luke Ewig, Anna R. Chambers, Christoph Pokorny, Matthias Kaschube, Simon Rumpel
Summary: This study suggests that sensory representations in the brain undergo continuous recombination, even under stable conditions. Auditory fear conditioning increases the number of stimuli activating the same neurons. This plasticity is specific to stimuli that share representational similarity with the conditioned sound, and predicts stimulus generalization in behavior.
Article
Neurosciences
Rajeev Rikhye, Murat Yildirim, Ming Hu, Vincent Breton-Provencher, Mriganka Sur
Summary: Intrinsic neuronal variability affects information encoding, but under certain conditions neurons can respond reliably to the same stimuli, possibly through intrinsic neural circuit mechanisms dynamically modulating intertrial variability.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Le Zhai, Ryosuke Nakashima, Hajime Shinoda, Yoshimasa Ike, Tomoki Matsuda, Takeharu Nagai
Summary: Researchers cloned GFP-like chromoproteins (CPs) from the jellyfish and developed a completely non-fluorescent red CP called R-Velour. The crystal structure analysis revealed that R-Velour has a trans-chromophore similar to that of another jellyfish-derived protein, Gamillus. Mutagenesis studies identified a key residue, Ser155, that contributes to the generation of four-color variants with different absorption peaks.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kai Lu, Tetsuichi Wazawa, Joe Sakamoto, Cong Quang Vu, Masahiro Nakano, Yasuhiro Kamei, Takeharu Nagai
Summary: In this study, researchers successfully visualized the propagation of heat inside cells by developing a nanothermometer called BgTEMP, which is based on the fusion of fluorescent proteins. They also estimated the thermal diffusivity of live cells.
Article
Plant Sciences
Quang Tran, Kenji Osabe, Tetsuyuki Entani, Tetsuichi Wazawa, Mitsuru Hattori, Takeharu Nagai
Summary: The acidity of root apoplastic fluid is crucial for the growth of plant roots. This study developed a novel pH indicator and successfully quantified the pH of root apoplastic fluid, providing evidence for the acid growth theory.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Albert Gidon, Jaan Aru, Matthew Evan Larkum
Summary: This article discusses the rapid progress in neuroscience in understanding the brain, as well as a thought experiment on consciousness involving recording and replaying neural activity to reconstruct conscious experience. The possible outcomes of this experiment reveal hidden costs and pitfalls in understanding consciousness, challenging the traditional wisdom linking action potentials and consciousness.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jaerin Sohn, Mototaka Suzuki, Mohammed Youssef, Sayuri Hatada, Matthew E. Larkum, Yasuo Kawaguchi, Yoshiyuki Kubota
Summary: This study reveals that two presynaptic neural circuits regulate the spine dynamics of pyramidal cell dendrites during learning. New spines formed with corticocortical neurons are eliminated after skill acquisition, while persistent spines with axons from thalamic neurons enlarge. This suggests a division of labor in the neural circuits of the motor cortex during skill learning.
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Takeharu Nagai, Mitsuru Hattori
Summary: Ten years ago, the engineering breakthrough of NanoLuc, a small luciferase, overcame a common limitation in bioluminescence. It is currently the brightest known bioluminescent protein and has been widely used for measurements in single cells and whole living organisms.
NATURE REVIEWS CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
David Keller, Tamas Lang, Melinda Cservenak, Gina Puska, Janos Barna, Veronika Csillag, Imre Farkas, Dora Zelena, Fanni Dora, Stephanie Kuppers, Lara Barteczko, Ted B. Usdin, Miklos Palkovits, Mazahir T. Hasan, Valery Grinevich, Arpad Dobolyi
Summary: This study discovered a neuronal pathway from PIL to MPOA that plays an important role in the control of social grooming. The activation of PIL and MPOA neurons by physical contact and chemogenetic stimulation indicates their involvement in social grooming. Additionally, the activation of the PIL-MPOA pathway and the expression of the neuropeptide PTH2 were found to facilitate social grooming.
Article
Cell Biology
Yaroslav Sych, Aleksejs Fomins, Leonardo Novelli, Fritjof Helmchen
Summary: By training mice in a tactile discrimination task, we found that the functional networks in the brain undergo dynamic reorganization and establish mesoscale network dynamics suitable for goal-oriented behavior.
Article
Biology
Takashi Kanadome, Kanehiro Hayashi, Yusuke Seto, Mototsugu Eiraku, Kazunori Nakajima, Takeharu Nagai, Tomoki Matsuda
Summary: This study successfully visualizes cell-cell interactions of NCad using INCIDERs, which have a higher signal contrast compared to FRET-based indicators. It provides new tools and methods for studying NCad interactions.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Kazunori Sugiura, Takeharu Nagai
Summary: We report the development of a violet fluorescent protein, Sumire, emitting at a wavelength of 414 nm, which can be used for multi-parameter analysis simultaneously with CFP-YFP based FRET probes.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Fabian F. F. Voigt, Anna Maria Reuss, Thomas Naert, Sven Hildebrand, Martina Schaettin, Adriana L. L. Hotz, Lachlan Whitehead, Armin Bahl, Stephan C. F. Neuhauss, Alard Roebroeck, Esther T. T. Stoeckli, Soeren S. S. Lienkamp, Adriano Aguzzi, Fritjof Helmchen
Summary: Imaging of large, cleared samples is achieved using a multi-immersion 'Schmidt objective' consisting of a spherical mirror and an aspherical correction plate. This objective is compatible with all homogeneous immersion media and achieves an NA of 1.08 at a refractive index of 1.56, with a 1.1-mm FOV and 11-mm WD.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Abhishek Banerjee, Bin A. Wang, Jasper Teutsch, Fritjof Helmchen, Burkhard Pleger
Summary: Evolution has shaped the sensory capacities of different species. Rodents rely heavily on the whisker-based somatosensory system for environmental exploration and navigation, while humans rely more on visual and auditory inputs. Recent research has found surprisingly similar processing rules for detecting tactile stimuli and rule learning across species. This article reviews how the brain utilizes these processing rules during tactile learning and discusses the challenges and relevance of cross-species research.
PROGRESS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Jarand B. B. Hjukse, Mario F. D. L. Puebla, Gry Fluge Vindedal, Rolf Sprengel, Vidar Jensen, Erlend A. A. Nagelhus, Wannan Tang
Summary: Astrocytes, a type of glial cells, interact with nearby neurons in a complex way. This study used imaging techniques to observe the response of astrocytes and neurons during high-frequency stimulation of neural circuits. Results showed that increasing levels of released glutamate led to accelerated calcium elevation in astrocytes, and this response was not directly dependent on glutamate transporters. Instead, astrocytic calcium elevation was indirectly associated with the uptake of extracellular glutamate. In addition, the study also revealed the involvement of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger and membrane P2X receptors in the astrocytic calcium response.
Article
Neurosciences
Luca Bordoni, Anna E. Thoren, Eugenio Gutierrez-Jimenez, Knut S. Abjorsbraten, Daniel M. Bjornstad, Wannan Tang, Mette Stern, Leif Ostergaard, Erlend A. Nagelhus, Sebastian Frische, Ole P. Ottersen, Rune Enger
Summary: Brain edema is a dangerous complication of brain disorders and injuries, potentially leading to fatal brain herniation. Even slight increases in intracranial pressure have negative effects, such as on brain perfusion. The water channel protein aquaporin-4 (AQP4) plays a crucial role in brain edema formation, and its absence improves regulation of capillary blood flow. Additionally, AQP4-dependent signaling in astrocytic endfeet during edema disrupts microvascular flow regulation.
Article
Biophysics
Tetsuichi Wazawa, Takeharu Nagai
Summary: Ion currents through channel proteins can generate Joule heating, which has been largely overlooked in biology. This study demonstrates the theoretical investigation of Joule heating involving channel proteins, showing that heat production and absorption can occur. Simulation results indicate that the temperature increase caused by Joule heating in a single channel protein is small, but a noticeable temperature increase is observed in an ensemble of channel proteins. Furthermore, the study extends the theory of Joule heating to UCP1, a transporter protein involved in thermogenesis, and the calculations show that the Joule heat involving UCP1 is comparable to experimental data. The findings suggest that Joule heating of ion transport proteins is an important mechanism of cellular thermogenesis.
BIOPHYSICS AND PHYSICOBIOLOGY
(2023)
