Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yajie Liu, Kairan Yu, Xiaotian Kong, Keren Zhang, Lingyan Wang, Nana Zhang, Qiushi Chen, Mingshan Niu, Wenli Li, Xiaomin Zhong, Sijin Wu, Jianing Zhang, Yubo Liu
Summary: Based on the study of FOXA1 O-beta-N-acetylglucosamine modification (O-GlcNAcylation), it was found that O-GlcNAcylation promotes breast cancer metastasis by regulating the transcription of multiple metastasis regulators. O-GlcNAcylation regulates the stability of FOXA1 and promotes its chromatin assembly, shaping the interactome of FOXA1 and triggering the recruitment of transcriptional repressor methyl-CpG binding protein 2. Site-specific depletion of O-GlcNAcylation on FOXA1 affects the expression of various downstream genes, inhibiting breast cancer proliferation and metastasis. These findings establish the importance of aberrant FOXA1 O-GlcNAcylation in breast cancer progression and suggest that targeting O-GlcNAcylation could be a therapeutic strategy for metastatic breast cancer.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tadashi Nomura, Kohjiro Nagao, Ryo Shirai, Hitoshi Gotoh, Masato Umeda, Katsuhiko Ono
Summary: The ambient temperature significantly affects the developmental timing in animals, and the adaptive molecular mechanisms that respond to variations in temperature remain unclear. This study found that there is a species-specific thermal sensitivity of Notch signaling in the developing amniote brain, and this sensitivity is associated with developmental robustness.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tetsuya Nojima, Annika Rings, Aaron M. Allen, Nils Otto, Thomas A. Verschut, Jean-Christophe Billeter, Megan C. Neville, Stephen F. Goodwin
Summary: This study reveals a novel sexual dimorphism in Drosophila melanogaster, where sexual differentiation of only a small number of higher order neurons in the brain leads to changes in connectivity related to the primary reproductive needs of both sexes, allowing for completely different behavioral repertoires to be deployed in males and females.
Article
Plant Sciences
Monika Sood
Summary: Phytohormones, such as Jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives, play a crucial role in plant development and defense against various stresses. JAs are synthesized in response to growth or defense-related signals and regulate important physiological processes in plants. They act as a 'master switch' in initiating signal transduction cascade and upregulating genes involved in alkaloid and phytoalexin production, as well as stress amelioration. This review provides insights into the structure, biosynthesis, regulation, and signaling systems of JAs, and their application in stress alleviation and induction of pathogenesis-resistant genes.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Francesco Nicoli, Mariela P. Cabral-Piccin, Laura Papagno, Eleonora Gallerani, Mathieu Fusaro, Victor Folcher, Marion Dubois, Emmanuel Clave, Helene Vallet, Justin J. Frere, Emma Gostick, Sian Llewellyn-Lacey, David A. Price, Antoine Toubert, Loic Dupre, Jacques Boddaert, Antonella Caputo, Riccardo Gavioli, Victor Appay
Summary: The functional deficits in naive T cells in elderly individuals are associated with dysregulated lipid metabolism and enhanced basal activation. Reversing these anomalies by altering lipid metabolism can restore antigen responsiveness and potentially enhance vaccine-induced immunity in the elderly.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Alastair Davies, Shaghayegh Nouruzi, Dwaipayan Ganguli, Takeshi Namekawa, Daksh Thaper, Simon Linder, Fatih Karaoglanoglu, Meltem E. Omur, Soojin Kim, Maxim Kobelev, Sahil Kumar, Olena Sivak, Chiara Bostock, Jennifer Bishop, Marlous Hoogstraat, Amina Talal, Suzan Stelloo, Henk van der Poel, Andries M. Bergman, Musaddeque Ahmed, Ladan Fazli, Haojie Huang, Wayne Tilley, David Goodrich, Felix Y. Feng, Martin Gleave, Housheng Hansen He, Faraz Hach, Wilbert Zwart, Himisha Beltran, Luke Selth, Amina Zoubeidi
Summary: The study demonstrates that prostate cancer can transition to a high-plasticity state in response to potent androgen receptor antagonism, maintaining AR activity and rerouting transcriptional activity through changes in chromatin architecture. This reprogramming is mediated by EZH2 and favors stem cell and neuronal gene networks, highlighting the potential for reversing treatment resistance in prostate cancer.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Zeeshan Mushtaq, Kumar Aavula, Dario A. Lasser, Ingrid D. Kieweg, Lena M. Lion, Stefan Kins, Jan Pielage
Summary: This study reveals the importance of the Drosophila pseudo-kinase Madm in maintaining synaptic stability and coordinating synaptic growth and function. Madm acts presynaptically to regulate cap-dependent translation and mediates compensatory signals to offset synaptic release deficits and delay synaptic degeneration. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration-induced synaptic homeostatic potentiation and have potential implications for neurotherapeutic applications.
Article
Biology
Anjali Goswami, Eve Noirault, Ellen J. Coombs, Julien Clavel, Anne-Claire Fabre, Thomas J. D. Halliday, Morgan Churchill, Abigail Curtis, Akinobu Watanabe, Nancy B. Simmons, Brian L. Beatty, Jonathan H. Geisler, David L. Fox, Ryan N. Felice
Summary: The evolution of the skull's major skeletal elements was assessed in this study, using a dataset of 322 living and extinct placental mammals and their relatives. The results revealed distinct macroevolutionary patterns across different cranial elements and highlighted the influence of ecological adaptations. Elements derived from neural crest showed the fastest rates of evolution, while developmental origin had an impact on evolutionary tempo but not specialization capacity.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masaharu Uno, Yuri Tani, Masanori Nono, Emiko Okabe, Saya Kishimoto, Chika Takahashi, Ryoji Abe, Takuya Kurihara, Eisuke Nishida
Summary: The study highlights the importance of communication between neuronal DAF-16 and intestinal DAF-16 in regulating organismal lifespan.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xu-Fei Du, Fu-Ning Li, Xiao-Lan Peng, Bing Xu, Yu Zhang, Guang Li, Taole Liu, Ying Li, Han Wang, Jun Yan, Jiu-Lin Du
Summary: By using in vivo long-term time-lapse imaging of retinotectal synapses in larval zebrafish, this study reveals that synaptogenesis exhibits circadian rhythm primarily through the formation rather than elimination of synapses, and it requires the hypocretinergic neural system's involvement. Disruption of this synaptogenic rhythm impacts the arrangement of retinotectal synapses and refinement of postsynaptic tectal neuron's receptive field. These findings demonstrate the hypocretin-dependent circadian regulation of developmental synaptogenesis, highlighting the important role of the circadian clock in neural development.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
A. Raouf Issa, Jonathan A. C. Menzies, Aishwarya Padmanabhan, Claudio R. Alonso
Summary: This study reveals a new role of Hox genes in controlling adult behavior and neural function. By studying Drosophila, it was found that downregulating Hox genes in adult neurons leads to flight anomalies. Further investigation shows that Hox genes are required within a subset of dopaminergic neurons, and their role in flight control is linked through cell circuitry analysis and optogenetics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lauren E. Bleakley, Chaseley E. McKenzie, Ming S. Soh, Ian C. Forster, Paulo Pinares-Garcia, Alicia Sedo, Anirudh Kathirvel, Leonid Churilov, Nikola Jancovski, Snezana Maljevic, Samuel F. Berkovic, Ingrid E. Scheffer, Steven Petrou, Bina Santoro, Christopher A. Reid
Summary: Pathogenic variants in HCN1 are linked to developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, with the Hcn1(M294L) mouse model reproducing phenotypic features seen in patients with the HCN1 M305L variant. This mouse model provides insight into the pathological mechanisms underlying hyperexcitability in HCN1 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.
Article
Cell Biology
Wenwen Cheng, Cifeng Cai, Yifan Xu, Xueqi Xiao, Tiantian Shi, Yueling Liao, Xiaoyi Wang, Shasha Chen, Meiliang Zhou, Zhiyong Liao
Summary: This study identified a signaling pathway associated with hyperglycemia-induced apoptosis and proposed tartary buckwheat flavonoids as a potential treatment.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laurence D. Picton, E. Rebecka Bjornfors, Pierre Fontanel, Irene Pallucchi, Maria Bertuzzi, Abdeljabbar El Manira
Summary: During development, animals undergo major adaptations to accommodate behavioral flexibility, and the V0d inhibitory interneurons within the locomotor circuit also undergo a developmental switch from a role in high-speed motor behavior to a function in timing and coordinating slow explorative locomotion. This study suggests that early motor circuit composition does not predict the adult system but instead undergoes major functional transformations during development.
Article
Biology
Nandish Khanra, Patricia M. G. E. Brown, Amanda M. Perozzo, Derek Bowie, Joel R. Meyerson
Summary: The study presents the first structure of a KAR heteromer, showing how GluK2 subunits undergo structural rearrangements during desensitization to facilitate channel closure. It also reveals that the large conformational differences between antagonist-bound and desensitized states are mediated by the linkers connecting the pore helices to the ligand binding domains.
Article
Neurosciences
Stanislav Khirug, Shetal Soni, Marta Saez Garcia, Marine Tessier, Liang Zhou, Natalia Kulesskaya, Heikki Rauvala, Dan Lindholm, Anastasia Ludwig, Florence Molinari, Claudio Rivera
Summary: There is a correlation between low alcohol intake and lower incidence of ischemic stroke and severity of brain injury, with the administration of 3% ethanol significantly reducing changes in GABAergic signaling, Cl- homeostasis, and expression of chloride cotransporters in the post-traumatic mouse brain. Ethanol-induced upregulation of KCC2 positively impacts neuronal survival and prevents post-ischemic upregulation of the pro-apoptotic protein p75(NTR), potentially serving as a novel therapeutic target for stroke.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Pepin Marshall, Daniel R. Garton, Tomi Taira, Vootele Voikar, Carolina Vilenius, Natalia Kulesskaya, Claudio Rivera, Jaan-Olle Andressoo
Summary: This study revealed the important role of GDNF in regulating PV+ neurons in the brain, impacting memory and learning, and potentially having similar effects in the hippocampus. Gdnf(wt/hyper) mice showed impaired long-term memory performance and increased inhibitory tone in the hippocampus, as well as changes in PV+ cell numbers and seizure threshold.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Plinio C. Casarotto, Mykhailo Girych, Senem M. Fred, Vera Kovaleva, Rafael Moliner, Giray Enkavi, Caroline Biojone, Cecilia Cannarozzo, Madhusmita Pryiadrashini Sahu, Katja Kaurinkoski, Cecilia A. Brunello, Anna Steinzeig, Frederike Winkel, Sudarshan Patil, Stefan Vestring, Tsvetan Serchov, Cassiano R. A. F. Diniz, Liina Laukkanen, Iseline Cardon, Hanna Antila, Tomasz Rog, Timo Petteri Piepponen, Clive R. Bramham, Claus Normann, Sari E. Lauri, Mart Saarma, Ilpo Vattulainen, Eero Castren
Summary: The study reveals that antidepressant drugs bind directly to the TRKB receptor, facilitating its activation at the synapse and potentially explaining the mechanism behind antidepressant action.
Article
Neurosciences
Taavi Vanaveski, Svetlana Molchanova, Dan Duc Pham, Annika Schafer, Ceren Pajanoja, Jane Narvik, Vignesh Srinivasan, Mari Urb, Maria Koivisto, Eero Vasar, Tonis Timmusk, Rimante Minkeviciene, Ove Eriksson, Maciej Lalowski, Tomi Taira, Laura Korhonen, Vootele Voikar, Dan Lindholm
Summary: PGC-1 alpha regulates GABAR alpha 2 expression in the hippocampus, enhancing GABAergic transmission and affecting neuronal signaling and behavior outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicolas Hugues, Christophe Pellegrino, Claudio Rivera, Eric Berton, Caroline Pin-Barre, Jerome Laurin
Summary: Stroke-induced cognitive impairments can be improved by high-intensity interval training (HIIT) which enhances neuroplasticity processes and cognitive functions. However, there are methodological limitations in studies on exercise recommendations for stroke patients. The potential of HIIT in promoting neurotrophic factors expression, neurogenesis, and synaptic plasticity in stroke rehabilitation is significant.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Sari E. Lauri, Maria Ryazantseva, Ester Orav, Aino Vesikansa, Tomi Taira
Summary: Kainate receptors play important roles in the developing brain, with altered expression potentially leading to changes in neural network connectivity and excitability, resulting in long-lasting alterations in behaviorally relevant circuits.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Frederike Winkel, Maria Ryazantseva, Mathias B. Voigt, Giuliano Didio, Antonia Lilja, Maria Llach Pou, Anna Steinzeig, Juliana Harkki, Jonas Englund, Stanislav Khirug, Claudio Rivera, Satu Palva, Tomi Taira, Sari E. Lauri, Juzoh Umemori, Eero Castren
Summary: Activation of TrkB neurotrophin receptors in parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons regulates plasticity states and cortical networks, mediating antidepressant responses in the adult brain. TrkB activation in PV interneurons promotes a state of elevated cortical network plasticity, increasing excitatory-inhibitory balance and promoting ocular dominance plasticity.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Markus T. Sainio, Tiina Rasila, Svetlana M. Molchanova, Julius Jaervilehto, Ruben Torregrosa-Munumer, Sandra Harjuhaahto, Jana Pennonen, Nadine Huber, Sanna-Kaisa Herukka, Annakaisa Haapasalo, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomi Taira, Johanna Palmio, Emil Ylikallio, Henna Tyynismaa
Summary: This study investigates the functional effects of neurofilament light (NFL) loss in human motor neurons. The research reveals that NFL plays a role in synaptic transmission, organelle trafficking, and axonal caliber in motor neurons. Additionally, the study attempts to rescue the NFL deficiency using drugs but finds them to be toxic to motor neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC).
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Anna Kirjavainen, Parul Singh, Laura Lahti, Patricia Seja, Zoltan Lelkes, Aki Makkonen, Sami Kilpinen, Yuichi Ono, Marjo Salminen, Teemu Aitta-Aho, Tarja Stenberg, Svetlana Molchanova, Kaia Achim, Juha Partanen
Summary: The transcription factor Gata2 plays a critical role in the development of GABAergic neurons in the midbrain, and its downstream genes Nkx2-2 and Skor2 are involved in the diversification of GABAergic neuron subtypes in the midbrain reticular formation (MRF). The Nkx2-2 and Skor2-expressing GABAergic neurons in the MRF are located at the boundary of the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and the MRF, and are involved in regulating REM sleep. These neurons show increased activity upon REM sleep inhibition and project to the dorsolateral pons, a region associated with sleep control.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joni Haikonen, Jonas Englund, Shyrley Paola Amarilla, Zoia Kharybina, Alexandra Shintyapina, Kristel Kegler, Marta Saez Garcia, Tsvetomira Atanasova, Tomi Taira, Henrike Hartung, Sari E. Lauri
Summary: Early life stress leads to long-term dysfunction in the corticolimbic circuitry, affecting emotional and social behavior. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still not well understood.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Henri J. J. Huttunen, Sigrid Booms, Magnus Sjogren, Vera Kerstens, Jarkko Johansson, Rebecka Holmnas, Jani Koskinen, Natalia Kulesskaya, Patrik Fazio, Max Woolley, Alan Brady, Julia Williams, David Johnson, Narges Dailami, William Gray, Reeta Levo, Mart Saarma, Christer Halldin, Johan Marjamaa, Julio Resendiz-Nieves, Irena Grubor, Goran Lind, Johanna Eerola-Rautio, Tuomas Mertsalmi, Mattias Andreasson, Gesine Paul, Juha Rinne, Riku Kivisaari, Hjalmar Bjartmarz, Per Almqvist, Andrea Varrone, Filip Scheperjans, Hakan Widner, Per Svenningsson
Summary: This study aimed to assess the safety and tolerability of CDNF and the drug delivery system (DDS) in patients with PD. The results showed that the CDNF treatment was safe and well tolerated, with possible signs of biological response. This study is of great importance for the development of treatment methods for PD.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Elias Jetsonen, Giuliano Didio, Frederike Winkel, Maria Llach Pou, Chloe Boj, Laura Kuczynski-Noyau, Vootele Voikar, Ramon Guirado, Tomi Taira, Sari E. Lauri, Eero Castren, Juzoh Umemori
Summary: Several interventions, including drugs and optogenetic modifications, can reinstate critical period-like plasticity (iPlasticity) in the adult brain. Activation of TrkB receptor in Parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons plays a crucial role in cortical network changes. Activation of TrkB in PV+ interneurons is important for behavioral flexibility in spatial and fear memory, as well as for hippocampal long-term potentiation.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Kuan-Yin Tseng, Vassilis Stratoulias, Wei-Fen Hu, Jui-Sheng Wu, Vicki Wang, Yuan-Hao Chen, Anna Seelbach, Henri J. Huttunen, Natalia Kulesskaya, Cheng-Yoong Pang, Jian-Liang Chou, Maria Lindahl, Mart Saarma, Li-Chuan Huang, Mikko Airavaara, Hock-Kean Liew
Summary: During intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), hematoma formation leads to local mechanical injury, and the release of hemoglobin and heme induces inflammation and secondary brain injury. Modulating immune cells to promote hematoma resorption and reduce brain edema has potential as a therapeutic strategy for functional recovery after ICH.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Simo Ojanen, Tatiana Kuznetsova, Zoia Kharybina, Vootele Voikar, Sari E. E. Lauri, Tomi Taira
Summary: The absence of GluK1 containing KARs in GABAergic interneurons disrupts GABAergic neurotransmission and spontaneous network activity in the neonatal hippocampus, while leading to stronger hippocampal gamma oscillations and enhanced theta-gamma cross frequency coupling in adult male mice. In females, loss of interneuronal GluK1 results in shorter sharp wave ripple oscillations and slightly impaired abilities in flexible sequencing tasks.
Article
Neurosciences
Tsvetomira Atanasova, Tiina Savonlehto, Tiina-Kaisa Kukko-Lukjanov, Zoia Kharybina, Wei-Chih Chang, Sari E. Lauri, Tomi Taira
Summary: Kainate receptors play an important role in the development and pathological synchronization of the hippocampal neural network. GluK1 KARs regulate functional connectivity between excitatory neurons, possibly through morphological changes in the glutamatergic circuit that affect the synchronization of neuronal populations.